A New Opportunity for Girl Choristers to Sing Services at Oxford University Chapels
A NEW OPPORTUNITY FOR GIRL CHORISTERS TO SING SERVICES AT OXFORD UNIVERSITY CHAPELS
DIRECTOR OF MUSIC: WILL DAWES
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
- What will an audition for Frideswide Voices entail?
After some vocal warm-ups, candidates will be asked to sing a short prepared piece of their choice (this can be sacred or secular, accompanied or unaccompanied). Some simple aural tests will then be given (e.g. singing or clapping back a phrase played on the piano). Girls may be tested on basic sight-reading, as appropriate to their age and experience. The audition will last up to ten minutes. If presenting an accompanied piece, please provide an extra copy of the music.
- Do singers need to be able to read music to join Frideswide Voices?
No. Some Probationers will have no previous experience of reading music. Those who are keen and committed, have a good musical ear and a reasonable vocal range will be considered for the choir. Training in musicianship and sight-singing will be given.
- What will Frideswide Voices choristers wear?
Thanks to two very generous donors, a new set of robes (cassocks, surplices and cravats) have been ordered. These will be in use from June 2015.
- How much does it cost to become a member of Frideswide Voices?
The termly subscription is currently £50 per chorister, plus a £10 joining fee. The Committee and Trustees are working hard to promote the choir and apply for external funding from charitable organisations and benefactors, with the aim of maintaining low subscriptions and enabling us to purchase music and robes.
- What if my child cannot attend a rehearsal?
If a chorister is unwell and needs to miss a rehearsal/service, the duty committee member must be contacted to explain her absence. If a rehearsal is missed, the chorister will not be able to sing in the next service, but will be required to attend. Full commitment to the choir is essential.
- How will rehearsals be structured?
The long rehearsal sessions will be broken up to provide time for vocal rest. As well as full choir rehearsal periods, there will be short Music Theory sessions and some one-to-one singing coaching. There will also be a drinks break. Probationers (Year 3) follow a separate schedule, adapted to their needs.
- Which day of the week does the choir meet on?
In 2014-2015 Frideswide Voices has meet on Mondays, with very occasional extra evening commitments (for exceptional services or concerts). A consultation process is underway, partly to consider the interest amongst families and the viability of increasing to two evening sessions per week. The outcomes of this consultation and any emerging developments will be shared with prospective families.
- What about practical arrangements (e.g. times/dates/venues, parking arrangements, etc.)?
The Term Card and termly letter give details of rehearsal times, venues, emergency contact numbers, etc. Parents and carers of choristers will also receive regular email updates, and information will be posted on our website: At Worcester College, the dropping off point will be in the Fellows’ Car Park, where there will be adults on hand each week to welcome choristers for rehearsals, and to re-unite them with parents and carers at the end, to ensure their safety at all times. At other colleges the drop-off/meeting point will be the Porters’ Lodge.
- May I park in the Worcester College Fellows’ Car Park?
No, the car park is reserved for Fellows of Worcester College. Apart from dropping off and collection, parents should not use the car park.
- What arrangements will be in place for my child’s pastoral care?
Frideswide Voices acknowledges it has a responsibility for safeguarding children involved in all of its activity. It aims to provide a safe and secure environment in which children flourish and feel comfortable. Frideswide Voices accepts its duty of care to safeguard the welfare of all its members by committing to practices that protect them. Our safeguarding policy is available to view on our website:
- Are parents and carers expected to attend evensong?
All parents and carers are warmly welcomed (but not required) at services, as indeed are members of the university and the general public.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR OF MUSIC
Will Dawes is an experienced conductor, who directs the Bath Choral Society, the Orlando Chamber Choir, Ensemble 45, Ludus Baroque, and the Choir of St Mary Magdalen, Oxford. A recent highlight was conducting the Eric Whitacre Singers in a recording of Fly to Paradise – the track for Virtual Choir 4, which reached number 1 in the iTunes classical chart in the UK, US and Canada. He also appeared as a guest conductor for Gareth Malone's recent TV series, Sing while you work 2.
He was a chorister at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, studied Music at the University of Edinburgh and then Choral Conducting and Voice at the Royal Academy of Music. On graduating, he was awarded the Thomas Armstrong Prize for Choral Direction.
Will is active as a consort singer and is a member of the internationally acclaimed and multiple-Grammy-nominated vocal ensemble Stile Antico. The group performs all over the globe, so far including concerts at the Wigmore Hall, Cadogan Hall (BBC Proms), the USA, Mexico, Portugal, Estonia and Canada. He has also appeared as part of the Gabrieli Consort, Collegium Vocale Gent and Polyphony.
TRINITY TERM 2015
MONDAYS 4.30–7pm (other weekdays as specified)
20 AprilRehearsal 4.30pm – 7pm
Worcester College
27 AprilRehearsal
Evensong – Christ Church 6.05pm
With ‘Be a Chorister for an Evensong’
4 MayRehearsal 4.30pm – 7pm
Worcester College
11 MayRehearsal 4.30pm
Evensong – Magdalen College 6pm
14 May Rehearsal 5 – 5.30pm
Magdalen College
15 MayRehearsal 5 – 5.30pm
Concert – Monteverdi Vespers 7.30pm
The University Church of St. Mary-the-Virgin
Tickets from
18 May Rehearsal 4.30pm – 7pm
Worcester College
25 MayNo Frideswide Voices (half term)
1 JuneRehearsal 4.30pm – 7pm
Worcester College
8 June Rehearsal 4.30pm
Evensong – Worcester College 6.15pm
12 JuneRehearsal 4.30pm
Evensong – The Queen’s College 6.15pm
15 June Rehearsal 4.30pm – 7pm
Worcester College
22 JuneRehearsal 4.30pm
Evensong – Worcester College 6.15pm
26 JuneRehearsal 4.30pm
Evensong – Worcester College 6.15pm
With end-of-year celebration from 7pm
On arrival at 4.30pm, choristers will be offered refreshments, with the full rehearsal starting promptly at 4.45pm.
Parents and carers should collect choristers at 7pm after Evensong.
On rehearsal days, Probationers should be collected at 6.45pm.