top of page
altar_edited.jpg

Music at Pusey House

An overview.

The main choir sings at the 11 o’clock Sunday High Mass and a number of other solemnities across the year. Most of the choir’s duties fall within the University terms, with the main out-of-term commitments falling within Holy Week. Occasionally, the choir is asked to sing for Choral Evensongs. Recently this has been as part of the Oxford Literary Festival, the House’s own Friends’ Festival and to mark the start of the St Cross College term. Such events usually occur a few times across the year.  The choir is sometimes engaged for services for the wider community such as weddings and funerals.

 

The choir is formed of eight choral scholars (SSAATTBB), drawn largely from the University’s top chapel choirs.  The choir’s repertoire is generally a mixture of plainsong, Renaissance polyphony, and Romantic and Modern English choral music.  Present and past music lists can be found through the link below.  In the past the choir of the House has recorded several CDs, and toured Europe. 

 

Over the years, the House has commissioned and premiered works by eminent composers such as Alexander Campkin and Sydney Watson.

Current vacancies:

​​

  • We will next be autitioning in Michaelmas 2025.

We welcome inquiries throughout the year for the membership of either choir. Please contact the Master of Music, Edward Gaut, or the Choir Administrator and Librarian, Alexander Trowell, for more information:

edward.gaut@keble.ox.ac.uk

alexander.trowell@ccc.ox.ac.uk

20230409_120038_edited.jpg

Music lists

Past lists

Advent and Christmas 2024

Michaelmas 2024

Trinity 2024

Hilary 2024

Michaelmas 2023

Organ_ - 7.jpeg

House
Musicans

dr pusey window.jfif
Alongside his work at the house, Edward is the Senior Organ Scholar at Keble College, Oxford, accompanying the college choir for their weekly services. He is also organist to Campion Hall, Oxford. Ed is an undergraduate in his final year of a Music degree. A keen singer, he is a part of the early music ensemble, Antiquum Documentum, for whom he also plays the organ. He studies conducting with Will Dawes and organ with Stephen Farr and David Ponsford, as part of the Oxford-RAM scheme. He is an Associate of the Royal College of Organists. Before going up to Oxford, he spent a year at the Royal Academy of Music, where he studied with Anne Page and David Titterington. Ed grew up in Sevenoaks, attending St Luke’s, and began his organ studies with Peter Young. He was later a music scholar at The King’s School, Canterbury, where he studied the organ with Adrian Bawtree. He has upcoming recitals at Hampstead Parish Church, St Michael’s Church, Croydon and Keble College, Oxford, and will be training the chorus and playing continuo for upcoming performances of Haydn’s Paukenmesse on the 2nd/3rd November at St John the Evangelist Cowley, and in the context of the Mass at Pusey House the following day. The performances are a collaboration between the Oxford Baroque Players and The Choir of Pusey House, Oxford, with soloists drawn in part from Pusey choir alumni.

Edward

Gaut

Master of Music

dr pusey window.jfif
Alexander was raised in South London and started his musical training as a chorister at Southwark Cathedral. He continued music-making at City of London School where he was heavily involved in the orchestras and choirs as well as a number of student-run chamber-ensembles. Whilst still at school, Alexander studied at Junior Guildhall with joint-first-study singing and composition and second study violin/viola, held a Junior Choral Scholarship at Southwark Cathedral, the Organ Scholarship at All Saints, West Dulwich, and was a member of the London Youth Choir, the National Youth Choir and the Temple Church Youth Choir. During his gap-year, Alexander was organ scholar at St. Mary Magdalene, Richmond. Alexander is in his fourth year reading for a degree in Classics at Corpus Christi College, where he was previously the Organ Scholar. Alexander now holds a choral scholarship at Keble College, he is the cantor at Campion Hall, and directs Oxford-based early music ensemble, Antiquum Documentum. He was formerly a member of The Schola Cantorum of Oxford and was cast as Dr. Daly in the Oxford University Gilbert and Sullivan production of The Sorcerer in Trinity Term 2023. He currently studies singing with Luise Horrocks having previously studied with Sam Queen, Rachel Sherry and Kate Mapp. He has studied the organ with Stephen Disley and Peter Wright. Alexander has been a member of the Pusey House Choir since January 2023.

Alexander

Trowell

Tenor, Musician-in-residence

dr pusey window.jfif
Phoebe is a musicologist at Wadham College, Oxford, with research interests in the assimilation of music therapy and functional music into the music industry. Her experience as a soprano began in the Hallé Youth Choir where she performed alongside the Hallé in venues such as the Royal Albert Hall, Bridgewater Hall and York Minster. She was also a soprano in the National Youth Choir and violinist in the Hallé Youth Choir. Phoebe is an active soloist and choral singer in Oxford, singing with St. Peter’s College Chapel Choir, Schola Cantorum of Oxford, Pusey House, and Magdalen’s Consort of Voices. She is also an avid jazz singer, working as the musical director for The Oxford Gargoyles and sings with the newly formed jazz ensemble Little Kitchen. Solo highlights from her time at Oxford include Haydn’s Harmoniemesse and the Nelson Mass with St. Peter’s College Chapel Choir, and singing as the soprano soloist in NewChoir’s A Baroque Celebration concert. Phoebe is currently studying singing with Lucy Cox.

Phoebe

Smith

Soprano

dr pusey window.jfif
Singaporean soprano Natasha Da Costa is currently reading for an MSt in Musicology at Oriel College, Oxford after completing BMus (Hons) in Vocal Studies at the Royal Academy of Music, London. Whilst studying at the Academy, she was a recipient of the Royal Academy of Music Scholarship associated with the Molly Bridge Award, the winner of the 2024 Joan Chissell/Rex Stephens Schumann Lieder Prize, a finalist of the Kathleen Ferrier Competition for Young Singers 2020, and a MIRO Gallerié Award recipient of the 23rd Mikulas Schneider Trnavsky International Vocal Competition 2019. Under the tutelage of Marie Vassiliou and Christopher Glynn, Natasha performed her debut role as Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro), Mélisande (Pelléas et Mélisande) in the Vocal Faculty Opera Scenes. Natasha’s concert highlights include a solo debut at the Royal Albert Hall for All Souls Langham Place Prom Praise 2024, a Lieder recital at St. John’s Smith Square in June 2024, and soloist with the Philharmonic Winds Orchestra, Singapore 2023. Throughout her 20 years of singing, Natasha has performed across different countries which include Austria, Slovakia, Indonesia, UK, and the US. She has had masterclasses with famous musicians from all over the world such as Christian Gerhahrer, Hartmut Höll, Claudia Visca, Rannveig-Braga Postl, Maria Gessler, and John Vaida. Natasha is looking forward to her time as choral scholar with Pusey House this academic year.

Natasha

da Costa

Soprano

dr pusey window.jfif
Anneka Vetter is a second-year undergraduate student, reading music at Oriel College, Oxford. Alongside singing in the choir at Pusey House, Anneka Vetter is an exhibitioner in Merton College Choir. Anneka continues to expand her solo repertories by performing in regular recitals across Oxford’s colleges. She has also appeared on stage as a soloist in oratorios such as Vivaldi’s Gloria, Bach’s Magnificat and Haydn’s Creation. As well as performing as a soloist and in choirs in the classical repertory, Anneka also enjoys singing jazz with the Oxford Gargoyles. Alongside her work as a singer, Anneka is a violist, and holds an instrumental award at Oriel College. She has similarly immersed herself in the instrumental scene in Oxford, as a member of the Oxford University Orchestra, the Oxford Baroque Players and the St Anne’s Camerata. Anneka is part of the tuition scheme with the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, through which she learns with Jonathan Barritt. An NYO alumna, Anneka also spent seven years at the Royal College of Music under their junior programme, both playing and singing in the junior department’s flagship ensembles.

Anneka

Vetter

Alto

dr pusey window.jfif
Sòlas is reading for an MPhil in Celtic Studies at Jesus College, Oxford, after completing a BA in English Language and Literature. He is a former Choral Scholar of Exeter College Chapel Choir, Oxford, and in addition to singing at Pusey House, sings with Schola Cantorum of Oxford and deps with choirs across Oxford. Sòlas was raised in Scotland, performing regularly with local and regional choral and musical ensembles, including regular performances at The Usher Hall, Edinburgh. He is a long-standing member of the National Youth Choir of Scotland, performing across Britain and Europe, and as well as singing with the flagship youth choir, sang with its Edinburgh Chamber Choir and Consort. He has performed often in the Edinburgh International Festival, including Mahler’s Eighth Symphony, Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius, and Faure’s Damnation of Faust. He studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland under their junior programme, singing in various choral ensembles and undergoing tuition as a clarinettist.

Solas

McDonald

Alto

dr pusey window.jfif
Sam is a third-year student of Classics at the Queen’s College, Oxford, where he is also a choral scholar. Before joining Oxford, he spent a year singing professionally with the Vokalkapelle of the Theatinerkirche in Munich, directed by Fr Robert Mehlhart OP, now president of the Pontifical Institute of Music in Rome. He was raised in Surrey and went to Charterhouse School, where he was taught singing by Jennifer Snapes and piano by Clive Williamson.

Sam

Troy

Tenor

dr pusey window.jfif
Ben is a third year Classics and English student at Queen's College Oxford, where he also is a choral scholar. As well as Queen's, he regularly performs with the Oxford Bach Soloists, Continuum, the Delius Singers and the Oxford Gargoyles. He has also appeared as a soloist in various productions nationally and internationally, including the title roles in Don Giovanni with the Oxford Opera Society in 2024, Gianni Schicchi in Umbria in 2024, and Menotti's The Telephone in the British Embassy in Rome in 2023.

Ben

Gilchrist

Bass

dr pusey window.jfif
Elliott was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, where he trained as a chorister at Christ Church Cathedral, being a treble for 9 years and finally moving to the bass section a month shy of his 17th birthday. He is currently in his second year of an MPhil in Late Antique and Byzantine Studies, having done his undergraduate in Classics and Art History with a minor in Theology at Georgetown University. While there, he was a Choral Scholar with the chapel choir, a member of the Chamber Singers, and the protopsaltis (head chanter) of the Orthodox chaplaincy, as well as their sacristan. In addition to Pusey House, where he has been singing since Holy Week of 2024, Elliott sings in the choir of St. John’s College.

Elliott

Clark

Bass

Pusey-4_edited.jpg

Recordings

Short recordings of the choir from services

bottom of page