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What's special about reading Music at Churchill?
Churchill is a great College at which to read Music, not least because the comparatively small number of music students means that you will receive even more than your usual share of personal attention; supervisions are mostly individual ones, though supplemented when necessary by small classes. At the moment there are two first-year students and two third-years reading music at Churchill.
Don't think that you will be lonely or isolated: one of the pleasant surprises of college life will be to find that your neighbour, who is reading another subject, is often also a proficient instrumentalist or singer.
Churchill's musical community is much larger than the number of its Music students, and the College has several chamber, orchestral, choral, and jazz and rock ensembles to show for it. The College supports these ensembles in many ways, not least in the provision of specialist instruments and rehearsal spaces, and generously supports the costs of instrumental tuition for those with the aptitude and the will to continue practical music-making. The College also boasts one of the more active and innovative music societies in the University. You can find the Music Society's website at http://www.chu.cam.ac.uk/societies/music/.
Who are we looking for?
Music is for addicts. The one vital pre-condition is that you should be passionate about music itself: that you already listen to it and make it quite incessantly and love doing so - whether it be by going to concerts or recitals or to the opera or by listening to the radio or to CDs, or by participating in making music.
You may well be the kind of person who has already built up a collection of music for your chosen instrument, or orchestral scores; or have read books about composers' lives or about the history of music in general. All these latter activities, however, are secondary to liking the sound of the stuff in the first place, of enjoying it, and wanting to spend considerable amounts of your time on it, and letting your imagination be captivated by it.
Of course we expect you to have good results in your music examinations, but the sort of person we are really looking for - and to whom we can give the most - is the one who is interested in all sorts of music beyond that which has appeared in the syllabus; and who enjoys it all, is an addict in fact.
Application and interview information
Applicants should be studying, or have studied, Music at A-Level or equivalent. The standard entry requirements are available here. Although some keyboard proficiency is useful (all first-year students are required to take a course in keyboard skills), no keyboard grades or other piano qualifications are necessary, and non-keyboard players should not be put off from applying.
Those invited for interview will be asked to submit samples of work in advance (usually two essays and one or two compositions or exercises in Harmony and Counterpoint). Interviews usually last about half an hour and are carried out by the Director of Studies (see below). The aim of the interview is to determine your enthusiasm and aptitude for the course through a general discussion about music. No special preparation is required.
For more information on applying to Cambridge and interview procedures go to: http://www.cam.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/apply/
Music Tripos
The Cambridge undergraduate degree in Music is referred to as the Music Tripos. It offers students the opportunity to develop their understanding of music through a variety of approaches, including studies in history, analysis, and musical techniques. You can find out about the course structure in the Faculty prospectus. It is important to note that performance only plays a small part of the course, which is largely geared to the study of music as an academic discipline. That said, nearly all music undergraduates are enthusiastic performers, and the opportunities for performance outside of the curriculum, be it as a soloist, chamber musician, choral singer or orchestral player, are second to none.
All music students attend lectures organised by and held at the Faculty of Music. These lectures are backed up by individual and small-group teaching sessions (supervisions), led by specialists in the subject areas, and arranged by your Director of Studies. Your supervisors will set and assess work on a regular basis.
Director of Studies in Music
Your Director of Studies (DoS) is responsible for your academic welfare: this includes guiding you through your degree, keeping an eye on your progress, and helping you with any problems that you encounter in your studies.
Director of Music-Making
The Director of Music-Making is responsible for music organised by and in the College, including the College's own ensembles, and professional groups and recitalists.
Music facilities in College
The College Music centre
The College Steinway
The College Harpsichord
The organ in the Chapel
After graduating, what then?
After you have completed your degree, you may stay on here for further study; or go elsewhere (maybe to a conservatoire). Many students go on to work in music education. You may also decide to do something quite different, in which case, your three years of reading Music at Churchill will in no way be wasted; your increased enjoyment of and pleasure in the art of music will remain; and the close contact with it, and with the wider College community will permanently have enriched your life.
Churchill graduates active in music
Some Churchill graduates have gone on to great things. They include:-
Lowri Blake (Cello and Voice)
Lowri Blake has a dual career as a solo cellist and as a singer of contemporary music and cabaret. Since her televised concerto debut with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Lowri has broadcast over one hundred recitals and concertos on BBC Radio and Television. She has appeared with the London Philharmonic Orchestra in performances of the Elgar Concerto, conducted by Matthias Bamert, at the Royal Festival Hall in London.. Lowri is professor of cello at Trinity College of Music and at the Royal College of Music, London and gives masterclasses nationwide and abroad. You can find more information at http://www.lowrirecords.com.
Adrian Bradbury (Cello)
Adrian started in Churchill reading veterinary medicine, but changed (permanently) to music, and now has a very active life as a professional musician, including being part of the "Gemelli trio" with Emily Segal (piano) and his identical-twin brother John (clarinet).
Lynsey Marsh (Clarinet)
Principal clarinettist with the Hallé Orchestra. She also does solo and chamber work, and has performed with many orchestras, including the renowned Chamber Orchestra of Europe.
Christopher Marwood (Cello)
Christopher read Modern Languages at Churchill, and is now based in Cork (Ireland) where he is a member of the internationally-renowned Vanburgh Quartet.
Graham Waterhouse (Composer and cellist)
Graham has lived in Munich (Germany) since 1992, and has had a busy and successful career as a composer and instrumentalist. Graham's home page is at http://www.arbc.de/Waterhouse/.