ORGAN & CHORAL SCHOLARSHIPS
The Organ Scholarship at St Peter’s College is essentially for aspiring conductors.The Chapel Choir is under the direction of the Organ Scholar supported and mentored by the Tutor in Music (Dr Roger Allen) who is also active as a singer, organist and conductor. The present Senior Organ Scholar (Theo Lester) was a chorister at King's College Cambridge and is currently conductor of the Oxford Student Chorus. The present Junior Organ Scholar (David Quinn) was formerly Head Chorister of Durham Cathedral and is currently conductor of the Oxford University Gilbert and Sullivan Society. Professional conducting tuition with leading conductors is arranged on a termly basis. This level of activity is made possible as the Chapel of St Peter’s College is one of Oxford’s largest and most versatile performing spaces. It is the former Parish Church of St Peter le Bailey (1874) and accommodates large scale orchestral and choral performances without difficulty.
The Chapel contains a fine collection of instruments. The original Father Willis organ of 1875 was completely restored in 2003 by Nicholson of Worcester in a manner appropriate to its historical significance. The original tracker action is in place and the refurbishment of the pipework carefully retained the original Willis voicing. It is an ideal instrument for historically informed performance of the Anglican Cathedral repertoire and organ music of the period. There is also a single manual harpsichord by Robert Goble (1977) and a vintage grand piano by Blüthner (1906).
The Chapel Choir consists of Choral Scholars and other singers from within the College and outside admitted through audition. There are presently eight awards available each year with no restrictions as to voice type and additional awards are made to singers of sufficient merit. Choral Scholars sing in the two weekly services (Evensong on Sundays and Thursdays during full term) and play a leading role in the musical life of the College. The Choir is administered and directed by the Organ Scholars working under the general supervision of the Tutor in Music with whom they share responsibility for services, concerts and tours. The College has strong historic links with Liverpool Anglican Cathedral and there are regular exhange visits between members of the Bishop F J Chavasse's two foundations. The choirs next residency in Liverpool will be in late June 2011.
The Senior Organ Scholarship is to the value of £400 and is known as the Paul Geddes Organ Scholarship in recognition of the generosity of former member Mr Paul Geddes. The Junior Organ Scholar receives £300. St Peter’s normally expects to elect an Organ Scholar in alternate years but this may vary according to circumstances. St Peter's will normally only elect an Organ Scholar to read Music. Applications for Choral Scholarships are welcome from across the disciplines
The Tutor in Music welcomes enquiries from prospective candidates at any time. For more information or to arrange a visit contact Dr Roger Allen, St Peter’s College, Oxford. OX1 2DL E-mail: roger.allen@spc.ox.ac.uk