Cranleigh Choral Week is structured so as to give members the right balance between singing and relaxing. As many of you will know, rehearsing for several hours a day is very tiring so we do try not to overload you.

Timetable

The opening and closing Sundays are primarily for arriving & welcoming and departing. On the first day, members arrive during the afternoon during which music will be issued, dependent on the choir to which a member has been allocated, and the accommodation assigned (for those who are residential).

Every course member attending the full week is assigned to one of the chamber choirs (one ladies only), each choir benefiting from being trained by the expert tutors on this year’s course. Sopranos and altos can state a preference for being in either a mixed choir or the ladies choir when applying for a space on the course.

In the evening of the first Sunday there is a welcome and introduction to the course for everyone (full week and SEFCho only singers) and the initial rehearsal for the end of week concert, this year featuring A Sea Symphony and Songs of the Fleet.  Those only taking part in the main end of week concert would also be present at this first session.

For the rest of the week, the daily timetable is such that the mornings are allocated to the chamber choir repertoire in preparation for a mid-week concert, the afternoons are free time, the early evening is for the end of week SEFCho concert rehearsal after which there will be a social event – something different every evening. The exception to the evening schedule is on Wednesday when there is no rehearsal.

Thursday’s timetable is slightly different as that is when the mid-week concert takes place.

On the Saturday there will be a full rehearsal in Guildford Cathedral, usually in the afternoon.

Please bear in mind when applying that this amount of singing, contained in just one week's course, requires plenty of stamina and can be physically demanding.

Colin (right) receiving advice from Mark Ashmore during a masterclass session

Other Activities

Cranleigh School offers a multitude of recreational activities (see the Location page on the menu) and the course itself also offers other musical options. For example, individual singing lessons can be booked with a guest vocal trainer or opera singer. In addition, a popular feature from previous years has been the vocal masterclasses, usually run by the same person. Members can either take part in these or just sit back and watch their colleagues. Some of these extra musical options may incur a small charge.

Evening entertainment will be different from one day to the next and will include a Quiz Night and Party Piece Night, as well as parties after the Thursday and Saturday concerts. Plans for the Wednesday evening include a barbeque or a trip to London to see a show. Check back on this page at a later date when further details are available.