Launching on Tuesday 7 April 2026, join us for this 7-week choral course and be part of the global buzz around Joanna Forbes L’Estrange’s A Season to Sing - the choral work taking the music world by storm! Whether or not your own choir is performing it, this is your chance to learn and record it from anywhere in the world, with direct input from the composer herself.
What we will learn
Our Musical Director - the brilliant Ben England - will teach us every note, line and voice part of A Season to Sing - Joanna Forbes L’Estrange’s vibrant new choral work inspired by Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.
This reimagining sets poetic and biblical texts to familiar melodies, creating a colourful and expressive musical journey through Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.
About the composer
Joanna Forbes L’Estrange is a British soprano, composer and former Musical Director of The Swingles. A leading figure in the world of contemporary choral music, she is celebrated for her uplifting, accessible writing for singers of all levels, and for inspiring performances that blend technical excellence with musical warmth.
Joanna is a former course director at Choir of the Earth, having led our How Do You Keep The Music Playing and Sunshine! courses. She understands our unique way of working and is a great supporter of our approach to online music-making.
This collaboration is especially exciting for us. Joanna contacted us in spring 2025 to ask if we would like to learn and record A Season to Sing - we said yes immediately! She and her husband, composer and arranger Alexander L’Estrange, have provided all instrumental and guide tracks for this course.
Joanna will also create a series of exclusive coaching videos for our members. These will be separate from our main rehearsals and will offer specialist insights into the piece and performance advice directly from the composer.
A little about the piece
Singers around the world and our Musical Director Ben England discuss A Season To Sing
A Season to Sing was composed to celebrate the 300th anniversary of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, with the support of the Royal School of Church Music and more than 50 commissioning choirs around the globe. A World Tour is ongoing throughout 2025 with performances from South Carolina, USA to Sydney, Australia.
This SATB work with organ accompaniment is structured in four seasonal sections: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Each features well-known themes from Vivaldi’s concertos, reimagined with sung text drawn from poetry and scripture. The music is full of life, imagery and contrast – designed to be both expressive and singable.
Listen to A Season to Sing here:
Our teaching and resources
Our online courses are designed to be flexible and welcoming. You will get:
A full choir rehearsal each week of the course, led by our Musical Director, Ben England
A sectional rehearsal for your voice part (soprano, alto, tenor or bass) each week, with the option to attend any others you like - learn and record as many voice parts as you like, or just come along to enjoy the music and live chat
Additional coaching videos from Joanna Forbes L’Estrange
Rehearsal tracks recorded by Joanna Forbes L’Estrange and Alexander L’Estrange
The option to record and submit your own recordings, which will be combined with singers around the world to create a final mixed performance
At the end of the course, our global recording will be premiered on YouTube as a concert - a celebration of what we have learned and created together.
You don’t need any previous choral experience to take part in our courses - just a love of singing and a way to get online.
Our innovative learning tools mean you will learn this stunning music in a depth you don’t get with any other choir.
ℹ️ Find out more about how Choir of the Earth works here.
Be part of it
Our course launch session on Tuesday 7 April 2026 will be open to all, so please come along to hear more about the music and how the course will work.
If you would like to sing A Season to Sing with Choir of the Earth, simply sign up as a member of COTE below. Sign up for an annual membership to enjoy the rest of our 2025/26 programme too, plus save 10% across the year!
We hope to sing with you soon!
Please note: This course is not eligible for our ‘first month free’ offer. Members will need an active subscription for the full duration of the course.
Enjoy Choir of the Earth perform alongside Joanna Forbes L’Estrange here:
Hear Choir of the Earth sing more Vivaldi here:
Disclaimer: While we make every effort to ensure that courses proceed on the dates and with the content advertised, unforeseen circumstances may require changes on occasion. We endeavour to minimise such alterations, but we reserve the right to make adjustments if necessary.