Beyond choir singing: exploring solo repertoire
Singing in a choir introduces thousands of people to wonderful music and provides friendship, structure and the pleasure of making music together. Many singers spend a lifetime enjoying exactly that. There is something deeply satisfying about being part of a larger sound, contributing your own voice to something that no one person could create alone.
But what if you find yourself wanting a little more?
Not more commitment. Not necessarily more performing. Just a deeper involvement, a discovery from within the music itself - and the workings of and connection with your own voice.
I think this is one of the reasons singing workshops, summer schools, and study weekends continue to hold such appeal. They create opportunities to step a little closer to the repertoire we love. To spend time with music in a different way. To listen. To observe. To have a go.
I have sat in enough workshop rooms to know that some of the most memorable moments happen when a singer decides to take that step. ...
Solo singing and shared experience
Many aspiring adult classical solo singers spend a lot of time working on their voice and practising alone. Practice happens at home, repertoire is learned in isolation, and vocal technique is something pieced together over time, often without fully understanding how it all fits together.
That is a completely natural way to begin.
But it does raise a question, sooner or later, and it is one I recognise very well from my own singing and from working with singers over many years: how do you know if what you are doing is actually helping?
The answer rarely comes from doing more of the same on your own. It comes from experience, and more specifically, from shared experience.
I see this every time singers come together, whether over a full weekend workshop or in a smaller setting, or even online. Progress shifts, not because anything dramatic has been added, but because the context has changed. As a solo singer, you are no longer relying only on your own internal navigation system.
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Voice-works series:Â 8 Vocal Greats
Join us in Chandler’s Ford, Hampshire (UK) on 11–12 July 2026 for a Voice-works Study Weekend exploring Eight Vocal Greats. Across two focused and enjoyable days, we’ll trace a vocal lineage from Purcell to Britten, with each singer curating up to six pieces from this rich musical field. Observers are very welcome!
Your Desert Island Songs
26–27 September 2026 Chandler’s Ford, Hampshire
Your Desert Island Songs begins the new Voice-works Study Weekend year by exploring the repertoire that gradually inhabits who we are as singers.
A special Early-Bird Reward payment plan is available until 13 June 2026 for singers who step aboard early and begin shaping their repertoire over the summer months.
Final application deadline:Â 15 August 2026.
New! August Intermezzo
 A short interval or pause between larger events.Â
Running from 3–28 August, this is a new kind of Studio 5 space for the holiday weeks between terms - an online Intermezzo where you can stay connected to your singing in a simple, practical, and flexible way, even if life is busy or if you’re away.
Alongside weekly material, I’ll set aside time each week for an open, informal Intermezzo chat — you can drop in to ask questions, share ideas. If you can’t make a live chat, you’ll still be able to send thoughts and questions into the group space for me to respond to during the week.
This August Intermezzo is the first of a new Studio 5 idea that will continue to appear during the spaces between terms across the academic year.
Repertoire that meets you where you are.
A curated, confidence-building guide for returning, rebuilding, or refining classical singers. Includes expert commentary, a clickable playlist, and clarity on how to choose songs that truly fit. Instant download.
The Classical Singer's Path
A new Substack series, written from the inside out - glimpses into my own life as a classical singer, and the way I think about the art we share. It is quieter than the bustle of The Voice School, a place for reflection, stories, and ideas that might travel with you into your own singing life.. It’s free to subscribe, and early support means a lot as I get it going. You’re warmly invited to join me there.
Featured in Feedspot
Ranked #29 in their Top 60 Singing Blogs — a lovely recognition of our reflective approach to singing.
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Singing Basics Guide
Getting to grips with or making improvements to your singing and the methods to achieve progress are all far easier and more accessible than you think.Â
