Instrumental and vocal scholarships

Southampton's Department of Music offers instrumental, choral, organ and accompaniment scholarships. Candidates for undergraduate or postgraduate courses may apply.

How to Apply

Applications will be considered from students who have formally accepted a conditional or unconditional place in the Department of Music at the University of Southampton by the time of the auditions. Candidates for undergraduate or postgraduate courses may apply. Candidates wishing to be considered for a vocal or instrumental scholarship should register their interest by email to the Head of Performance in the Department of Music, Dr Angela Space.

Accompaniment Scholarships

The Department of Music offers up to 4 one-year scholarships for pianists to serve as accompanists for recitals, exams, and performance classes. Applicants should have significant experience accompanying and good sight-reading skills. Prospective undergraduate or graduate students on any course are welcome to apply.

The Friends of St Michael’s Church, Bugle Street, Instrumental Scholarships

The Department of Music, in collaboration with St Michael's Church and with the benefit of matched Government funding, offers a minimum of 8 scholarships valued at between £500 and £1,000 per annum each. The scholarships are available to exceptionally talented instrumentalists, who will normally have reached a standard well in excess of ABRSM Grade VIII, and may already hold, or be working towards, a diploma. The recipients will be undergraduate first-study instrumentalists taking performance units throughout their programme of study. All genres and styles will be considered. In each academic year, scholars will be required to contribute to a stipulated number of lunchtime concerts, and not less than 4 evening concerts, possibly including charity fundraising events.

The Friends of St Michael’s Church, Bugle Street, Choral Scholarships (Cantores Michaelis)

The Department of Music, in collaboration with St Michael's Church and with the benefit of matched Government funding, offers 10 choral scholarships valued at £1,000 per annum each. The scholarships are available to especially talented voice students, who will normally have reached a standard well in excess of ABRSM Grade VIII, and may already hold, or be working towards, a diploma. The recipients of the Choral Scholarships will be first study voice pupils taking performance units throughout their programme of study. As part of their scholarship, the successful candidates will be part of the ensemble Cantores Michaelis, who perform at Sung Eucharist throughout the academic year (Sunday 9.30 a.m. + a Friday evening rehearsal) in addition to major feasts (Christmas & Holy Week/Easter). In total Cantores Michaelis will make at least 45 agreed appearances at St.Michael's Church in each academic year. The group (founded in 2001) specialises in unaccompanied repertoire composed for the Christian Liturgy. The music ranges from Gregorian Chant, Tudor and Renaissance Masses and Motets, to twentieth century composers. On special feast days and concerts the singers are joined by orchestral players for the performance of Mass settings. The founder and director of Cantores Michaelis is Keith Davis, Head of Vocal Studies at the University of Southampton.

The Friends of St Michael’s Church, Bugle Street, Organ Scholarship

The Department of Music, in collaboration with St Michael’s Church and with the benefit of matched Government funding, offers one Organ Scholarship at a value of £2,000 per annum to an exceptionally talented keyboard student with some experience of conducting, who will normally have reached a standard well in excess of ABRSM Grade VIII, and may already hold, or be working towards, a diploma. The recipient will be a first-study pianist taking performance units throughout his or her programme of study. The Organ Scholar will accompany all services and events at which Cantores Michaelis sing and attend all rehearsals.

St Joseph’s Keyboard Scholarship

The Department of Music, in collaboration with St Joseph’s Church, offers one keyboard scholarship at a value of £1,000 per annum to an exceptionally talented keyboard student with some experience of conducting, who will normally have reached a standard well in excess of ABRSM Grade VIII, and may already hold, or be working towards a diploma. The recipient will be a first-study pianist taking performance units throughout his or her programme of study. In addition to the scholarship, the successful candidate will have the opportunity to play for the 10.00 a.m. mass on Sundays and to take a Monday evening choir practice.

St Edmund’s Organ Scholarship

The Department of Music, in collaboration with St Edmund’s Church, offers one organ scholarship at a value of £1,000 per annum to an exceptionally talented organ student with some experience of conducting, who will normally have reached a standard well in excess of ABRSM Grade VIII, and may already hold, or be working towards a diploma. The recipient will be a first-study organist taking performance units throughout his or her programme of study. In addition to the scholarship, the successful candidate will have the opportunity to play for the 11.00 a.m. mass on Sundays and to take a Tuesday evening choir practice.

St Michael and All Angels Organ Scholarship

The Department of Music, in collaboration with St Michael and All Angels The Avenue, Bassett, Southampton, offers one organ scholarship at a value of £1,000 per annum to an exceptionally talented organ student with some experience of conducting, who will normally have reached a standard well in excess of ABRSM Grade VIII, and may already hold, or be working towards a diploma. The recipient will be a first-study organist taking performance units throughout his or her programme of study. In addition to the scholarship, the successful candidate will have the opportunity to play for the 10.00 a.m. Eucharist every Sunday, and Choral Evensong on the second and fourth Sundays of the month and to take part in a Thursday evening choir practice.

The University of Southampton’s broad approach to Music applies in particular to organ education. We work with a network of contacts which includes local churches around our city, Winchester Cathedral, Romsey Abbey, St. Peter’s Bournemouth and Chichester Cathedral, creating the infrastructure for study across a wide range of instruments, liturgies and social conditions.

Organ scholars will gain hands-on experience of various liturgical traditions and different types of choirs, from the highly-polished University choral scholars, Cantores Michaelis, to parish choirs that they will rehearse themselves. Organs to which scholars will have access include St. Mary’s mighty Willis with its 32-foot reed; Winchester’s exemplary 100-year-old Hele; and two by Walker: an 1857 one-manual, with the original push-up-to-the-keys barrel mechanism, and Romsey’s magnificently restored 1858 three-manual. The St. Denys organ includes pipework by Father Smith from the year 1685. New organs include Chichester’s Mander, the Harrison & Harrison in St. Mary’s, Twyford, and our own Concert Hall’s three-manual Baroque organ by Collins. Even more spice is provided by the newly-restored Compton cinema-style organ in the Guildhall.

If you would like to discuss studying the organ at Southampton, send an email to Southampton's Head of Keyboard Studies Professor David Owen Norris including your phone number.