A public art installation in Bristol - a large black frame with 3 rows, featuring large pink letters that spell out "Bristol is always a good idea" in magenta pink capital letters. An information sign stands to the left of it. — 📸 *"Bristol is Always a Good Idea" - public art installation by Real Hackney Dave – © Choir of the Earth, 29 June 2025*

At the end of June 2025, Choir of the Earth held its first ever Summer School LIVE - a long weekend of music-making, learning and connection, brought to life in Bristol and streamed to viewers around the world.

The event ran from Friday 27 to Monday 30 June, with a full schedule of rehearsals, performances and social activities led by Musical Director Ben England BEM and Events Manager Dr Ana England.

Welcome to Bristol

The long weekend began with Friday evening rehearsals at St James’ Priory, as the eager choristers sang together in person for the first time. The singers had already developed a good grasp of the pieces at home thanks to the Choir’s innovative and effective teaching and rehearsal materials, so right from the start the sound was impressive.

With a programme including Choir of the Earth favourites, such as Eleanor Daley’s Upon Your Heart, Patrick Hawes’ Quanta Qualia, and Kirby Shaw’s arrangement of Bridge Over Troubled Water, the first rehearsal was a wonderful experience for all and set the scene perfectly for a full Saturday of workshops to really shape their performance.

A man stands at an electric piano at the front of a church and speaks to people seated in the pews in front of him and chairs on both sides of him — 📸 *Musical Director Ben England leads the Choir’s rehearsals at St James’ Priory – © Choir of the Earth, 28 June 2025*

Saturday at St James’

After a good night’s sleep and a hearty breakfast, the weekend continued with a full day of rehearsals at the Priory, as Ben expertly honed the Choir’s performance.

A highlight for many was the opportunity to work on Ben’s own brand new choral arrangement of a work by British composer, the late Eric Wetherell. This arrangement transforms the Andante movement of Wetherell’s Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Strings into a piece for alto sax and choir, titled Vocalise. Its luscious jazz harmonies and satisfying vocal challenges only added to a meaningful sing for the Choir, who were keen to honour both their conductor/arranger and the composer in their performance.

Dozens of people wave to the camera from across the road — 📸 *A merry band en route to dinner after a long day of singing – © Choir of the Earth, 28 June 2025*

The singers’ reward for their day of hard work was a private afternoon concert at the Priory - as the guests, rather than the stars. Choir of the Earth Events’ Manager, the wonderful Ana England, took to the stage for this portion of the weekend, displaying her immense talent as a concert pianist.

Joined by violinist Greta Murmaite, they performed a breathtaking programme including The Lark Ascending, works by Debussy, and a violin and piano arrangement of Quanta Qualia.

Ana was then joined by daughter Katie England, and together they delighted the audience with a set of piano duets, including highlights from Joe Hisaishi’s soundtrack to Spirited Away.

Afterwards, singers and guests made their way to a lively Bristol restaurant to share an evening of food, laughter and stories from the day.

Steep stone steps lead up to a grand church at the top, with four large columns at the front, topped by a triangular roof, and a small round turret on top, topped with a small cross. Brightly coloured banners fill the space between the columns. — 📸 *St George’s Bristol – © Choir of the Earth, 29 June 2025*

Sunny Sunday at St George’s

Sunday morning brought even more colour, fun and community spirit at St George’s Bristol, with sunshine continuing to bless proceedings and “non-singing partners” joining in the fun.

Ben and Katie England led a light-hearted session of singing games in the garden of St George’s, which had participants testing their ability to multitask and giving enthusiastic, mash-up renditions of Queen, Pink Floyd and Adele hits.

Inside, the fabulous Finnish duo of Satu Sopanen and Susanna Heinonen hosted hands-on workshops to introduce participants to Finland’s national instrument, the kantele. The light, shimmering sound of the beautiful instruments filled the room as dozens of people eagerly got to grips with the basics, and by lunchtime the refrain, “Kantele, kantele, we are playing kantele” was well and truly an established earworm for many!

Meanwhile, fascinating private tours of St George’s were led by the wonderful Samir Savant, Chief Executive of St George’s and a tenor in The Fitzhardinge Consort, who would share the bill with Choir of the Earth in the finale concert that evening. Samir’s passion for the venue and its history gave participants an added appreciation for the space where they would soon perform, from the story behind Luke Jerram’s mesmerising Apollo glass sculpture, to the recording room in the crypt, often used by the BBC.

A woman dressed in black plays a wooden kantele and smiles at the camera while a concert audience gathers in the background — 📸 *Choir of the Earth Member Alison plays the Finnish kantele to welcome the concert audience – © Choir of the Earth, 29 June 2025*

Afternoon rehearsals allowed the Choir the opportunity to take to the stage at St George’s for the first time and experience its famous acoustic. It was also their first chance to sing alongside the superb Fitzhardinge Consort and saxophonist Ben Waghorn.

As Ben England conducted the singers through a final rehearsal of the pieces on stage, the growing confidence and collaboration of the Choir was evident, with emotions and anticipation both running high as they broke for dinner.

A Fitting Finale

The evening concert - Vocalise - soon arrived. Now in all-black concert dress, members of the Choir put their new kantele skills to work around the room, creating a gentle and welcoming soundscape for guests as they arrived and took their seats.

The concert - the final event of the 2025 St George’s Festival of Voice - opened with one of Choir of the Earth’s most cherished pieces, Indodana - a traditional African piece arranged by Michael Barrett. This was followed by Eleanor Daley’s Upon Your Heart and Ola Gjeilo’s The Rose, accompanied by Ana England on the beautiful Steinway piano.

The Fitzhardinge Consort and Ben Waghorn then joined the Choir on stage for Patrick Hawes’ beautiful Quanta Qualia, with their combined sound soaring around the hall in 8-part harmony with piano and alto sax accompaniment.

A 12-part vocal ensemble in black clothing are spaced across a stage, singing as they are conducted by a male conductor at a podium and accompanied by a male pianist at a black Steinway grand piano — 📸 *The Fitzhardinge Consort perform at St George’s Bristol – © Choir of the Earth, 29 June 2025*

Following rapturous applause, Choir of the Earth left the stage and Peter Wagstaff conducted The Fitzhardinge Consort in a varied and engaging programme, including madrigals by Orlando di Lassus, Elgar’s As Torrents in Summer, Finzi’s My Spirit Sang All Day, and Volume 1 of Eric Whitacre’s witty Animal Crackers, accompanied by pianist Christopher Jones.

After the interval, the Consort continued their set with works by Delius, Harris and Volume 2 of Whitacre’s Animal Crackers, plus a stunning arrangement of Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

A mixed choir of 56 singers in black clothing sing on stage, conducted by a male conductor at a podium beside an unplayed black Steinway grand piano. The first few rows of the audience and a grand chandelier are in the foreground. — 📸 *Choir of the Earth perform at St George’s Bristol – © Choir of the Earth, 29 June 2025*

Choir of the Earth then returned to the stage for another performance of combined forces and the title piece of the concert: the world premiere of Vocalise by Eric Wetherell, arranged and conducted by Ben England, and featuring Ben Waghorn on alto sax. Some of the composer’s family joined the choir on stage for this performance - a touching moment made all the more special by the knowledge that Eric had been instrumental in the transition of St George’s to the beautiful concert venue it is today.

Choir of the Earth then completed the evening’s programme with uplifting arrangements of Always Look on the Bright Side of Life and Bridge Over Troubled Water. Following a very welcome standing ovation from the appreciative audience, Ben England led the Choir from the piano in an encore of Eric Wetherell’s setting of Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer’s Day, bringing the concert to a fitting close.

The full Vocalise concert programme is available here. The audience response to the concert was warm and heartfelt. One attendee commented on social media afterwards,

“We were so lucky to hear about your concert and get tickets. Wonderful!”

Describing the event, some participants enthused that it was,

“A fabulous weekend of singing topped off by an amazing concert - a weekend I will never forget”
“A privilege to be on stage at St George’s, Bristol and be part of this fabulous performance.”

The After-Party

The celebrations continued back at the hotel with a late-night pub singalong, where Ben led the tireless group on guitar through folk and pop favourites, including Whiskey in the Jar, All Around My Hat, and I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) - the latter in particular bringing some singers to their feet despite a long day for all! The evening ended with a rousing and spontaneous chorus of For He’s A Jolly Good Fellow, sung in honour of Ben.

On Monday morning, tired but happy, our singers and team enjoyed a final breakfast and farewells, vowing to see one another online the next day for the launch of the Choir’s next online course, The Ultimate Messiah.

A camera on a tripod in the foreground films a conductor conducting a choir on stage in the background — 📸 *Choir of the Earth’s performance at St George’s Bristol being livestreamed around the world – © Choir of the Earth, 29 June 2025*

Choral Connections

For those who had been unable to make it to Bristol in person, the Choir of the Earth team had facilitated live-streams from both concerts and the pub sing, allowing those further afield to join their fellow Choir members online.

At the time of writing these streams are still available to purchase at this link.

Our Next Adventure

Now, the Events team turn their attention to their next adventure - a once-in-a-lifetime musical trip to Vienna and Eisenstadt this September, where Choir of the Earth will perform Haydn’s Missa In Angustiis (also known as the “Nelson Mass”) in the magnificent Haydn Hall at Esterházy Palace - the very venue where Haydn premiered the work to Admiral Horatio Nelson himself! Over 150 singers have already booked, and it promises to be yet another unforgettable choral experience.

Looking back at Summer School LIVE 2025