University of Exeter - Exeter Cathedral Choral Scholarship

Exeter Cathedral Choral Scholarship

You will receive at least about 4,620 EUR per year (3,971 GBP, 2025 rate), which will be paid into your bank account each month, for singing daily in the professional choir at Exeter Cathedral. The scholarship usually runs for three years alongside your studies; in some cases, a fourth year is possible. Postgraduate students and singers taking a gap year may be funded for one or more years. During term time, you will sing at seven services a week alongside the six paid professional singers (the ‘Lay Vicars’) and the cathedral’s boys’ and girls’ choir. You will also take part in radio broadcasts, concerts, recordings and tours. From the second year onwards, you may be offered subsidised accommodation in the Cathedral Close (currently around 200 GBP per month, including service charges). The scholarship is offered jointly by Exeter Cathedral and the University of Exeter. Former scholarship holders have gone on to take up positions with leading British choral organisations.

Who can apply

• Voice: You sing as a countertenor (or alto), tenor or bass, have a good ear for music and can read music at first sight.
• Where you study: You are studying at the University of Exeter or are taking a gap year (one or two years immediately before or after your full-time degree).
• Subject: Any degree programme, as long as your lecture timetable doesn’t clash too much with your choir commitments.
• Nationality: All nationalities can apply.
• Background checks: They undergo an extended DBS check (a detailed police background check in the United Kingdom) and complete child protection training.
• Attitude: You can identify with the cathedral’s Christian ethos and are prepared to commit fully to the weekly rehearsal and service schedule.

How to apply

Please email the completed application form from the application pack, together with a covering letter, to the cathedral. Applications are accepted throughout the year; there is no fixed deadline. If you are shortlisted, you will be invited to Exeter for an audition and an interview. There, you will sing two contrasting pieces that you have prepared, take a sight-singing test, sing a psalm at first sight and sit aural tests.

How realistic are your chances?

There are only six places for choir singers, two per voice part. The level of competition therefore depends on how many good singers in your vocal range apply at the right time. As applications are accepted throughout the year and are based on a live audition, your chances depend mainly on your singing and your sight-singing ability, rather than on your marks. If your voice and sight-reading skills are solid and you’re able to commit to the demanding weekly schedule, applying early gives you a real chance of success.