14th - 19th August 2012
£265 (£85 deposit upon application, with £180 due on or before 22nd June)
The LMC's main, public events are aimed at accomplished choral singers and offer splendid opportunities to perform in some of England's most beautiful settings. Experienced church musicians are introduced to new works and new techniques, and will participate in a vigorous programme of performances. Singers with little or no background in liturgical music encounter a new context for their singing – a context that brings a deeper understanding of traditional choral repertoire. Of course, we take our duties in the cathedral very seriously. We aim for a high standard and singers are expected to prepare well by working hard in rehearsals and by studying the music beforehand.
LMC singers should be competent sight-readers, with voices that blend well in a chamber choir. Singers are expected to be able to carry lines without support; if you generally find that you can only sing confidently when surrounded by more able singers, LMC events may not be for you. We are always happy to discuss entrance requirements with prospective singers prior to application.
Our main choral course in 2012 is based at St Albans Cathedral in Hertfordshire. This beautiful building, formerly a Benedictine Abbey, is principally Norman in construction and boasts the longest nave of any British cathedral.
The course will contain a wide variety of activities but will principally focus on singing seven choral services in the Cathedral. Participants will assemble at around 11.30am on Tuesday 14th August for a registration, warm-up rehearsal and lunch, followed by preparations for the first Evensong in the Cathedral at 5.00pm which will be sung by all members of the course.
Over the following few days, singers will work as a whole and in smaller groups. We will prepare for and sing at a lunchtime concert in the Cathedral and at a recording session. In addition, singers may choose between studying music from the seminal 1773 collection of Tudor and Stuart choral music, Cathedral Music (published by William Boyce) in preparation for services on Thursday and Saturday, or studying a selection of Twentieth Century works for the services on Wednesday and Friday. Alistair Dixon will lead the first group and Richard Smith the second. Singers will be asked to choose which strand they wish to follow upon application, so that two balanced groups can be formed. Each group will contain a maximum of ten sopranos, eight altos, six tenors and six basses, and so early application is advised.
On the final day of the course, all singers will work together to sing at the two Sunday services in the Cathedral. In addition to rehearsals and formal performances, the course will include workshop and lecture-based activities, group voice-coaching, an informal participants' concert and some communal meals. The course fee covers all rehearsals, workshops and performances, and one light meal on most days. It also covers the hire cost of sheet music and a rehearsal CD. Most of the sheet music is sent to participants several weeks before the start of the course. The course fee does not cover the cost of accommodation and singers are asked to find their own accommodation in or around St Albans.
When applying for this course, please state which strand (Tudor and Stuart Music, or Twentieth Century Music) you would like to follow or, alternatively, state that you have no preference.
Students interested in applying for a bursary to attend this course are invited to contact Richard Smith, the director of the LMC.
