The link to our public course launch session will appear here closer to the time
Our Summer School 2026 programme continues on Monday 27 July with a one-week course to learn, sing and record Lux Aeterna - John Cameron’s choral setting of Edward Elgar’s ‘Nimrod’ from the Enigma Variations.
Our marvellous Musical Director Ben England will guide you through this vibrant piece 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
John Cameron’s Lux Aeterna - a stunning choral setting of the Nimrod variation from Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations.
A little about the piece
Listen to Lux Aeterna - a choral setting of Elgar’s Nimrod by John Cameron
Lux Aeterna – Edward Elgar, arr. John Cameron
Lux Aeterna is a choral setting of Elgar’s Nimrod from the Enigma Variations, set to the Latin requiem mass text, Lux Aeterna (“Eternal light”). The music is flowing, heartfelt, and quietly powerful, with harmonies that feel both warm and timeless.
This version invites singers to focus on blend, breath, and phrasing, creating a deep sense of stillness and expression. It’s a piece that many people already know and love in its orchestral form, and singing it brings a new layer of emotional connection and meaning, allowing singers to experience Nimrod not only as listeners, but from within its long, glowing lines and deeply felt harmonies.
About the composers
Edward Elgar (1857-1934) is one of Britain’s most celebrated composers, known for music that is both noble and deeply moving. His work captures a rich emotional range, from quiet introspection to soaring grandeur, and has become a lasting part of the British choral and orchestral tradition.
Largely self-taught, Elgar rose to prominence through talent and determination. His music often carries a sense of national pride, but it also reveals a more personal, heartfelt voice. Audiences and performers continue to be drawn to its beauty, sincerity, and emotional clarity.
Photo Credit: johncameronmusic.com
John Cameron is a British composer, arranger, conductor and musical director whose work spans film, television, theatre, orchestral music and choral writing. His film credits include Kes, Black Beauty, The Ruling Class, The Mirror Crack’d and A Touch of Class, for which he received an Oscar nomination. For television, he has written music for major shows, including Jack the Ripper, The Secret Garden, The Path to 9-11, Witness For The Prosecution, and Three Men In A Boat.
Cameron’s work in theatre has been equally significant. He wrote the orchestral score that remains the basis of every performance of Les Misérables, and has overseen orchestrations and arrangements of shows such as Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Spend Spend Spend. His choral work includes the large-scale cantata Missa Celtica and Lux Aeterna, his choral setting of Elgar’s Nimrod. Across a long and varied career, Cameron has become known for his ability to move fluently between musical worlds while bringing clarity, atmosphere and emotional depth to everything he writes.
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 Tuesday 7 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 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.