Choral Society

Please note that official MUCS memberships for 2024 are available from 1st February onwards. To receive early notification of events you can pre-register via the MUCS website (see below) 

MUCS WEEKLY REHEARSALS:

Melbourne University Choral Society (MUCS), one of Victoria’s leading choirs, was founded in 1939 and is one of the oldest student organizations at Melbourne University. With over 200 members, MUCS has behind it a proud history of performance, with many high-profile performances in all of Melbourne’s major venues.

MUCS is open to University of Melbourne students, as well as other students, and members of the wider community who share a love of singing and musical excellence.

There are no auditions to join for students, and rehearsals are conducted in a friendly and welcoming atmosphere.  

The choir is under the direction of one of Australia’s foremost choral conductors, Andrew Wailes (inaugural winner of the Australasian International Choral Conducting Competition) and Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra. In 2024 Andrew celebrates 30 years as MUCS Conductor.  

A FINE TRADITION OF PERFORMANCE

MUCS concerts are performed in Melbourne’s leading venues, often with professional orchestras, choirs, and some of Australia’s finest soloists. Recent highlights include performances of Verdi’s ‘Requiem’ in Hamer Hall, John Rutter’s ‘Gloria’ in Deakin Edge and Mozart’s ‘Great Mass in C Minor’ in St Paul’s Cathedral, as well as Vaughan Williams’ ‘A Sea Symphony’ at Hamer Hall and Ola Gjeilo’s ‘Sunrise Mass’ at St Paul’s Cathedral. Other highlights have included the world premiere of Stefan Cassomenos’ ‘Dixit Dominus’ at Deakin Edge, ‘Carols in the Cathedral’ with the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic and National Boys Choir of Australia at St Paul’s Cathedral, and ‘Our Christmas Gift’ at the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre, and at Hamer Hall.

Over the last decade, MUCS has also regularly hosted and performed alongside international choirs from the United States and Europe.

At the start of 2017 members of MUCS participated in a European choir tour through Germany, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, and the Czech Republic. In January 2020, around fifty MUCS members toured Italy, Germany and Austria, with performances in major venues including St Peter’s Papal Basilica in the Vatican, Salzburg Cathedral, Bologna’s Basilica di San Petronio, Munich’s Fraeunkirche, and Neustift Abbey.

JOIN FOR THE EXCITING 2024 SEASON

2024 will see the choir perform a series of large-scale symphonic concerts, beginning with Carl Orff’s 20th-century masterpiece ‘Carmina Burana’ and Australian composer Carl Vine’s epic ‘Choral Symphony’ (No. 6) with the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra and the National Boys’ Choir of Australia in Melbourne Town Hall on Sunday 19^th May. This promises to be one of the most anticipated and exciting concert events in Melbourne this year.

SECOND SEMESTER HIGHLIGHTS 

Other 2024 highlights include Mozart’s magnificent 'Coronation' Mass, with the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Orchestra at Deakin Edge Federation Square on Sunday 18^th August, a grand symphonic concert featuring Antonin Dvorak’s grand Te Deum in conjunction with the Melbourne University Biomedicine Students' Orchestra in St Paul’s Cathedral in September, and a series of three spectacular Carols in the Cathedral Christmas concerts in St Paul’s Cathedral on 20 and 21 December.

TOUR WITH MUCS TO EUROPE

In January 2025 the choir plans to tour to the United Kingdom and Europe, visiting major cities including London, Windsor, Cambridge, York, Durham (England), Edinburgh, Inverness (Scotland), Munich, Regensberg (Germany), Prague, Czesky Krumlov (Czechia), and Salzburg (Austria). The tour will include many sight-seeing highlights, as well as concerts in services in some of Europe’s most beautiful cathedrals, churches, castles and palaces.

Apart from amazing musical opportunities, joining MUCSD provides it members with lots of social opportunities. The choir is a great place to meet like-minded people who love to sing and enjoy a bit of fun, with weekly drinks catch ups before and after rehearsal at the Clyde Hotel, and various other social events throughout the year, so come along and meet all of us at MUCS!

VISIT OUR WEBSITE

You can find more information about the choir, biographical information about our Conductor and Accompanist, rehearsal venue details, some photos from past seasons, and an up-to-date schedule for future rehearsals and concerts on our website: http://mucs.org.au/

If you’d like to join, you are welcome to just come along to a rehearsal on Wednesday evenings at 6.45pm at Wyselaskie Auditorium. There are no auditions for students, and special discounted membership rates apply for all Melbourne University students and staff.

For students joining MUCS for the first time during Winterfest there is a super special discounted membership price of just $5  to join for the rest of the year which is an amazing bargain!!!

Previous MUCS student members who re-join MUCS after O week pay just $50 for the entire year, making MUCS one of the cheapest choirs to join in Melbourne!

Club Aims:

1. To rehearse and perform choral music.
2. To organise other activities of interest to its members.

Choral Society

Mailbox 51
Level 4, Building 168
University of Melbourne VIC 3010