Who’s in the lineup?

Here are the eight composers we’ll be working with across the weekend — each offering singers distinct artistic challenges and rewards, not just technically, but in how they think about sound, text, and intention.

Henry Purcell
Purcell was one of the first to give vocal writing a profound, expressive character rooted in text and rhetoric. His music sets a foundation of clarity and communication that still informs our understanding of voice today.

Johann Sebastian Bach
Bach’s vocal writing is architectural in its precision and integrity. Whether in sacred works or intimate songs, his music demands linear clarity and deep musical responsibility, creating a framework that underpins so much that comes after.

George Frideric Handel
Handel brought drama to the forefront, merging Italianate vocal technique with expressive ambition. His vocal works expand the emotional range and text-driven drama that singers still respond to and learn from.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Mozart refined the art of vocal balance and dramatic honesty. His operatic and sacred writing places character and intention at the heart of every phrase, teaching singers how to inhabit a line with purpose.

Vincenzo Bellini
Bellini’s bel canto melodies gave voice a sustained, lyrical sweep. His long lines require patience, breath control, and expressive nuance, representing a shift toward vocal emotional language that is deeply connective.

Giuseppe Verdi
Verdi’s vocal writing is honest and human. His music confronts drama with unflinching clarity and textual integrity, asking singers to speak truthfully through sound — regardless of size or genre.

Claude Debussy
Debussy reshaped how harmony and colour support the voice. His vocal writing reflects a new way of hearing text and line together, dissolving predictable phrase shapes and inviting singers to think in colour and gesture.

Benjamin Britten
Britten makes text and voice inseparable. Writing in a world Debussy helped open, Britten’s music prioritises speech rhythm, psychological detail, and modern clarity, continuing the lineage into the contemporary voice.

What you’ll be preparing

You’re invited to bring up to six pieces drawn from these eight composers, choosing the repertoire that genuinely speaks to you at this point in your singing. Some may be old friends you want to revisit and deepen; others may be current studies, or pieces that are tempting you for the future.

There is no expectation that everything be performance-polished, and there is certainly no need for six brand-new songs. What I do expect is that whatever you bring is properly prepared. You should be able to sing it securely, without large sections still unknown. Backing tracks settled. Keys decided. Text understood. And, just as importantly, some sense of the context — why the piece was written, when it sits in the composer’s life, and why you have chosen it now.

Voice-works weekends work best when singers arrive ready. Not perfect, but prepared. That allows us to move quickly beyond notes and basics and into something far more interesting — how the repertoire is shaping your voice, your thinking, and your place within this longer vocal story as we draw the academic year to a close.

What to Expect

This is a Voice-works Study Weekend, which means the focus is on detailed exploration rather than presentation. Your repertoire does not need to be performance-polished, but it does need to be known securely enough to work on in depth. These weekends assume that you have already spent time with your music, so that we can concentrate on discovery: what the repertoire reveals about your voice, your technique, your interpretative choices, and how those choices sit within a longer vocal lineage.

The workspace is supportive and generous, but also purposeful. Voice-works weekends work best when everyone arrives ready to engage, listen, and think alongside singing. Learning happens not only through your own repertoire sessions, but through shared listening and observing others at work. Curiosity, preparedness, and attentiveness to the room are essential parts of the experience.

These weekends bring together historical context, vocal technique, and artistic thinking, and they rely on singers taking responsibility for preparation in advance. You are encouraged to have explored the text, style, and musical background of your chosen repertoire so that our time together can go beyond notes and basics, and into interpretation, freedom, and musical decision-making.

We’ll be working in a small group (maximum five singers), which allows for focused work on each person’s repertoire without rushing. The depth of that work depends on how securely your music is prepared beforehand. Voice-works weekends are not designed for learning repertoire from scratch, but for developing it through close, thoughtful study.

Both days will take place in Ritchie Hall, Chandler’s Ford, a comfortable and welcoming space with generous acoustics. Please bring a packed lunch with you each day; hot drinks will be available throughout.

The Weekend at a Glance ...