St Martin’s runs a number of artist development schemes, both in London and elsewhere, aiming to nurture the next generation of talented ensemble singers, organists and choral conductors.
St Martin’s Voices Emerging Artists Programme
St Martin’s Voices is one of the UK’s finest and most versatile vocal ensembles. As the flagship professional choral ensemble of London’s iconic St Martin-in-the-Fields, they sing for concerts, broadcasts and special services at St Martin’s and beyond.
St Martin’s Voices is passionate about offering development opportunities for young artists across the UK, aiming to nurture the next generation of talented ensemble singers and choral conductors. The St Martin’s Voices Emerging Artists programme provides an opportunity for six singers to enjoy an intensive, focused period of training with others of a similar standard and interests and is an integral part of the exciting choral music programme at St Martin-in-the-Fields. The scheme is aimed at choral singers who are in the first few years of a professional career in singing and wish to develop their skills as choral and consort singers to a high level. Recent highlights have included tours to the USA, the Netherlands and Belgium, alongside recordings and performances at Lambeth Palace, the Houses of Parliament and the Greenbelt Festival.
Click here to meet our current Emerging Artists.
Applications for 2024-25 are now closed. Please email choirs@smitf.org if you would like to be kept informed when applications open for 2025-26.
Choral Scholarships
The St Martin-in-the-Fields Choral Scholarships are among the most stimulating and educative choral programmes available in London. The scheme is aimed at choral singers who are wishing to embark on a professional career in singing. The Choral Scholarships provide an opportunity for up to ten singers to enjoy an intensive, focused period of training with others of a similar standard and interests and are an integral part of an exciting choral music programme.
Alongside singing services, concerts and events at St Martin’s, exploring a huge range of repertoire from the Renaissance to the present day, choral scholars will receive regular opportunities for learning, including a series of workshops with members of staff at St Martin’s and external professional musicians.
Applications for 2024-25 are now closed. Please email choirs@smitf.org if you would like to be kept informed when applications open for 2025-26.
Click here to meet our current Choral Scholars.
With thanks to The Arts Society, The Golsoncott Foundation, the Pilling Trust and donors to the St Martin-in-the-Fields Trust for supporting the 2024/25 Choral Scholarship programme at St Martin-in-the-Fields.
Diocese of Manchester Choral Scholarships
The Diocese of Manchester Choral Scholarships offer a programme of stimulating and educative choral training, working across churches in Manchester with the music team from St Martin-in-the-Fields, London. The scheme is aimed at choral singers wishing to embark on a professional career in singing. The Choral Scholarships provide an opportunity for up to ten singers to enjoy an intensive, focused period of development alongside others of a similar standard and interests whilst building on a tradition of musical excellence in churches in the city centre and beyond.
The Choral Scholarship programme is part of a wider project called ‘Sing my Soul’, which aims to develop new music and faith initiatives in a number of churches in the Diocese of Manchester, supported by the Church of England Strategic Development Fund.
As well as their regular commitments, the Manchester Choral Scholars have sung for broadcasts of Choral Evensong on BBC Radio 3, taken part in Church of England online services for Christmas and the Platinum Jubilee, and participated in concerts in London and Manchester, including a collaboration with vocal ensemble I Fagiolini. They have taken part in workshops with choral leaders including Neil Ferris, Jamie Wright, Robert Hollingworth and Stuart Overington.
In 2024-25 the Choral Scholars will be based at St Paul’s Church, Withington, South Manchester, singing for services on Wednesday evenings, alongside some Saturday performances in St Stephen Audenshaw, Oldham Parish Church and other churches throughout Manchester.
For further information about the Diocese of Manchester Choral Scholarship, please click here.
Applications for 2024-25 are now closed. Please email choirs@smitf.org if you would like to be kept informed when applications open for 2025-26.
Organ Scholarship
The Mary and Bryn Walters Organ Scholarship is an exciting opportunity for an undergraduate or recent graduate to work in the professional music department of a busy and thriving London church. The Organ Scholar will develop their skills in accompaniment on both organ and piano in a large variety of repertoire, and in addition, will gain experience and expertise in choral directing.
Duties involve accompanying and occasionally directing regular weekly services and rehearsals at St Martin-in-the-Fields. Please note: there is no Sunday commitment.
Applications for 2024-25 have now closed. Please email choirs@smitf.org if you would like to be kept informed when applications open for 2025-26.
With thanks to Mary & Bryn Walters for funding this scholarship.
Associate Choral Leaders
St Martin-in-the-Fields is pleased to announce an exciting new Associate Choral Leadership programme. The scheme offers opportunities for emerging choral conductors and vocal leaders to help establish new musical initiatives in churches across the UK. It is aimed at choral conductors and vocal leaders who are in the first few years of a professional career, and wish to develop their skills to a high level, working with a range of groups including children’s choirs, community groups, and choral scholars.
Click here to meet the Associate Choral Leaders for 2023-24.
Please email choirs@smitf.org if you would like to be kept informed of future Associate Choral Leader positions.
NEW! Associate Choral Leader – St Gregory’s, Sudbury with St Martin-in-the-Fields
(in association with the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, Music Mission and Young People Project)
This new training opportunity provides an opportunity for an emerging choral conductor or vocal leader to help establish new children’s and community music initiatives in St Gregory’s Church, Sudbury, whilst being offered regular intensive support and training opportunities with the music team at St Martin-in-the-Fields in London.
St Gregory’s serves most of the town of Sudbury, between Colchester and Bury St Edmunds, which is around 1 hour 10 minutes from London Liverpool Street by train. It is a Youth Beacon Area Church in the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich with a particular focus on developing ministry to children and young people. As part of this initiative St Gregory’s has partnered with St Martin-in-the-Fields and the newly established Music, Mission and Young People initiative from the Church of England in Suffolk with the aim of developing new strands of children’s, young people and community music making as a key part of the mission and outreach of the church – at the same time as supporting the development of the next generation of church music leaders.
As part of this work, we wish to appoint an Associate Choral Leader as part of the St Martin-in-the-Fields Artist Development Programmes initiatives. The associate choral leader scheme is aimed at choral conductors or vocal animateurs who are in the first few years of a professional career and wish to develop their skills to a high level, through a combination of practical experience and training. In Sudbury, this will include developing stand-alone children’s choirs and community choirs.
Closing date: Monday 24th June at 5.00pm.
For more information, please click here.
For the application form, please click here.
For more information about future audition opportunities please contact choirs@smitf.org
Our music programmes are supported by generous donors, funders and members of the Music Patrons Circle. We are grateful to the following and those who have chosen to give their support anonymously.
Funders
- The Arts Society
- The Foundation for St Martin-in-the-Fields, London
- Lord and Lady Lurgan Trust
- The Pilling Trust Fund
- The Williams Church Music Trust
Legacies
- Mary and Bryn Walters and family
Music Patrons Circle
- Bernard and Phyllis Fisher
- Lady Sarah Riddell
- & Other Patrons
