An exciting new era for music education as Choir of the Earth team launches Earth Choir Academy
The team behind Choir of the Earth have today announced the launch of a new, non-profit online choral academy aimed at redefining choral music for the twenty-first century.
Choir of the Earth (COTE) launched as The Self-Isolation Choir in March 2020, turning heads and making headlines around the world with its incredible Messiah at Home project, featuring thousands of voices and some of the greatest baroque musicians working today. COTE has since recorded almost 600 tracks, thousands of hours of rehearsals, and raised tens of thousands of pounds for international charities.
With the Choir’s original founder recently stepping back, the remaining leadership team made the decision to continue the Choir under the umbrella of a new non-profit music academy. The team includes Musical Director Ben England BEM, Creative Director Marc Siese and Communications Director Nikki Chilton. The three say they feel truly privileged to play such a key role in driving the Choir forward in its thrilling journey towards a bright future.
New Beginnings
Buoyed with enthusiasm and innovative ideas, the team have been working hard behind the scenes to form a new, non-profit company, which was officially incorporated on 11 June 2024 as 'Earth Choir Academy'. Ben, Marc and Nikki will be Earth Choir Academy's Executive Directors, taking over the operation of Choir of the Earth from 1 August 2024.
COTE's sister brands Gamechoir and Radio Choral will also transfer to the Academy, along with many of the upcoming events organised by the former Labrador Events, which will now be run under the new title of ‘Choir of the Earth Events’.
Earth Choir Academy has been founded with a strong educational ethos, building on the world-leading work of COTE which has established itself as an outstanding provider of online choral teaching over the last four years.
The future of online singing is bright indeed and the ECA team is passionate in their belief that the best is yet to come for this new art form. COTE singers don’t just learn to sing the notes on the page – they explore the background and the context of the music, the music theory to help them appreciate what they’re singing, vocal skills, sight-reading skills, IT skills, social skills and much more. Learning itself is a key skill for life and there is no age at which learning something new is not a delight.
The ECA Team
The Earth Choir Academy team have a wealth of experience gained through illustrious careers in their respective fields:
Ben England is a multi-award-winning musical director and advanced skills teacher, who was the founding conductor of COTE in 2020. He is widely recognised as a world-leader in digital music education and is much in demand to lead singing all over the world, both in person and online.
Marc Siese has been COTE's Creative Director since its inception in March 2020. Before that, his experience came from the mad world of advertising and he hasn't looked back since launching his own agency, Capella.
Nikki Chilton has been COTE's Director of Communications since 2021. She joins the Academy team full-time, having stepped down from her previous role as Deputy Head of Public Transport Strategy for Northern Ireland, with more than 20 years’ experience in communications, policy development and programme management.
The team are also thrilled to welcome Dr Ana England as Company Secretary, Finance Officer and events accompanist. A General Medical Practitioner for 15 years, she is also an experienced business manager, charity trustee, music leader and concert pianist.
Ben England BEM
Marc Siese
Nikki Chilton
Dr Ana England
The brand new, non-profit Earth Choir Academy will have education at its heart, bringing the joy of music-making to the world and most importantly making it accessible to everyone with an internet connection.
You can be part of this exciting new future by signing up to Choir of the Earth. July Summer School begins on Monday 8 July and the Choir has just launched its Quanta Qualia 3 project, which is open to non-members too.
Find out more at choiroftheearth.com.