Member guide

Classical music in Cambridge: choirs, chapels and concert halls

How to hear King's and St John's choirs for free, where the university's orchestras play, and what to book for the July festival.

By the Cambridge Society editorial desk · Updated 14 September 2026

King's College Chapel and the Gibbs Building seen across the lawn

Some of the best classical music in Cambridge is free. College choirs sing services in their chapels during term, and anyone may attend. On top of that the city has a university concert hall, a federation of student orchestras and choirs that works with leading professional conductors, a large Victorian concert venue and a summer festival that uses college chapels every July.

This guide explains where to go and how to plan around the university year.

At a glance

Where	What you will hear	How to attend
King's College Chapel	King's College Choir; King's Voices on Mondays	services free; evensong typically six days a week in term
St John's College Chapel	Choir of St John's College	evensong every day except Monday, plus Sunday Eucharist
Trinity College Chapel	Choir of Trinity College, a mixed choir	three regular services a week in full term
Clare College Chapel	Choir of Clare College, a mixed choir	chapel services
Great St Mary's	the University Organ	church services
West Road Concert Hall	concerts	ticketed
Cambridge Corn Exchange	large-scale concerts and events	ticketed
Cambridge Summer Music Festival	chamber, orchestral, choral, jazz	1–29 July 2026, ticketed

King's College Choir

The Choir of King's College was created by Henry VI, who founded King's College in 1441, to provide daily singing in his chapel. That is still its main task. Today the choir has 16 boy choristers aged 7 to 13 and 14 adult choral scholars, directed since 2019 by Daniel Hyde.

The stone fan vault of King's College Chapel above the organ and stained glass windows — The fan vault of King's College Chapel, where the choir sings services in term. Photo: Antoine Tavenaux, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).

The choir's worldwide fame comes from A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols. The service itself was devised at Truro in 1880, but King's made it famous: the Dean, Eric Milner-White, introduced it to the chapel in 1918. The BBC began broadcasting it on radio in 1928 and on television in 1954, and it now goes out on Christmas Eve to millions around the world. The choir commissions a new carol from a contemporary composer every year. King's also has its own record label, launched in 2012.

How to hear the choir

You do not need a ticket for a service. King's says its chapel services are free and open to visitors and college members alike. Some practical points from the college:

Evensong is typically held six days a week during term. On Mondays the singing is by King's Voices, the college's mixed-voice choir.
Arrive early. Nobody is admitted once a service has begun. Allow up to an hour for evensong.
No recording or photography of any kind during services, and phones should be off.
Bags should be no larger than airline hand luggage. There are no public toilets in the college.

If you cannot stay for the whole service, sit in the antechapel. For the building itself, see our architecture guide.

The Choir of St John's College

The Choir of St John's College was founded in 1511 to sing the daily liturgy, and alongside King's it is one of the two best-known choirs in the university. It has published more than 90 recordings, and in 2016 the college launched its own record label.

The long Victorian interior of St John's College Chapel with carved stalls and stained glass — St John's College Chapel, designed by George Gilbert Scott and built in the 1860s. Photo: Diliff, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).

For centuries the choir followed the cathedral tradition of men and boys. Since 2022 it has admitted girls and women, which makes St John's the only Oxbridge choir in which boys and girls sing services together. Its choristers are educated at St John's College School and travel to and from chapel in miniature academic gowns and mortar boards.

Services follow the Church of England pattern: a Sunday Eucharist and evensong every day except Monday. The choir's repertoire goes well beyond the core Anglican pieces. Herbert Howells and Michael Tippett both wrote evening canticles for it, and the college still commissions new works, especially for its Advent and Ash Wednesday services.

The chapel you hear them in is Victorian. It was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott and built in the 1860s to replace the college's smaller medieval chapel.

Trinity and Clare: two leading mixed choirs

The Choir of Trinity College sings in the Tudor chapel of Trinity College, begun by Mary I in 1554. It has existed in its present mixed form since 1982, shortly after women were admitted to the college, and in January 2011 Gramophone named it the fifth best choir in the world. It sings three regular services a week in full term, and Latin grace in the college's Great Hall at feasts. Steven Grahl became director of music in January 2024.

The wood-panelled interior of Trinity College Chapel looking west towards the organ — Trinity College Chapel. Its Metzler organ of 1975 sits in a restored case built by "Father" Smith. Photo: IntGrah, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

The Choir of Clare College is a mixed-voice choir of 25 to 30 singers, most of them Clare undergraduates. It was established in its current form in 1972 by Peter Dennison. John Rutter was the college's first director of music, from 1975 to 1979, followed by Timothy Brown until 2010 and Graham Ross since then.

Great St Mary's and the University Organ

Great St Mary's, the University Church on King's Parade, houses two separate pipe organs. The University Organ in the west gallery is owned and maintained by the university. It was bought in 1698 and built by "Father" Bernard Smith, rebuilt by William Hill in 1870 and extensively restored by Mander Organs in 1995. It is likely the largest collection of Father Smith pipework in a single instrument. The church clock also chimes the Cambridge Quarters, the tune later used by Big Ben.

West Road Concert Hall

West Road Concert Hall, at 11 West Road, is part of the university's Faculty of Music. It was designed by Sir Leslie Martin and opened in 1978. The hall describes itself as renowned for its acoustic qualities, and it is a few minutes' walk from The Backs and King's College.

Music has a long academic history here. In 1464 Cambridge awarded what is described as the world's first firmly authenticated Bachelor of Music degree, to Henry Abyngdon, and the university set up its Faculty of Music in 1947.

Cambridge University Musical Society

The Cambridge University Musical Society (CUMS), founded in 1843, is a federation of the university's main orchestras and choirs. Its ensembles put on a substantial concert season during term, and conductors associated with it include Charles Villiers Stanford, Colin Davis, David Willcocks, Stephen Cleobury, Mark Elder, Roger Norrington, Robin Ticciati and Nicholas Collon.

Cambridge University Orchestra: the full symphony orchestra, conducted by professionals such as Sir Mark Elder, Sir Roger Norrington and John Wilson.
Cambridge University Symphony Chorus: the large choir.
Cambridge University Chamber Choir: a small choir of the university's leading singers.
Cambridge University Lunchtime Concerts: a series of recitals run by students and supported by CUMS.

At least half the players in the ensembles are students who are not reading music. Places are awarded by audition.

Cambridge Corn Exchange

For large-scale concerts there is the Corn Exchange on Wheeler Street. It opened in 1875 as a corn exchange, and the London Symphony Orchestra played there as early as 1925. Our theatre guide covers the building's history.

Cambridge Summer Music Festival

When the university year ends, Cambridge Summer Music takes over. The 2026 festival ran from 1 to 29 July, with nearly thirty events in and around Cambridge: chamber music, orchestral and choral concerts, jazz, song and solo recitals, and workshops. Its festival director is the tenor Ben Johnson.

Venues give a sense of its reach. The 2026 programme used Trinity College Chapel, Selwyn College Chapel, the Cambridge Union and Our Lady and the English Martyrs, where the Choir of Clare College performed Tallis's 40-part Spem in alium. The ever-popular Sounds Green brings open-air music to the Botanic Garden on Wednesday evenings.

Planning your listening

In term: go to evensong. King's, St John's and Trinity all sing regular services, and services at King's are free.
Mondays: St John's has no evensong, and at King's the service is sung by King's Voices.
Concerts: check West Road Concert Hall and the CUMS season for orchestral and choral programmes.
July: book Cambridge Summer Music early for chapel concerts.

Frequently asked questions

Can anyone attend evensong at King's College Chapel?

Yes. King's says its chapel services are free and open to visitors and college members alike. Evensong is typically held six days a week during term. Arrive in good time, because nobody is admitted once the service has started.

When does King's College Choir sing?

The choir sings the chapel's services during term, with evensong typically six days a week. On Mondays the service is sung by King's Voices, the college's mixed-voice choir. Its best-known service is A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols on Christmas Eve.

Does St John's College Choir have girls?

Yes. Since 2022 the Choir of St John's College has admitted girls and women, and it is the only Oxbridge choir in which boys and girls sing services together.

Where do the university orchestras perform?

The Cambridge University Musical Society brings together the university's main orchestras and choirs, including the Cambridge University Orchestra, and puts on a concert season during term. West Road Concert Hall, part of the Faculty of Music, is the university's concert hall.

When is the Cambridge Summer Music Festival?

It runs through July. The 2026 festival took place from 1 to 29 July, with nearly thirty events in venues in and around Cambridge.

Glossary

Cambridge terms used in this article. Each links to its entry in our Cambridge A–Z.

College: One of 31 self-governing communities that make up the collegiate University alongside its faculties and departments.
Michaelmas, Lent and Easter terms: The three terms of the Cambridge academical year: Michaelmas in autumn, Lent in winter, Easter in spring.
Choral Evensong: A sung evening service held in Cambridge College chapels such as King's, where services are free and open to visitors.
Gown: Academical dress: undergraduates wear their College gown, graduates the gown of their degree.
The Backs: The river frontage where several Colleges back onto the Cam, with lawns, gardens and bridges along the water.

Sources

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This is an independent member's guide compiled by Cambridge Society. We are not affiliated with the venues and institutions mentioned; opening arrangements change, so always confirm details on the official websites before making plans.

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