Choral Scholarships

Our choral scholarship scheme offers keen young singers the opportunity to learn how to sing the wide-ranging and beautiful music of the church choral world to a high standard in a fast-paced environment, while developing their singing voices and musicianship. This is a chance to gain experience singing exciting new music every week, to build confidence and abilities as a musician, to make friends with others who also love singing, and is especially ideal for those who might be considering pursuing music after they leave school (for example, at university or as a kirkesanger in Folkekirken).

Young singers have been an important part of church choirs for hundreds of years, as it gives them an education as their voices are still developing that provides a foundation for a skilled and strong singing voice for the rest of their lives. The Anglican church in particular is known for its famous choirs with both adults and children, and includes a wide range of wonderful music written specifically for it that is sung nowhere else in Denmark, from the distinctive style of psalm singing ("Anglican chant") to plainsong, four-part hymn singing, choir-led Evensong services, and a huge range of beautiful choral music in many different languages.

Read on to learn more about our choral scholarships. You can apply by filling in this form (deadline Friday 20th June 2025): https://forms.gle/aGiBawRk1Vhi5Dka7

Is a choral scholarship right for me?

Our scholarships are open to singers aged 13-18, and are for one year (August-July).

You do not need to have sung in a choir before, the most important thing is that you love to sing; but we are looking for people who are not completely new to singing and have at least the beginnings of a clear and confident voice so that they will be able to take a leading role in the choir.

You will need to be comfortable reading music and communicating in English.

Our scholarships are open to singers for all voice types (i.e. soprano, alto, tenor, bass). If you don't know your voice type then don't worry, as we can help you work this out.

If you haven't done a lot of singing before, but would like to learn how to sing in a choir (and maybe apply for a choral scholarship next year), then you are still welcome to join the choir without applying to be a choral scholar. We are always happy to welcome new singers! Please email David, our Director of Music, to find out more: music@st-albans.dk

How often will I have to sing?

You will be expected to sing at more or less all of our regular church services and rehearsals (except during choir holidays):

• Sunday mornings (every week): rehearsal 9.00-10.00; service 10.30-12.00
• Choral Evensong (the first Sunday of most months): rehearsal 13.00-15.00; service 15.30-16.30

There is also an extra choir rehearsal on the last Sunday of most months (from 13.00-15.00), to look at music coming up in the next month, with a couple of extra rehearsals on the Sunday afternoons in November, for the Christmas Carol Services.

We also have services on Ash Wednesday, during Holy Week (the week before Easter), Ascension Day, the Christmas Carol Services, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and sometimes a few other special occasions.

You would not be expected to sing during the choir holidays, which are:

• 2 Sunday mornings after Christmas
• 2 Sunday mornings after Easter
• 6 Sunday mornings during the summer (from the end of June to the start of August)

You will also be allowed to take a certain number of days off during the rest of the year, for occasions when you are unable to make it to choir due to other commitments.

How will a scholarship help me to become a better singer?

Through singing in the choir, you will have the opportunity to improve your sight-reading, broaden your music theory knowledge, sing solos, learn huge amounts of beautiful choral music, and gain experience in teamwork and leadership. Unlike a school or community choir, a church choir sings different music at every service, so you will also discover how to learn music quickly, with only limited practice time, so that you can perform new pieces to a high standard with a minimal amount of rehearsal. This is an exciting style of music-making that is unique to church choirs, but can lead to many valuable transferable skills and abilities.

As part of the scholarship, you will receive 5.000 kr. per year (paid in installments at the end of each term) to help pay for singing lessons. You do not need to be having lessons already - we will help you find a teacher if you don't have one. These lessons will help develop your voice to support singing in the choir, as well as to nurture a skill that will last for life.

You will also have the opportunity to take exams in choir singing, if you wish, following the highly-acclaimed award scheme from the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM), which can be a valuable extra skill for university applications.

How will you decide who gets a scholarship?

You can apply for a choral scholarship by filling out this form (deadline Friday 20th June 2025): https://forms.gle/aGiBawRk1Vhi5Dka7. Everyone who applies will be invited to come for a short singing audition lasting about 15-20 minutes, so that we can listen to your voice and work out if you will be a good fit.

At the audition, you will be asked to sing a song that you already know. You can pick any song you like, with or without piano accompaniment, so that you can show us your voice and what you like to sing. We will then give you two or three short tests, to see how easily you can learn to sing something that you don't know, as well as some simple questions about music theory. Finally, we'll have a little chat so that we can get to know you a little, talk a little bit more about singing in the choir, and so that you can ask us any questions that you might have.

Auditions can sometimes sound a bit scary, but please be assured that we will make them as relaxed and friendly as possible. We are not necessarily looking for the best singers, but those who will get the most out of the scholarships. The audition helps us to assess your vocal quality and your potential to progress as part of the choir.

Sadly, we will not be able to offer a scholarship to everyone, as we only have funds to offer a limited number of choral scholarships.

When do the scholarships start?

The choral scholarships follow the Danish school year, beginning in August and running until July. The first Sunday of August falls within the choir summer holiday, so the first service at which the 2025-26 choral scholars will be expected to sing is Sunday 10th August 2025.

Do I have to pay a membership fee to be in the choir?

No! Our choir is free! In fact, if you're a choral scholar, we'll be paying you via your scholarship!

Do I have to wear special choir robes when I sing?

Yes, for most services. This is a tradition in Anglican church choirs and, although it can be odd at first, most people find it quite fun. And, if you decide to follow the RSCM award scheme mentioned above, you also get to wear a special medal in bronze, silver, or gold.

The church provides the choir robes - you won't have to buy them yourself.

What if I'm not sure?

You don't have to be a choral scholar to sing in our choir. In fact, most of the choir are not choral scholars! If you want to come and try the choir out to see if it's for you, then you are very welcome. We are always happy to have new singers join us, even if they're not sure if it's right for them, so that they can work out if they really want to sing in a church choir. This is also a great way to find out if a choral scholarship might be right for you, as you can sing with us for a while and then apply for a scholarship next year.

Similarly, if you would like to sing with us but don't want to sing every week, you can always join the choir as a volunteer and come and sing with us whenever you're able to.

To find out more, please email David, our Director of Music: music@st-albans.dk

What if I have more questions?

If you have a question that hasn't been answered here, then please feel free to email David, our Director of Music: music@st-albans.dk

How do I apply?

To apply for a choral scholarship, please fill out the form at the link below before the end of Friday 20th June 2025. We will be running auditions on Sunday afternoons throughout the month of June, so do apply early so that you don't miss out on an audition slot!

Apply here: https://forms.gle/aGiBawRk1Vhi5Dka7