Choral Course 2:
Royal Holloway, University of London
Saturday 1st August – Friday 7th August 2026
Director
Director: Steven Grahl
Steven is currently Director of Music at Trinity College, Cambridge.
Steven served as Director of Music at Peterborough Cathedral from 2014 to 2018, where he was responsible for training the Cathedral Choir, and for the re-pitching of the Hill Organ, on which instrument he has recorded a solo CD. Peterborough Cathedral Choir’s recording of Cheryl Frances Hoad’s EvenYouSong, made under Steven’s direction, was released to critical acclaim in December 2017.
For seven years, Steven was Assistant Organist at New College, Oxford, and he combined this post with that of Organist and Director of Music at St Marylebone Parish Church, London. He has also been musical director of The Guildford Chamber Choir, Peterborough Choral Society, and The Stamford Chamber Orchestra. Conducting engagements include: Bach Mass in B minor with Schola Cantorum and Instruments of Time and Truth; Verdi Requiem with Peterborough Choral Society and Cathedral Choirs; Bach Magnificat and Handel Coronation Anthems with the Guildford Chamber Choir and Instruments of Time and Truth; and works by Escaich, Copland, Maw, and Whitacre with Cambridge University Symphony Chorus. Steven has worked with numerous other ensembles, including The English Cornett & Sackbut Ensemble, Guildford Philharmonic, New London Chamber Choir, Prime Brass, and Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra.
A prize-winning graduate of Magdalen College, Oxford, and the Royal Academy of Music, Steven gained the top prizes in the FRCO examination, and is also a holder of the Worshipful Company of Musicians’ Silver Medallion. In 2010, he was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM), an award offered to past students of the Academy who have distinguished themselves in the music profession and made a significant contribution to it in their particular field. He has been Chairman of the Association of Assistant Cathedral Organists, completed a two-year term as President of the Incorporated Association of Organists, and has held a Junior Fellowship in Choral Direction at Birmingham Conservatoire. Steven was an interpretation finalist in the International Organ Competitions at St Albans (UK) in 2011, and in Dudelange (Luxembourg) in 2013.
Visits & guests
VISITING DIRECTOR: Benjamin Nicholas
Benjamin Nicholas was born in Norwich and was a chorister at Norwich Cathedral before holding the organ scholarships at Chichester Cathedral, Lincoln College, Oxford and St Paul’s Cathedral.
In 2000 he became Director of Music at St Luke’s, Chelsea before moving to Tewkesbury Abbey as Director of the Schola Cantorum, a post he held until 2012. In 2008 he became joint-Director of Music at Merton College, Oxford with Peter Phillips, and in 2012 took up the full-time position of Organist and Director of Music at Merton. In 2018 he was appointed Music Director of the Oxford Bach Choir.
Benjamin has made over 30 recordings for the Delphian, Signum and Priory labels, including discs of music by Weelkes, Mozart, Stainer, Stanford, Rubbra, Allain, Rutter and Gabriel Jackson. His highly acclaimed recording of Elgar’s organ music was made on the Dobson organ in Merton College Chapel, which he helped to design, and was an Organists’ Review Editor’s Choice.
In his role as Music Director of the Oxford Bach Choir, Benjamin regularly conducts the UK’s greatest orchestras, with recent concerts including Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius and Vaughan Williams’ Sea Symphony with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Philharmonia and Elgar’s The Apostles with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. As a guest conductor, he has worked with the BBC Singers, the Holst Singers, the City of London Sinfonia, Novus NY and the Trondheim Soloists.
As an organist, Benjamin has recently given solo recitals in the Frauenkirche, Munich, St Paul’s Cathedral and King’s College, Cambridge. In the 2024-2025 season, Benjamin will conduct the Philharmonia in a performance of Elgar’s The Apostles.
EVENSONG: Tuesday 4th August 2026
Evensong from Merton College Chapel, Oxford, directed by Benjamin Nicholas.
About the Venue
Part of the University of London, Royal Holloway was founded in 1886 and opened by Queen Victoria. It is famed for its impressive Founders building and its beautiful chapel and has a strong reputation for chapel music and choral singing. Many of our previous choral course students have gone on to study at Royal Holloway. The campus is based at Egham Hill, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX and easily accessed from London and the South East.
Age Range
You must be between the ages of 16 and 21 to apply for this course. If you are 15, you must currently be in Year 11. If you are in year 10, and a very experienced choral singer, you may be able to attend a senior course in Oxford. Otherwise, please take a look at our Junior Choral Courses.
Cost & Payment Options
The cost of this course is £1180 There are a number of payment options available:
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£250 deposit followed by an invoice to pay the remaining balance via a bank transfer by 31st March 2026.
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£250 deposit followed by two invoices – one to pay 50% of the remaining balance by 31st March 2026 and the other to pay the remainder by 20th June 2026.
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The full £1180 on application using a credit card (plus a 1.5% Stripe transaction fee).
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A monthly payment plan to be completed 6 weeks before the start of the course (20th June 2026) following a deposit of £250 on application. (monthly payments will be subject to a 1.5% Stripe processing fee).
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Through one of the Foundation’s means-tested bursaries. See more below.
The refund policy is the same whichever payment option you choose. A full refund is available if you cancel the place by 5pm on 20th June 2026. 50% refund is available if cancelled after 5pm on 20th June and before 5pm on 11th July 2026. No refund is available if you cancel after 5pm on 11th July 2026. (Stripe processing fees are not refundable.)