The News
The Academical Clerks of New College Oxford
The News is the close harmony group formed of the Academical Clerks of the choir - the altos, tenors and basses who are also undergraduate students of New College, and sing in the choir’s daily services, balancing this commitment with their academic study of a variety of subjects.
We sing a wide range of music, from Renaissance polyphony to Christmas close harmony and covers of pop songs. Our Christmas concert in the Cloisters at the end of the Michaelmas Term is one of the highlights of the college's festivities.
For the latest information on what we are up to, like us on Facebook.
Please email The News if you are interested in booking us for a concert, event, or entertainment.
Trinity Term 2026 & Summer Tour
The News return to France in July 2026: visiting Amiens, Péronne, La Rochelle and Rochefort.
They travel via Paris to the Somme. The first concert is in the extraordinary High Gothic Cathedral at Amiens, at 18:00 on the 7th July: followed by a repeat concert at the nearby Péronne the next day. A return visit to the seaside town of La Rochelle sees The News performing in the glorious surroundings of St Sauveur church. St Louis, Rochefort marks the end of the tour.
The tour’s concert programme contains a wide range of music, from Gombert and Ravel to a number of new folk and pop arrangements – many by members of the group.
The tour follows on from a highly successful and busy year in which The News have continued their complementary role as the College’s close harmony group alongside their work in the College Choir. A Hilary term concert in the Chapel went alongside recent performances in London, Wiltshire, and Buckinghamshire.
HILARY TERM 2025 & SUMMER PLANS
The News continue to be busy with concerts! Here are some highlights from their recent performances.
December saw a charity Christmas Concert, for St John's Hospice (photo) and a tour fund-raising concert at St Peter's, London Docks.
On Sunday 23 February The News presented Terra Tremuit: Close Harmony from Byrd to the Beatles. You can watch the concert here in New College chapel.
They also performed at a ceremony in the Sheldonian Theatre for the presentation of the Sheldon Medal - the University's most prestigious philanthropic award - to Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
SUMMER TOUR
In July The News return to France for concerts in La Rochelle, Rochefort, Angers, Dijon and Beaune. Watch this space for more details.
TOUR TO FRANCE, JULY 2024
The News enjoyed a highly successful tour to La Rochelle and Rochefort in July 2024, with a combination of concerts and services across the area. Sunday Mass was celebrated to a rapturous reception in La Rochelle Cathedral, with sizeable audiences attending concerts at St Saveur, La Rochelle and in Rochefort. The programmes consisted of the group’s traditional mix of polyphony, folk music and jazz and pop standards, with a particular emphasis on the music of Nicolas Gombert and Francis Poulenc. Greeted warmly by the churches and congregations, The News hopes to return to La Rochelle as part of a longer tour of France in July 2025.
The News & The King's Men
Last term saw a historic joint concert with the King's Men from New College's sister college in Cambridge. Watch here on the Choir's Youtube channel.