Next Performances

2nd October 2026

Michaelmas 2026 Termcard

12:00am

15th October 2026

Choral Evensong

6:15pm

VOLUNTARY Byrd Voluntary in C
INTROIT Tallis O nata lux
RESPONSES Ayleward
PSALM 117 (Purcell)
READINGS Mark II: 1–12; 13–17
CANTICLES Héloïse Werner (Clare 2010) Magnificat *;
Holst Nunc dimittis
ANTHEM Byrd Gaudeamus omnes
HYMN 484 (t. 167 (Aurelia))
VOLUNTARY J. S. Bach Ciacona ex g, BWV 1179

* commissioned and premièred by Graham Ross and the Choir in 2023 as part of the College’s 50th Anniversary of Co-
Education

Social Media

  • @ClareCollege launches the Clare College Song Competition 2027, open to all members of the @cambridgeuniversity, with First Prize of £400 and a recital at @smitf_london St Martin-in-the-Fields for the winning duo, £200 Second Prize, and £150 Pianist’s Prize, plus a Masterclass opportunity with tenor @andrewstaples_official.  The deadline for submission of entries is 18 November 2026. 

🔗 https://www.clarecollegechoir.com/application-open-for-clare-college-song-competition-2027

#clarecollege #songcompetition #artsong #cambridge #competition
  • Take him, earth, for cherishing… 👌🏻 

A celebration of Herbert Howells for our first Sunday Choral Evensong of the year tomorrow at 6pm BST. Join us live in person @chapelofclarecollege or LiveStreamed as always on our @youtube channel. 

Howells’ organ voluntaries frame a service that includes two of his choral works with American roots: the rarely-performed Dallas Service, and his much-loved anthem ‘Take him, earth, for cherishing’ written for the memorial of J. F. Kennedy. The service also includes music by Undine Smith Moore and Kenneth Leighton, and is preceded by a 5.25pm recital of Bach and Franck by Clare’s Sir William McKie Senior Organ Scholar @j.costard24. Drinks and Dinner in @clarecollege Great Hall follow Evensong - all welcome. 

#Clare #Cambridge #ChoralEvensong #Howells #choir @choirofclarecollege @mrgrahamross 

📸 @hedgehoghugh
  • A new song…

The new academic year begins today, with our first Choral Evensong of Term tonight at 6.15pm, @chapelofclarecollege. 

Music by Ayo Bankole, Leighton, Bairstow, and ‘A new song’ by James MacMillan.

45 minutes of music, liturgy and peace to end the working day - all welcome. 

#newyear #newterm #newsong #Clare #ChoralEvensong @clarecollege @choirofclarecollege @mrgrahamross 

📸 @andrewstaples_official
  • We’re excited to share ‘Magnificat’, the third single from our forthcoming album, ‘Reaching Farther’. These settings of the canticles by our Director of Music @mrgrahamross here receive their premiere recording. 

“My Clare Service, written during an enjoyable week in the summer of 2024 for the Choir for a @bbcradio3 broadcast that year, explores the more tender side of Mary in the Magnificat, with a fragile melodic fragment in the opening organ accompaniment serving as the nucleus for much of the musical material of both canticles”. 

‘Reaching Farther’ spans works by composers with direct connections to @clarecollege, from William Denis Browne’s canticles composed as a student in 1911, through to world premiere recordings of new commissions including @nicomuhly’s title anthem, @heloisewerner’s canticles, and a setting by current undergraduate @thomasalban307. 

🎧 Listen now!
➡️ https://open.spotify.com/track/0O8yBOktBwiZyE1JY4s6Rv?si=iBlw4ZIbSF6_y0wRDVFLGw&utm_source=copy-link

#clarecambridge #choral #classical #newsingle #Magnficat
  • 👏 A wonderful first few days with our new Choir members!

A big @choirofclarecollege welcome to Zach, Oscar, Levi, Leo, Alex, Eva, Otis, Aurora, Jerry, Hannah, Yipeng, Zoë, and Anna! ❤️ And our huge thanks once again to Rev’d Simon Taylor and @standrewstapleford for hosting us so generously today for our first service of the year.

🕯️ Choral services at @chapelofclarecollege resume next Thursday, with many highlights this Michaelmas Term including Duruflé Requiem, a joint service with our sister College @orieloxford, our popular Advent Carol Services with a new commission from @cherylhoad, and a 2-week tour across USA with @mrgrahamross to bring our year-long 700th anniversary celebrations to a close. 📖 Full details of all music and services for the Michaelmas Term in the Termcard here: https://www.clare.cam.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2026-09/Updated%20Michaelmas%20Termcard%202026.pdf

#ClareChoir @clarecollege @cambridgeuniversity #newyear #newterm #newchoir #Clare
  • 🥉 🏆 Starting the week off as No. 3 in @applemusic’s Choral Chill with our new single ‘Now the day is over’ by @joshua.pacey! One of the tracks of our new @signumrecords album ‘Reaching Farther’, released worldwide next month. (Also nice to see our recent Palestrina album feature as No. 4!)

@choirofclarecollege @mrgrahamross @signumrecords #ReachingFarther #Applemusic #ChoralChill #playlist 

https://music.apple.com/gb/playlist/choral-chill/pl.199a4a15f63741538e0c8e271ed2a347
  • Good luck to former @choirofclarecollege Choral Scholar @josephinestephenson_ (@clarecollege 2008) whose new work ‘That the sunrise not leave us unmoved’ receives its world première tonight at the First Night of the BBC Proms, performed by @bbc_singers @bbcsymphonyorchestra and conductor @daliastasevskaofficial. 

@bbcpromstagram #ClareCollege #Clarealumni #musicatClare #BBCProms #premiere
  • Switzerland/Italy Tour Blog Day 5: Ischia

We arose to Ischia sunshine, about as far from Cambridge’s grey skies as we could get. A small group of early risers followed Daniel ‘roam ten thousand miles’ Livermore to the promise of a lighthouse on the other side of the island, but ended up on a beach 10mins from La Mortella. After a wonderful breakfast, the others descended on the nearby beach. Some took to sunbathing, others ventured into the unknown. For Izzy ‘mermaid’ Theodosius, the peril proved too great when she developed an unexpected connection with a sea urchin. 

After a delicious 3-course lunch provided by our generous hosts at La Mortella & yet more pool time, we rehearsed for our final concert of the year. The performance got off to an eventful start: Evie ‘organ shoes’ Perfect, separated from the organ loft, struggled to adapt to the intricacies of risers at ground level. This began a rather disturbing domino effect, with Martha ‘Day Tripper’ Alban following suit in the second half. Maria Teresa ‘her Italian is much better than mine’ Maddison’s ‘Blue Bird’ solo was rudely interrupted by an Aristophanic chorus of frogs, whilst Daniel ‘where’s my passport’ Livermore’s rendition of ‘The Turtle Dove’ was underpinned by distant revellers. The concert proved an emotional farewell for the 12 choir leavers, and we’re immensely grateful to all at La Mortella for providing us with such a picturesque venuw for our final outing. 

Before the applause had even finished, our obligatory pool party had already commenced. Not content with a trap remix alone, Amelie ‘DJ’ Huntley attempted to film a music video, giving Graham a run for his money with her elaborate choreography. Meanwhile, Cheryl ‘Mock the Week’ Jeyakumar ran her traditional ‘Quotes Quiz’, and Luca ‘I hate pools’ Zucchi got in the pool. 

Our final full day with the choir proved memorable in all the best ways. As outgoing Senior Choral Scholars, we will miss our regular services alongside special events like these. We couldn’t think of a better place to end our three years. Time to hand over to the next generation…

This was our experience of Clare Choir. 

Maria Teresa (Can Sop) & Eoin (Dec Bass)
  • “May William Walton happy be in health, and wealth, and harmony”

Herbert Howells’ ‘A Grace for 10 Downing Street’, written for a 70th birthday dinner for Walton hosted by Prime Minister Edward Health in 1972, sung in the pool of Walton’s home La Mortella on the island of Ischia in Italy. An amazing setting for our final concert of the year!

#ClareChoir #WilliamWalton #Ischia #LaMortella

Take him, earth, for cherishing… 👌🏻

A celebration of #HerbertHowells for our first Sunday Choral Evensong of the year tomorrow at 6pm BST. Join us live in person @ClareChapel or LiveStreamed as always on our @YouTube channel.

@ClareCollege @ClareChoir @mrgrahamross