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Matthew Coleridge

Music Workshops
Come and sing!

Socially-distanced choral Workshop @ Milton Abbey
Thursday 12th August '21

Join composer & conductor Matthew Coleridge for a unique choral experience in one of England's finest churches.

Spend the day rehearsing his glorious and melodic choral music - we'll be working on movements from two unfinished new pieces.



Matthew is a charismatic and engaging workshop leader, whose music has been known to reduce choirs to tears! He'll be joined by organist Peter Nardone, former director of music of Worcester Cathedral and the Three Choirs Festival.

We'll be road-testing a brand new Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis, and unfinished movements of a larger-scale piece for Passiontide, Ecce Homo.

This will be a socially-distanced event, with singers spaced a metre apart.

Booking info

Workshop ticket £15

The workshop fee includes free loan of all vocal scores. You will need to bring your own refreshments for this event.

On the day

Getting to Milton Abbey

Milton Abbey, nr Blandford Forum, Dorset DT11 0BZ

  • By Car

    Part of the Abbey's charm is its isolation - situated down 10 minutes of country lanes leading off the A354 between Dorchester and Blandford Forum. There is plentiful free parking at the Abbey car park.

    Salisbury (45 mins), Poole (30 mins) and Bournemouth (40 mins) are all within easy reach.

Milton Abbey
Milton Abbey
Milton Abbey
Milton Abbey

Milton Abbey images courtesy of Marilyn Peddle, John Lamper and Mike Searle

The performers
Matthew Coleridge

Matthew Coleridge

Composer and conductor Matthew Coleridge (b.1980) is an exciting voice in the British choral music scene. His first choral composition - the Corpus Christi Carol - was recorded by a cappella group The Queen's Six, appearing on the cover CD of BBC Music Magazine's Christmas edition in 2015.

His highly melodic and very approachable compositional style often blends elements of plainsong and medieval music with shimmering modern harmonies - weaving simple melodic lines into rich tapestries of sound.

Requiem (composed 2014-15) was hailed by the late Sir Neville Marriner as "a valuable addition to the 21st century choral repertoire". Is is regularly performed by choirs across the UK, and overseas.

Matthew's 'Requiem in a Day' choral workshops are very popular amongst choral singers, giving them the opportunity to sing this wonderful piece in some of the UK's most prestigious church buildings.

Matthew Coleridge

Peter Nardone - accompanist

Peter is a former director of music of Worcester cathedrals, where he was artistic director of the 2014 and 2017 Three Choirs Festivals.

Peter grew up in Paisley, singing as a chorister at Paisley Abbey, before studying at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, and the Royal Academy of Music.

As a countertenor, he has performed with the Monteverdi Choir, Tallis Scholars, The King's Consort and The Gabrieli Consort.

Now resident in West Dorset, we're delighted that Peter has agreed to join us today.

Choral workshops

Requiem in a Day workshops

Come and sing Matthew Coleridge's Requiem in some of the country's most inspiring cathedrals, abbeys and churches. All events are directed by the composer.

"Matthew Coleridge is a great force for good in the choral world" - Alexander Armstrong, Classic FM

Shrewsbury Abbey

Shrewsbury Abbey
September 9th 2023

Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY2 6BS



Truro Cathedral

Truro Cathedral
September 23rd 2023

St Mary's St, Truro, Cornwall TR1 2AF



Kendal

Cumbria
September 30th 2023

workshop in the Lake District with Cumbria Festival Chorus



Tewkesbury Abbey

Tewkesbury Abbey
October 7th 2023

Church Street, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire GL20 5RZ



Great Malvern Priory

Great Malvern Priory
April 20th 2024

Church St, Malvern, Worcestershire WR14 2AY



Llandaff Cathedral

Llandaff Cathedral
May 11th 2024

Cathedral Cl, Cardiff CF5 2LA



Lancing College Chapel

Lancing College Chapel
June 29th 2024

Lancing College Chapel, Lancing, West Sussex BN15 0RW



Testimonials

A valuable addition to the 21st century choral repertoire
Sir Neville Marriner

This was no ordinary 'come and sing'! A work of exquisite beauty
Music in Portsmouth review, 2020

You are a true tunesmith - well-crafted and inspiring music!
Dr David Price - Master of the Chorister, Portsmouth Cathedral

Beautiful... I find myself entranced by the openness of this music.
Paul Carr - composer

A glorious piece to sing - a lot of us were in tears by the end of it
Teresa Stubbs - Buckfast Abbey workshop 2019

A singular voice - and that is an exceedingly rare thing!
Michael McGlynn - Anúna

A joy and privilege to sing this most beautiful piece of music under the direction of the composer himself
Heather Harvey - Buckfast Abbey workshop 2019

Thank you for a wonderful day. You were so encouraging and patient. I can't imagine not singing your Requiem again. I absolutely loved the day!
Monica Kent - Louth workshop 2019

We were enthralled by the pure beauty of your Requiem. Parts of it were quite exquisite and we loved the fact that you, the composer, were directing us with such skill and clarity of conducting. Thank you so very much for a phenomenal day
Jeanne Apsland - Buckfast Abbey workshop 2019