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Organ Scholarships

What is an Organ Scholarship?

An Organ Scholarship is a university award for organists who play a prominent musical role in chapel life. As well as accompanying the college choir for the weekly term-time services, and for the extra activities of the choir such as concerts, recordings and tours, the Organ Scholar will be involved in rehearsing and conducting the choir, and he or she is a vital figure in the wider musical life of the college. The award is held for the three years of an undergraduate degree, and is worth £300 per annum, with an additional £250 per annum to claim in expenses for music lessons.

Why would I want an Organ Scholarship at Girton?

• From the choir pages in this section, it should be clear that Girton College Chapel Choir has a busy and exciting programme or services, concerts, tours and recordings. This would provide you with many opportunities to play a wide range of repertoire – an excellent preparation for life as a professional organist or church musician.
• Although the main duty of the Organ Scholars is to accompany, a flexible approach to allocation of work allows you to gain as much conducting experience as you wish.
• As Organ Scholar at Girton, you would be provided with one of the most luxurious rooms in College for all three years, a piano (a Blüthner grand for the senior organ scholar), a network telephone, and invitations to college dinners and feasts. The college is very supportive of the choir’s activities: domestic tours are free, and international tours heavily subsidised.
• The moderate time commitment in comparison to colleges of comparable standard means that you have time to practise solo repertoire, learn recital programmes, get involved in university music-making, and even pursue other interests! The Girton Organ Scholarship is also viable for those wishing to read some of the more onerous Tripos subjects, such as Engineering or Natural Sciences, in a way that is not possible at colleges with three or more weekly services.
• Girton’s chapel organ has been widely feted as one of the best in Cambridge; it is a wonderful instrument to preside over for three years. Installed in 2002 by the Swiss firm, St Martin, its four manuals and clever specification make it a versatile and rewarding instrument to play. For full details, see Organ.
• Girton as a college is an attractive prospect for any musician and the Organ Scholar is a key member of the active college music society, which puts on weekly recitals and termly orchestral concerts. Within this framework there are ample opportunities for conducting and performing, as soloist or accompanist. New ventures are always supported by the College. Please see Music at Girton for more details.
• Come and judge for yourself! You are always welcome at a Girton service or rehearsal, and the Director of Music would be happy to meet with you and hear you play in advance of the application process. You can also get in touch with current organ scholars to ask their opinion. Please see Choir Personnel for contact details.

How do I apply?

• Girton has two Organ Scholars at any one time. This means that elections are normally made twice in every three-year period. The next appointment will be for 2014.
• Applicants must submit the Cambridge Online Preliminary Application Form (COPA) in addition to their UCAS application. The COPA Form will be available from the University website in July. This must be submitted by 1 September of the year before you wish to begin at university (or two years, if you are applying for deferred entry), which means that your school must be prepared with references earlier than normal. The UCAS application does not need to be submitted until 15th October. You are therefore able to sumit drafts of your personal statement and reference, indicating that they are not the final versions.
• Auditions take place in the third or fourth week of September, and you will have your academic interview at the same time. 
• More information is available in the Cambridge University Undergraduate Admissions Prospectus or online at the following address: http://www.cam.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/musicawards/organ.html