Choral Scholars
The Academical Clerks, or choral scholars, are undergraduates at Magdalen, reading a variety of subjects, who win their place in the Choir by competing for choral scholarships.
The main duty of the Choir is to sing the daily office in the College Chapel. During University Term there are seven choral services each week, but Clerks have two days in each week when they are free of duties in Chapel. There is a rehearsal before every service, so that Choral duties altogether occupy Clerks for about 12 hours each week.
The Academical Clerks' stipends are related to academic awards, with supplements for vacation duties. There are also fees for concerts, recordings and broadcasts. Accommodation is provided within the College during their undergraduate years and each Clerks room is equipped with a keyboard instrument. The Academical Clerks receive regular singing lessons paid for by the College.
Musical auditions for choral candidates are held jointly with other colleges in September, usually one year in advance of admission. Choral candidates are required to return to Oxford in December for their academic interview. Each year there are normally vacancies for three or four Academical Clerks.
The Director of Chapel Music, Daniel Hyde, is always happy to meet prospective candidates to give further information, answer queries and offer advice.
Full details of vacancies and examinations for both Organ and Choral Awards, and application forms (at the appropriate time of year), are available online or from the Undergraduate Admissions Office, University Offices, Wellington Square, Oxford, OX1 2JD (tel. 01865 270207); email: undergraduate.admissions@admin.ox.ac.uk.