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Our Summer School 2026 programme begins on Monday 1 June with a five-week course to learn, sing and record Five Spirituals from A Child of Our Time by Michael Tippett.
Our marvellous Musical Director Ben England will guide you through these powerful pieces, using our innovative resources and teaching techniques. Plus you have the option to submit your own recordings to be part of our final concert performance!
Whether you are a seasoned singer or exploring choral music for the first time, we would love you to sing with us this summer!
Our Summer School 2026 courses:
What we will learn
Over five weeks, we will learn Five Spirituals from A Child of Our Time by Michael Tippett, including:
Steal Away
Nobody Knows
Go Down, Moses
By And By
Deep River
This course will be led by Choir of the Earth’s Musical Director, Ben England.
About the work
Listen to Deep River from A Child Of Our Time
The spirituals in A Child of Our Time are some of the most emotionally powerful music Tippett wrote. He chose well-known African American spirituals like Steal Away, Go Down, Moses, and Deep River because of their deep sense of humanity and hope in the face of suffering.
Tippett placed these spirituals at key points in the piece, using them much like chorales in Bach's oratorios. They offer space for reflection and unity, and the arrangements are rich and expressive without being technically difficult. They are deeply moving to sing and connect immediately with both performers and audiences.
About the composer
Michael Tippett (1905-1998) was one of the most distinctive British composers of the 20th century. Deeply committed to peace and social justice, he believed music could be a force for understanding and healing. These ideals shaped both his life and his compositions.
Tippett’s musical style is vibrant and expressive, with a strong sense of rhythm and emotional depth. He was constantly searching for new ways to communicate through music, but his work remains rooted in a deep connection to the human experience. His music invites listeners - and performers - to reflect, feel, and engage.
Our teaching and resources
Our online courses are designed to be flexible and welcoming. You will get:
A one-hour full choir rehearsal each week of the course, led by our fantastic Musical Director Ben England
A one-hour sectional rehearsal focused on 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
Rehearsal tracks recorded by professional singers - for this course by the fantastic Fieri Consort
The option to record and submit your own recordings, which will be combined with singers around the world to create a final mixed performance
Our rehearsals take place between 17:00 to 19:00 UK time - a full schedule is provided on our exclusive Members’ Area prior to the course launch. Can’t make it to a rehearsal live? No problem - our rehearsals are recorded and available immediately so you can catch up at a time that suits you!
At the end of the course, we send all of the Choir’s recordings off to our engineers, who will mix them to create our global performance! When it’s ready, we will share the final recording as a public concert premiere on YouTube - a celebration of what we have learned and created together that you can share with your friends and family, and enjoy time and time again.
You don’t need any previous choral experience to take part in our courses, or to read music - we teach every piece line by line and give you access to rehearsal tracks for each voice part, so you can learn the music by ear while developing your musical skills. All you need is a love of singing and a way to get online!
Singers of all levels will benefit from our unique, holistic approach to choral singing that goes far beyond the notes. Become a better chorister with the singing techniques, vocal health tips and music theory expertly woven into our rehearsals in a way that allows you to immediately put them into practice, plus insights into the music and composers to help you really understand the context of the works we sing.
Our innovative approach means 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 Monday 1 June 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 take part in Choir of the Earth’s 2026 Summer School and sing these fantastic pieces, simply sign up as a member. Sign up for an annual membership to enjoy the rest of our amazing programme and save around 12% across the year (that’s 6 weeks of singing absolutely free!)
As this work is under copyright, it will be necessary to purchase the score separately, but we provide all the information you need to obtain this.
We hope to sing with you soon!
Enjoy some of Choir of the Earth’s previous Summer School performances:
Discover Choir of the Earth with a full sample week of rehearsals - learn the Sanctus from Haydn’s Harmoniemesse with us here:
Find the score and sample rehearsal tracks from Richard Gowers and Fieri Consort in the description underneath each video.
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.