Chapel Music
The University of Glasgow Chapel Choir and University Organist
The University of Glasgow Chapel Choir provides music for services and events in the chapel and elsewhere, as well as giving concerts and recitals throughout the academic year, such as the weekly "Choral Contemplations" series in the first and second terms. It also records and tours nationally and internationally, has recorded several CDs, and is available for weddings and memorial services.
There are thirty-two regular members (a mixture of volunteers, paid choral exhibitioners and professional lay clerks) plus around ten associate singers who join us for concerts and some other events. All are auditioned regularly and receive free singing tuition.
The choir is directed by Katy Lavinia Cooper (Director of Chapel Music) and accompanied by Kevin Bowyer (University Organist).
The Chapel Organ was built by Henry Willis III in 1927 and was most recently refurbished by Harrison & Harrison of Durham in 2005. Please see Chapel Organ Specification.
McEwen Bequest Concert 2024-25
The 2024-25 McEwen Bequest Concert will feature a new commission from Canada-born and Glasgow-based composer Emily Doolittle.
Music in the University/McEwen Bequest Concert 2024-25/Chapel Events
Date: Tuesday 27 May 2025
Time: 19:00 - 21:00
Venue: University of Glasgow Memorial Chapel
Category: Concerts and music
The 2024-25 McEwen Bequest Concert will feature a new commission from Canada-born and Glasgow-based composer Emily Doolittle. Emily is an Athenaeum Research Fellow and Lecturer in Composition, with her work regularly performed across the UK, Canada, the US, and Europe.
This event is free, but ticketed. More information coming soon- please check the Music in the University page for further information.
About the McEwen Bequest-
Renowned composer, teacher and Glasgow graduate Sir John Blackwood McEwen (1868-1948) bequeathed the residue of his estate to the University to help promote the performance of chamber music by composers of Scottish birth and descent. Other composers resident in Scotland for a substantial period have also benefited from the fund. In fulfilment of the terms of the bequest the University Court commissions annually a piece of chamber music for not more than five players and every three years a work for larger forces.
The McEwen Bequest has provided for the commission of over 50 new pieces by around 40 composers since 1955 - constituting a substantial contribution to the contemporary Scottish chamber music canon.
