Chapter of Durham Cathedral - Durham Cathedral Choral Scholarship

Durham Cathedral Choral Scholarship

You get about EUR 4,700 per year (around £4,021) for singing in the choir of Durham Cathedral. You also earn extra fees for weddings, funerals, concerts and radio or TV recordings. On top of the money you get free singing lessons and one-to-one mentoring (personal coaching) from the Lay Clerks, the cathedral's six professional singers. You perform in concerts, recordings and broadcasts, and you travel on choir tours. The scholarship is offered by the Chapter of Durham Cathedral together with Durham University. There are six choral scholar places in total. The scholarship runs for as long as you keep your university place, so it can last your whole degree. Renewal each year depends on your progress. In return you sing eight services per week across six days, Tuesday to Sunday, with Monday usually free, including special services at Christmas and Easter.

Who can apply

• University: You have, or are about to take up, a place at Durham University, as an undergraduate or postgraduate.
• Voice: You have a well-developed singing voice with good range and tone. Sopranos cannot apply, as the children (Choristers) sing that part. For alto places, countertenor or contralto voices are welcome.
• Music skills: You can read music, sight-read well (sing music you have not seen before) and have sung in a choir or vocal group.
• Confidence: You are a confident performer both as a soloist and in a choir, and comfortable working with both children and adults.
• Attitude to the cathedral: You are in sympathy with Christian worship and the cathedral's mission. You do not need to be a member of the Church of England.
• Subject: Open to most subjects. Sciences and social sciences with laboratory work usually clash with the choir timetable, so check with the cathedral first if that is you.
• Background check: Because you help train and supervise child choristers, you must pass an enhanced background check and safeguarding training.

How to apply

You fill in the application form and email it to the cathedral music office. If you are shortlisted, you are invited to an audition. There you sing a piece from a major religious work (such as Handel's Messiah or Bach's St John Passion), plus ear tests and sight-singing. The deadline for the current tenor vacancy is 4 September. Vacancies in all parts are expected for 2027/28.

How realistic are your chances?

This is a narrow award. There are only six places and usually just one or two vacancies at a time, and you must already have a strong, well-trained voice plus solid sight-reading. That keeps the field small, since only serious singers headed to Durham will apply. If you clearly meet the musical criteria, are ready for the demanding eight-services-a-week schedule and apply for a part that is actually open, your prospects are good.