Judith Clurman with Sir David Willcocks, whom she credits with guiding her early path into choral conducting. Photo by Bill Owen

It has been almost 20 years since I met my choral hero, Sir David Willcocks. Sir David is the former director of the Royal College of Music and a former organist/choirmaster of the King's College Choir, Cambridge University. This meeting took place in the '80s, as I switched from being a solo singer to a conductor. We became instant friends. Under Sir David's guidance I attended rehearsals and performances in London, Cambridge, and Oxford and totally immersed myself in the English choir tradition.

A few years ago, when I taught a summer choral seminar at Eton College, in England, I could never have imagined then that my work there would lead to an invitation from Cambridge University to conduct, teach, and lecture. Yet, during this past October I traveled to England to this illustrious university and hope to return in the future to work again with the wonderful colleagues and students I met.

To millions of music lovers around the world, the name Cambridge is associated with the glorious Christmas Eve service that is transmitted yearly from the King's College Chapel. The university, which dates to the 13th century, boasts many great choirs that rival King's—Clare, Girton, Selwyn, St. John's, and Trinity, to name a few.

If you are an undergraduate music major at Cambridge, you are expected to know all the basics before you walk into the first day of school! You study privately with tutors and, by the second or third week of your first year, you are already writing three-part fugues. The work is intense. Whether you are a performer or music historian, you spend your time studying the "meat and potatoes" of music: history, theory, counterpoint, composition, and ear training. Cambridge's faculty is filled with many well-known musicologists, including Handel expert Andrews Jones and Verdi scholar Roger Parker.

Sarah MacDonald, director of the choir at Selywn College, describes the music curriculum: "It is very academic. There is lots of counterpoint, history, Schenker analysis, and opportunities for ethnomusicology, music psychology, and other topics. Performance is not part of the degree until the final year—and then, it is only an option." She said that course work is not graded, but students write three or four essays per week, including harmony and counterpoint essays. Teaching is done in groups of one to three students per supervisor, and there are some lectures, as well. All work is submitted to a supervisor and marked on a one-on-one basis. Keyboard and aural skills are taught in small classes (up to about 15 students for aural skills; between two and four for keyboard skills) and the tests are difficult.

Cows graze in the morning light in front of Kings College, Cambridge—a sight only just now returning to the English countryside since the outbreak of mad cow disease. Photo by Judith Clurman

At the university, the organ and choral scholars, all undergraduate students, are chosen by competitive auditions. The organists are music majors. Many of the choral scholars, who devote themselves to singing in their college choirs, are not majoring in music. They are future economists, chemists, physicists, historians, linguists, and mathematicians, who love to sing in a choir. Conversations with these academics were stimulating. They are as excited about a chemical equation as I am about a crotchet! (That is the English term for a quarter note.) The choral scholars also have a built-in undergraduate social life along with their rigorous academic training. The college choirs boast a fine, competitive soccer league! Choir members eat together, tour together, and (from what I could see) laugh and cry together. How lucky they are to be part of this extraordinary collegial musical experience.

I worked at three co-educational colleges: Girton, Selwyn, and Clare. Students came to rehearsals on time and ready to work. We rehearsed the "little" details because their sight-reading skills were fabulous. One organ scholar's playing brought tears to my eyes. He was a perfect collaborative artist. I worked closely with organ scholars, to whom I gave master classes in conducting, and with choral scholars, whom I conducted in services. The acoustics in the buildings in which I worked were the finest in which I have ever made music. The organs were superb—in a class by themselves.

Juilliard Choral Union and Orchestra Alice Tully Hall Friday, Dec. 13, 8 p.m. Free tickets available at the Juilliard Box Office.

I conducted American choral literature exclusively—works by George Boziwick, David Diamond, Harold Fridell, Stephen Paulus, Ned Rorem, Virgil Thomson, and Randall Thompson—and lectured on the history of American choral music for the university. I introduced the academic community to choral works of many wonderful composers, including Billings, Beaser, and Bolcom. My colleagues were Martin Ennis (the director of the university music faculty and Girton College), Sarah MacDonald (Selwyn College), and Timothy Brown (Clare College). I also observed the work of Christopher Robinson, who will be retiring from St. John's College this spring. Each director brings something special to his or her choir and, even though they are friends with one another, they compete as well. It is a healthy and necessary competition and, in my opinion, it is what makes the university special and exciting. This competitive atmosphere keeps the standard high. On any Tuesday and Thursday afternoon, you can choose to go to the evensong service at any of these schools and hear incredible music making.

One of the highlights of my stay was being able to reconnect with my mentor, Sir David, and his wife, Lady Rachel, at their home in Cambridge. We spoke about two pieces I will be conducting with the Juilliard Choral Union this year: Handel's Coronation Anthems and Britten's War Requiem. Sir David made a specialty of the Coronation Anthems throughout his career and he performed the War Requiem with Britten many times. After all of the musical insights that I gleaned from our conversation, I could not wait to return to my rehearsals with the Juilliard Choral Union.

After my trip to Cambridge I visited the newly-opened Handel House/ Museum in London. It was exciting to stand in the room where Handel composed Messiah and the Coronation Anthems.

How fortunate I was to have had this return visit to England, that venerable fount of choral tradition. Come share its beauty when the Juilliard Choral Union and Orchestra perform the Coronation Anthems on December 13 at Alice Tully Hall.

P.S. Don't forget to check your local radio station's listings for December 24 and listen to the live broadcast of the "Lessons and Carols" from King's College, Cambridge. You are in for a treat. Happy holidays to all!

Judith Clurman is the School's director of choral activities.