Presenter Profiles
James Potter
James Potter is Precentor and Director of Music at Magdalene College, Cambridge, directing the College Choir in its regular services, concerts, and tours. He also directs the New Cambridge Singers and Harlow Chorus, in addition to a busy portfolio of freelance choral directing, teaching, and writing.
Louisa Denby
Louisa Denby is Director of Music and Director of Studies in Music at Downing College, Cambridge. She also runs the University-wide Intercollegiate Choral Awards Scheme and teaches for the Faculty of Music. Outside the University she is CEO & Artistic Director of the National Youth Wind Orchestra, and enjoys a parallel career as a professional bassoonist.
Bridging the Gap: The Cambridge Choral Foundation Scheme
Cambridge is one of the most extraordinary places in the world for choral singing, with college chapels ringing with the sound of Evensong almost every day. For some students, however, a lack of the requisite skills is a barrier to participation. The Choral Foundation Scheme attempts to address this by training students in vocal technique, musical literacy, and liturgical awareness. This paper gives an insight into the Scheme: reasons for establishing it, mechanisms of delivery, and success stories to date. We also examine the broader benefits: the positive effect of singing on students’ academic studies, cultural enrichment, and general mental health and wellbeing.