Cranleigh Choral Week
and the South of England Festival Chorus

The increasing popularity of and repeat subscriptions to this Choral Week every year since it began in 1995 have been the hallmarks of its success. With the enormous diversity of groups in the world of amateur choral music, Jeffrey Wynn Davies’ objective was to devise a course that would appeal to those from all types and sizes of choirs. By offering chamber or concert choir and large chorus repertoire and performance opportunities for both in the same course, he wanted to enable participants to experience the familiar and the not so familiar.

For those who sing in large choral societies, not only do they perform in a large concert at the end of the week but also, during the week, have the opportunity to experience other choral styles and learn other music not usually sung by large choirs but more often performed in smaller chamber choirs including some items of a more secular nature.  The music chosen is varied and taken from right across the last 400 or so years.

Full rehearsal for Dream of Gerontius, Summer 2007

For the reverse, members of smaller choirs have the opportunity to contribute to the performance of a major choral work in large venues such as Guildford Cathedral. The works for the 2008 course will be Charles Villiers Stanford's Songs of the Fleet and Ralph Vaughan Williams' A Sea Symphony, with 2008 commemorating the 50th anniversary of Vaughan Williams' death. As well as preparing and performing this in just one week, participants are introduced to new smaller choir repertoire as part of the mid-week concert in the Cranleigh School Chapel.
 

This year's chamber choir repertoire has an American flavour and features music by Eric Whitacre (right) and Morten Lauridsen (left).

The option is also available for singers who just wish to participate in the main concert at the end of the week as part of the South of England Festival Chorus rather than the full week's activities. This may suit singers who live in the local region and who would be able to attend the evening rehearsals during the week.

For a list of the works performed in the end of week concerts in previous years, click here or on the menu option on the left.

Each course member is assigned to one of up to four choirs, one ladies only, the others mixed, and each choir benefits from being trained by the expert tutors on the course, each bringing their own unique approach to getting the best out of the choral repertoire chosen for the course.  More details of the course contents and schedule and background information on the tutors can be found in the Course Details section.