ABOUT US
St Andrews Madrigal Group is a student-led choir consisting of 16 singers, based in St Andrews.
The choir holds multiple concerts each semester during term, which include repertoire ranging from madrigals to contemporary choral works. Alongside the concerts in St Andrews, the group also regularly tours around Europe and across the UK, and has recently performed at notable venues such as Ely Cathedral and HM Chapel Royal at Hampton Court.
The group prides itself in its high standard of singing, and has been invited to sing at key events in the university's calendar, such as the traditional Gaudie Pier Walk and the Kate Kennedy Procession.
The group is organised and led by its committee, who are elected each year by the other members of the choir. The committee organises all events, ranging from group socials to tours.
If you are interested in auditioning for the choir or would like to hire the group for a private event, please visit our contact us page.
THE GROUP'S HISTORY
The St Andrews Madrigal Group was founded in 1946 by Evelyn Webb, a student returning to St Andrews after service in the RAF. It is now one of the oldest vocal groups in St Andrews, and is entirely student-run. The director is elected each year from the group’s membership. The early postwar era was a time of great musical activity in St Andrews, just after the appointment of Cedric Thorpe Davie — a major figure in Scottish music of the period, and a student of Vaughan Williams, R.O. Morris and Kodály — as Master of Music. He lent his support to the formation of the group; in the early days, the group confined itself to singing English madrigals, secular part songs of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries dealing with love in all its forms. Over time, the scope of the music performed by the group has widened a great deal, but our programmes today still show the debt subsequent composers owe to those of the English Madrigal School.
The group's name has also changed throughout history. Starting as the University of St Andrews Madrigal Group, it adjusted to St Andrews University Madrigal Group, following a change in the university's name. However, since the institution has reverted this name, it was no longer fitting. In 2022, the group voted to rebrand to a more fitting name: St Andrews Madrigal Group.