The Choir of Magdalen College, Oxford
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Choirs
The College Choir
The Choir is one of the three foundation choirs within the University of Oxford, although most other colleges now have their own choirs. The College was founded in 1458, and in the statutes, provision was made for the eight clerks, four chaplains and sixteen choristers of Magdalen College Choir. More recently, an additional four singers (Academical Clerks) and two Organ Scholars were added to the complement, and this tradition has been maintained to this day.
The Choristers are part of the College Foundation, receiving their academic education at Magdalen College School. The Academical Clerks and Organ Scholars are undergraduates at the College, reading for degrees in a variety of subjects.
The College Choir sings six of the seven sung services each week during Full Term. Away from the Chapel, they have toured Japan, USA, Hungary, Italy, Belgium, Holland, German, France, and Spain among other places and have appeared at the BBC Proms. Recent orchestral performances have included collaborations with the Britten Sinfonia, the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. Since 2013, the Choir has recorded for Opus Arte, the label of the Royal Opera House; information on current releases can be found here. In 2024 the Choir released its first album on CORO, the recording label of The Sixteen, one of the world's leading choirs, founded and directed by former Academical Clerk and Honorary Fellow of Magdalen College, Harry Christophers CBE. In the past, the Choir was involved with a number of soundtracks, including Richard Attenborough’s movie, Shadowlands, and also the award-winning BBC TV series, Blue Planet.
The Consort of Voices
Since September 2010, the College has had a second choir - Magdalen College Consort of Voices - which sings on Saturdays in Full Term. The Academical Clerks of the College Choir sing alongside sopranos from amongst the student body. Magdalen was the first choral foundation to offer women the opportunity to sing officially as part of the Chapel music programme.
Lilium
Much like the other Oxbridge Choral Foundations, the Clerks of Magdalen college choir come together to form their own ensemble: Lilium. They are directed by one of the clerks and sing pieces in a variety of styles from close harmony to classical and everything in-between. They perform at a wide variety of events in and out of college. Notably, they were also featured on the choir's CD 'The Sweet and Merry Month'.