Back to All Events

Summer School 2020


Course launch 22 June 2020
Course Director Ben England (Musical Director)

About this course

Building on the remarkable success of Messiah at Home, The Self-Isolation Choir launched its first Summer School in 2020 - a pioneering online choral project that brought singers together from across the world at a time when traditional music-making was on pause.

The series offered three themed weeks of exquisite choral repertoire, taught and performed entirely online, and established the foundations of what would later become Choir of the Earth’s ongoing programme of global courses, including an annual summer school.

Each week focused on a different collection of works, combining rehearsal videos, live teaching sessions, and full performances led by Musical Director Ben England.


Week 1: A John Rutter Celebration

This extraordinary collaboration with internationally renowned composer John Rutter, in partnership with Oxford University Press, featured specially filmed introductions from the composer himself. Across the week, singers learned and performed a selection of John’s best-loved works:

  • The Lord Bless You And Keep You

  • Look at the World

  • For the Beauty of the Earth

  • A Clare Benediction

  • All Things Bright and Beautiful

  • A Gaelic Blessing

  • Amen (from Three Choral Amens)

Fieri Consort - a professional vocal ensemble based in the UK - recorded each of the voice parts for each piece, ensuring singers everywhere could learn confidently, using the best possible resources.

Week 1 Concert Performance: 26 June 2020


Week 2: The Splendour of Church Anthems & Quanta Qualia

The second week celebrated some of the most treasured anthems in the choral repertoire, including:

  • Zadok the Priest - George Frideric Handel

  • I Was Glad - Hubert Parry

  • The Blue Bird - Charles Villiers Stanford

The Choir also welcomed guest composer Patrick Hawes, who guided participants through his deeply moving work Quanta Qualia, taught alongside rehearsal tracks recorded by Fieri Consort. The text’s line, “O how great and how wonderful the joys of meeting will be”, held particular resonance during this period of separation.

Week 2 Concert Performance: 24 July 2020


Week 3: Vivaldi’s Gloria in D Major

The final week focused on Vivaldi’s Gloria, one of the most beloved works in the choral canon, with individual voice part rehearsals led by the brilliant Ben England and rehearsal tracks provided by the fantastic Fieri Consort.

The course concluded with a full performance that marked the perfect close to a memorable summer of music-making.

Week 3 Concert Performance: 21 August 2020


Musicians

The Self-Isolation Choir were accompanied by the following musicians in the production of this course:

REHEARSAL TRACKS RECORDED BY

Fieri Consort


SOLOS PERFORMED BY

Fieri Consort, including:

Lucy Cox - Soprano

Hannah Ely - Soprano

Helen Charlston - Alto

Nancy Cole - Alto

ACCOMPANIMENT BY

Ana England - Piano

Richard Gowers - Organ

Sophie Burrows - Saxophone


Testimonials

This last week with John Rutter was the most emotional experience I've had in my musical life.

I just wanted to thank you very much for organising this wonderful summer school. I have enjoyed every minute of Ben's charismatic and clear teaching, he is truly a gem and so inspiring! The Rutter music is sublime, I barely knew any of it but now feel really engaged and uplifted! The lovely Fieri singers and the piano playing are a fantastic addition and we are so lucky to have them to sing to - you have really done us proud I think - and it's only just the start!

I have just come from the second alto rehearsal, having done all of yesterday's soprano ones and this morning's. I'm absolutely bowled over (all over again) at how brilliant these are. The feeling of community, friendship and love of song is something I never imagined was possible in a virtual space but you have proved it emphatically is. Thank you again for your vision for this choir and for all of your hard work making it happen.


Previous
Previous
31 March

Messiah at Home

Next
Next
24 August

Brahms Requiem (part of the Requiems at Home series)