THE SINGING PROGRAM
After twenty-nine programs in twenty-three years, from Oxford to Dublin, Rome to Venice, Salzburg to Vienna and Prague, OXFORD CHURCHMUSIC has become the ultimate summer (and now spring) choral experience in Europe. Every summer we offer our two-week singing vacation in Europe for adults of varying vocal abilities who have sung, or are now singing, in an amateur choir.
The course has been prepared by conductors who know that the sheer fun of singing good music in a group is one of life’s great experiences. Their many years of work with young and old choristers – in schools, community groups and church choirs – have gone into setting up a repertoire that broadens and invigorates both beginning and veteran singers.
We sing every weekday morning from 9 a.m. to noon in a dedicated room in our hotels. We cover the best choral music ever written, from Gregorian Chant to Gospel. Every kind of early and classical liturgical composition, with a few secular madrigals and rounds thrown in, will be explored.
Our own century and continent will be highlighted by practical Gospel and Jazz pieces for church, as well as the most beautiful contemporary works we can find. Of course, every session will also include time for warm-ups and the fostering of proper voice production and technique.
Three conductors will work with you every day, and we’ll finish our stay with a Farewell Concert.
THE CITIES
When we first saw BERLIN at the end of the sixties, it was the encircled, non-capital of a divided Germany, with large sections still in rubble. In spite of this, or perhaps because it was a torch in the middle of a dark place, the city was sizzling with an energy and creativity that only intensified when the wall came down. Now its history and culture, and the sheer joie de vivre of its citizens, combined with an economic miracle, make this panorama of endless museums, cafes and boutiques one of the world’s greatest cities.
The rebuilt capital, studded with architectural gems, is softened by the parks and inviting restaurants along the Spree River, with its Museum Island, the historic Reichstag and Brandenburg Gate, and scores of amazing new projects. We’ll be staying at the Ramada at Alexanderplatz, the central square and hub of attractions of the Mitte district. It is a hub of transportation and the Metrowill wisk us to all main attractions in about 10 minutes.
Then we’ll move on to PRAGUE, another cultural and historic capital on a river that largely escaped the physical ravages of war and political upheaval. This completely walkable, almost miniature gem is a repository of over 500 years of late medieval architecture, enhanced by the Vltava River flowing beneath the renowned Charles Bridge and overlooked by Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral. The Old Town (Stare Mesto) with its passageways and bustling Wenceslaus Square complete a historic model city that is truly one of a kind. Our accommodation will be at the Hotel Adler, central to the many famous sites and attractions that make Prague the fifth most visited city in Europe.
