Supporting Schola

Schola Cantorum of Oxford is the University of Oxford’s premier chamber choir. Schola’s mission is to share the joy of choral music with our singers, our community of alumni and supporters, and with audiences in Oxford and around the world. We challenge ourselves to perform to the highest standards, providing outstanding musical training for young singers and conductors.

The choir was founded by László Heltay in 1960 at a point when there were few opportunities for men and women to sing together. Times have changed and Schola’s role has changed too. We’ve now built a reputation as Oxford’s premier concert choir – engaging deeply with complex repertoire, and providing a space for performance outside religious services.

Schola has worked with many of the foremost musicians of the last six decades and has built an international reputation through extensive tours and recordings. We are proud of our alumni who have gone on to successful musical careers such as John Mark Ainsley, Emma Kirkby, Christine Rice, Susan Gritton, and Ian Bostridge – many came to Oxford to study other subjects but developed their musical talents during their time in Schola.

Schola is a registered charity and relies entirely on the generosity of our patrons, donors, and friends. Many of our alumni generously support the choir so that current members can access the same opportunities they had in the past.

We are proud of our 60-year history but we’re always looking ahead. To secure the choir’s long-term future we need an annual income of around £20,000. This supports:

• Our professional conductor
• Our conducting scholarship
• Regular tours to share our wonderful choral tradition around the world
• Singing masterclasses and training opportunities
• Running costs, including music, venues, collaborations, and professional admin

We’re not content to stand still. To mark six decades of Schola we are setting out to raise an additional £60,000 over the next 2 years – doubling our endowment. This would allow us to:

• Commission new music and set up a composer in association scheme
• Establish an annual tour and recording fund

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  How you can support the choir  

• Sign up to our friends scheme
• Make a one-off donation
• Leave a legacy to Schola in your will
• Provide support-in-kind, such as tour accommodation or concert venues
• Come to our concerts and spread the word

No gift is too small, and we are grateful to everyone that has supported and continues to support the choir.

How we use your generous gifts
10 friend’s subscriptions of £50 each could pay for a vocal masterclass or a choir member to go on tour.
£5,000 could support a recording or enable us to commission a new piece of music.
£15,000 could endow the conducting scholarship in perpetuity.

• Being in Schola was like getting a Blue for singing. It made me very proud then and it makes me happy and proud now. Schoenberg famously said that 'Friede auf Erden' was unsingable. He hadn't met the Schola of 1969!""​

Oz Clarke
Choir member 1968-71

“Singing in Schola taught me how to conduct, and conducting Schola taught me how to sing. Both experiences taught me how to make music.”
Jeremy Summerly,
Conductor 1990-96