The link to our public course launch session will appear here closer to the time
Our 2026 Summer School programme concludes with a very special three-day course from Wednesday 5 August, where we will learn, sing and record Danse de la Fée-Dragée - a fun, jazzy setting of Tchaikosky’s Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy from The Nutcracker, arranged by Leo Hussain and Ralph Allwood.
Our fantastic Patron, and co-arranger of the piece, Ralph Allwood, will be your guide through this light-hearted piece! Learn using our innovative resources alongside Ralph’s unique insights and wealth of choral singing experience. 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
Danse de la Fée-Dragée by Tchaikovsky, arranged by Leo Hussain and Ralph Allwood. It is a light-hearted choral arrangement of Tchaikovsky’s Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy from The Nutcracker.
We are delighted to welcome Ralph Allwood as the director for this course. As well as being the co-arranger of this piece, he is also Earth Choir Academy’s Patron.
A little about the piece
Listen to Danse de la Fée-Dragée
Danse de la Fée-Dragée -from The Nutcracker by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, arr. Leo Hussain and Ralph Allwood
This is light-hearted choral jazz arrangement of Tchaikovsky’s Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. With fun ‘nonsense words’, interesting rhythms, and 10 choral lines (SSSSAATTBB) recreating this famous work’s harmonies, this is definitely a case of the more the merrier!
About the composers
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was one of a great composer of the Romantic era, admired for his gift for memorable melody, vivid orchestral colour and emotional expression. Born in 1840, he was the first Russian composer to achieve lasting international fame, writing music that combined the traditions of Western European classical composition with a strongly individual voice.
His best-known works include the ballets Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker, the 1812 Overture, the Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture, his First Piano Concerto, his Violin Concerto and six numbered symphonies. Although his music often explores drama, longing and intensity, Tchaikovsky also had a remarkable gift for lightness, fantasy and charm.
Ralph AllwoodMBE DMus is a leading British choral director and educator whose work has shaped choral training for decades. He founded the Rodolfus Foundation and its renowned choral courses, directs music at the Royal Naval College Chapel in Greenwich, and works with choirs at Queens’ College, Cambridge, and Trinity College, Oxford.
Ralph has conducted choirs for over 40 broadcasts for BBC Radio 3. He has composed much music for Extreme Music and Pretty Decent Music, heard worldwide on radio, film and television. His arrangements of popular pieces range from the gentle beauty of Schubert to the infectious energy of ABBA.
Our teaching and resources
Our online courses are designed to be flexible and welcoming. You will get:
A one-hour full choir rehearsal, led by our wonderful Patron, and co-arranger of the piece we’re learning, Ralph Allwood
A one-hour sectional rehearsal focused on your voice part (soprano, alto, tenor or bass), 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
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 Wednesday 5 August 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 piece is under copyright, it will be necessary to purchase the score separately at a small extra cost, 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.