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Summer programme

Advanced summer programme, offering full scholarships · July 4th-11th / July 8th-11th (instruments)

Participants seated in a circle during a Florence Choral Course masterclass with Francesco Romano© Eugenia Cesari
2027 Florence Choral Course applicationsApplications open on 11th January 2027. You’ll need a cover letter, a CV and a link to a recording. Full scholarships for singers under 30.
Florence Choral Course singers performing with scores at Palazzo Corsini al Prato, Florence

The course | Singers

The Florence Choral Course is an annual summer programme offering advanced choral training for aspiring young singers in the music of the Italian Renaissance.

Selected singers from all over the world are invited to Florence for an intensive week of rehearsals, workshops, individual singing lessons, tours, lectures and masterclasses with world famous practitioners, including soprano Dame Emma Kirkby and theorbist Francesco Romano.

Recent years have seen the Course expand to include parallel courses for sackbuts and cornetts led by Adrian France of the celebrated English Cornett & Sackbut Ensemble, and lutes and theorbos, led by Maestro Francesco Romano.

The week culminates in concerts and liturgical performances in some of Florence’s most iconic buildings, including Palazzo Tornabuoni, and the Basilicas of Santissima Annunciata, Santa Maria Novella and Santo Spirito.

Singers: please apply via the application form on this page.

Sackbut players performing from music stands at the Florence Choral Course concert, Palazzo Corsini al Prato, Florence

The course | Instrumentalists

The Course also offers two parallel courses from 8th – 10th July for:

  • Sackbuts & Cornetts – led by Adrian France and members of the ECSE
  • Lutes & Theorbos – led by Maestro Francesco Romano

Instrumentalists work in parallel with the Choral Course, joining the singers towards the end of the week.

Fees for the instrumental courses are free for those under 30 and €500 for those over 30.

Lutes & Theorbos: please apply via the application form on this page.

Sackbuts & Cornetts: please apply directly via the website of the English Cornett & Sackbut Ensemble.

Fees

Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, the course is made entirely free for all participants under thirty years old. For singers over 30, a limited number of places is offered for a fee. Fees cover tuition and associated costs; travel, accommodation and sustenance for the week are not included.

Under 30Made possible by our supportersFull scholarship
30 and overA limited number of places, for the week€1000
Please note: this covers all fees related to tuition and associated costs. Students will need to make their own arrangements regarding travel, accommodation and sustenance for the week are not included.

Applications

What you’ll need

  • Cover letterPDF, up to 5 MB
  • CVPDF, up to 5 MB
  • A link to a recordingYouTube, Vimeo, Google Drive or Dropbox, viewable without signing in
Applications open on 11th January 2027Prepare your documents now, and we’ll let you know when the form opens.
2026 concert programme

2026 concert programme

Ecce Beatam Lucem

‘Hail the blessed light’

Gaudete in Domino – Gregoriano

Nuper Rosarum Flores – Guillaume Dufay (Direttore: Hamish Dustagheer)

O Sacrum Convivium – Andrea Gabrieli

Missa in F Maggiore – Giovanni Gabrieli: Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus

Agnus Dei – Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (dalla Missa Brevis in Fa maggiore)

Canzone Vigesima Seconda à 12, ‘La Fressanda’ – Pietro Lappi (da Canzoni da Suonare, Libro Primo)

Un Giro Sol de’ bell’ occhi lucenti – Claudio Monteverdi (dal Quarto Libro di Madrigali) (Direttore: Hamish Dustagheer)

Anima Mia Perdona – Claudio Monteverdi (dal Quarto Libro di Madrigali) (Direttore: Kris Belligh)

Se de Boschi – Jacopo Peri (coro da Euridice)

Pavana, La Morte de la Ragione · Gagliarda, La Manfrolina – Anonimo italiano, secolo XVI

Ecce Beatam Lucem à 40 – Alessandro Striggio

2026 Timetable

Gallery

Florence Choral Course singers and instrumentalists in concert beneath the lit arcade of Palazzo Corsini al Prato, Florence
Singers of the Florence Choral Course performing with scores in concert
Florence Choral Course concert in the lit arcade of Palazzo Corsini al Prato, Florence, before an audience
A conductor leading a Florence Choral Course concert beside a theorbo player, Palazzo Corsini al Prato, Florence
Sackbut players performing from music stands at the Florence Choral Course concert, Palazzo Corsini al Prato, Florence
Two Florence Choral Course students in conversation, holding scores, seated on wooden chairs
Florence Choral Course singers in black singing from black folders at Palazzo Corsini al Prato, Florence

Staff

The directors and guest artists who lead the week in Florence.