The Chapel Choir

The King’s Chapel Choir is celebrated throughout the Maritimes, and known across Canada for its professional-level choral singing in services and concerts. It maintains one of the most prestigious college liturgical choral programs in Canada - on a par with the chapel choirs of Oxford and Cambridge. Members of the Chapel Choir perform liturgical music by major composers of the Western and Orthodox Christian traditions, including choral Masses, chants, anthems, and motets. While following the Anglican services of the Book of Common Prayer, much of the repertoire is shared with the Lutheran and Roman Catholic Churches, and other branches of Christianity. Chapel Choir members also have opportunities to tour locally and further afield, and to perform concerts. Membership is open by annual audition to King’s and Dalhousie students of any faith or none - and they need not be music students. The student membership is supplemented by 4 paid, professional Section Leads. As an SATB choir, we strive to keep a good balance between voice parts, to a maximum total number of 18 singers. Ideally, this means that there are 6 sopranos, 4 altos, 4 tenors, and 4 basses, although in practice, these numbers may vary from one season to the next.
The Chapel Choir is directed by Dr. Neil Cockburn (Director of Chapel Music).

The termly music list is available here.

• Time commitment: approximately 7 hours each week, with extra rehearsals, services, and concerts around the busy seasons of Christmas and Easter. The normal schedule is Tuesdays from 7-9pm (rehearsal); Wednesdays from 4-6pm (Choral Evensong), and Thursdays from 4-6.30pm (The College Eucharist). In addition, Chapel Choir members are expected to learn and rehearse repertoire privately in their own time, to ensure preparedness for the two weekly performances. There is no regular Sunday commitment for the Chapel Choir, although concerts and some extra services are often scheduled at the weekend. The full schedule is announced at the start of each term.

• Membership: open to King’s and Dalhousie students (and occasionally students from other local academic institutions depending on capacity); there are four, paid professional Section Lead positions.

• Level: intermediate to advanced - at least one year of previous choral experience is required (sacred or secular); two or more years of choral experience are recommended.

• Skills: a high level of proficiency with musical notation and an ability to sight-sing; the ability to blend vocal sound into the choral ensemble; excellent time-management and time-keeping ability.

• For information on choral and organ scholarships, please view the information on the main King’s web site here.
  

  TO JOIN

  As a member of the congregation, please attend at least one Choral Evensong on Wednesdays at 5pm in Chapel (beginning September 6, 2023) and one Choral Eucharist on Thursdays at 5pm in Chapel (beginning September 7, 2023). This will give a broad sense of our repertoire, style, and standard. Then email the Director of Chapel Music, Dr. Neil Cockburn to receive a copy of the choir schedule for the term, and to schedule an audition.