VOCES8 Summer School & Festival
Welcome to the 2026 VOCES8 International Summer School and Festival at Milton Abbey! We are looking forward to a hugely fulfilling and enjoyable week of music-making and fun.
Full address: Milton Abbey School, Milton Abbas, Blandford Forum DT11 0BZ
If you arrive by car, please leave your luggage in your vehicle and come directly to the Festival Office for registration. After receiving your room keys, staff will direct you to your room.
Please come to the Festival Office to register and collect your lanyard and music.
After registration, lunch will be provided from 13:00 in the Abbot's Hall. All participants are welcome.
Please contact the Summer School Administrator, Anne Smith, on +44 7977 296652. Please be aware that mobile phone reception is limited on site.
Residents departing after the Gala Concert are asked to vacate their rooms by 11:30am on Saturday 1 August to allow the school events team to prepare for their next event.
Luggage may be left in designated communal areas or at the Festival Office and collected following the concert.
Participants travelling to the UK from outside the country are responsible for ensuring they have the correct travel documentation in place before travelling.
Please note that some countries, including the United States, now require travellers to obtain a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before entering the UK. The application is completed online and approval is linked digitally to your passport – there is no physical document issued.
As requirements can change, we strongly recommend all international participants check the latest guidance for their country well in advance to ensure sufficient time for processing.
We can offer a shuttle to and from Dorchester South station on Monday morning and Saturday evening after the closing concert for the following trains:
Monday 27th July – Arriving
Saturday 1st August – Departing
Milton Abbey is located approximately 30 miles south-west of Salisbury, mid-way between Blandford Forum and Dorchester in Dorset.
Having passed through the village of Pimperne, come to a roundabout and turn left onto the Blandford bypass. At the next two roundabouts go straight over, passing through Thornicombe before the road dips into Winterborne Whitechurch. On entering the village, take the second right-hand turn. Follow the road until you reach Milton Abbas, take the first left down through the village. At the bottom of the village take a right-hand turn, following the signs for Milton Abbey church. Follow the road past the rear entrance to the school and you will approach the main gates on your left.
Having passed through Charlton Marshall, come to a roundabout and turn left onto the Blandford bypass. At the next two roundabouts go straight over, passing through Thornicombe before the road dips into Winterborne Whitechurch. Take the second right-hand turn (next to the Milton Arms pub). Follow the road until you reach Milton Abbas, take the first left down through the village. At the bottom, take a right-hand turn following signs for Milton Abbey church. Follow the road past the rear entrance to the school and you will approach the main gates on your left.
Having entered Milborne St Andrew, take the second left-hand turn (just past the Royal Oak pub). Keep following the road, which will take a sharp right bend followed by a tight left bend. After the left bend, take the first left, signposted Milton Abbey. Follow the road past the rear entrance to the school and you will approach the main gates on your left.
Follow the A350 through Iwerne Minster and Stourpaine to a roundabout at the intersection with the A354. Take the A354 (Blandford bypass). At the next two roundabouts go straight over, passing through Thornicombe into Winterborne Whitechurch. Take the second right-hand turn (next to the Milton Arms pub). Follow the road to Milton Abbas, take the first left down through the village, then a right at the bottom following signs for Milton Abbey church. Follow the road past the rear entrance to the school and you will approach the main gates on your left.
🚗 By Road
- London3 hrs
- Oxford2 hrs
- Bristol1 hr 30 min
- Chichester1 hr 40 min
- Salisbury45 min
- Poole30 min
🚂 By Rail
- London → Poole2 hrs
- London → Salisbury1 hr 30 min
- London → Dorchester South3 hrs
✈️ From Airports
- London Gatwick2 hrs 45 min
- London Heathrow2 hrs 30 min
- Bristol1 hr 45 min
- Southampton1 hr 10 min
- Bournemouth45 min
On arrival, please park at the front of school by the mansion building and go straight to the Festival Office without your luggage, following signs at the front of the Mansion House.
If your car is staying for the duration of the week, you will be asked to move it to the designated parking area: Damer Green, located at the top of the driveway by the entrance to the school.
Visiting audience members will be directed to park elsewhere on the site when they arrive.
There will be a message board in the Festival Office during the week to facilitate shared transportation. If you have a car and are willing to offer lifts, please leave a note on the board.
Participants are also encouraged to join the Summer School 2026 Facebook group (with thanks to Bianca Kloda for setting this up) to communicate before and during the week. Don't forget to tag @voces8foundation in your posts!
Not available: No laundry facilities. No ensuite bathrooms – showers and toilets may be a short walk from your room.
You are residing in school boarding accommodation – consider bringing 'home comforts' such as:
- A bedside light
- Eye mask and/or ear plugs (to cut out light and sound)
- Dressing gown and slippers or flip flops for the shower
- Toiletries (shampoo, toothpaste etc.) – these are not available for purchase on site
- Any first aid items you may need
Some items may be available at the Farm Shop (see below).
Two rooms have been allocated where non-residential participants can leave belongings during the day and get changed for concerts. These are located at the top of the main staircase in the Mansion House, along the corridor past the Ballroom.
Steeptonbill Farm Shop (Catherines Well, Steeptonbill Farm, Milton Abbas DT11 0AT) is a short walk up the hill from the school. It will carry a small stock of useful items and snacks during the week. Please note the café is no longer operating.
The View Coffee Shop (Sports Club, Hoggens Down, Milton Abbas, Blandford Forum DT11 0BB) is a short drive from the school, serving light lunches, cakes and refreshments.
Participants are welcome to stay for an extra night on Saturday 1st August after the Gala Concert, for an additional cost of £77.00 (including dinner and breakfast). This is bookable via the pre-course questionnaire. Rooms must be vacated on Sunday morning by 10am.
Mealtimes are very busy, so we stagger entry to the servery by voice part – S/A first, followed by T/B (see the timetable for details).
This year, an additional food truck serving the same menu as the servery will also be available on the lawn to help reduce queues. Please make use of both options rather than everyone heading straight to the servery.
There are therefore three meal stations available during busy periods:
- The main servery for hot meals
- The food truck on the lawn serving the same menu
- The pasta and salad bar queue (by the door opposite the Abbey) for those wanting a lighter meal
If there's a big queue when you arrive, please consider going for a stroll and coming back in 15 minutes!
Visiting friends and family members are welcome to join for meals at a cost of £22 per meal. We require 48 hours' notice. Payment by cash or card on site. They can book ahead by clicking here.
All music is provided. Please bring:
- A pencil for marking your score
- A refillable water bottle (recommended)
Hired copies must be returned after use, but you are welcome to take the Festival Music Book home with you.
Rehearsals begin at the times published on the Summer School timetable. The tutti rehearsals with Barney Smith take place in the New Barn Theatre (marked 'Th' on the timetable) unless otherwise stated. Rehearsals for chamber groups take place in other spaces around the school, and you will be directed to these on the day.
This year's Gala Concert programme includes:
- Selected movements from Rose Ever Blooming by American composers Jocelyn Hagen and Timothy C. Takach
- Schubert's Mass in G (Novello Edition)
Music for the selected movements will be provided for use during the week and must be returned after the Gala performance.
Participants are welcome to use an iPad or tablet for Rose Ever Blooming using the PDF supplied in advance. If you choose to use a digital copy, we kindly ask that the file is deleted from your device after the Summer School week in accordance with licensing requirements.
If you plan to use a digital copy and therefore do not require a printed hire copy, please let us know in advance.
Each group will work with one or two members of VOCES8 on a cappella repertoire and perform as part of the Chamber Groups & Scholars' Ensemble Recital on Thursday at 14:30.
You will have been allocated to a chamber group based on your preference as given on the pre-course questionnaire. Every effort has been made to ensure participants are appropriately placed whilst maintaining a good balance of voices.
Optional individual singing lessons with members of VOCES8 will be timetabled throughout the Summer School and you will be invited to sign up at the beginning of the week.
The Young Musicians' Course will be run by Neil Valentine, a highly experienced music educator. Participants on this course range in age from 7 to 13 years old. The children will join in with one of the chamber groups for rehearsals and the concert on Thursday.
Please bring any instruments you play as these will be included in the workshops.
Friday 14:30 – Performance in the Theatre (all are warmly invited)
Saturday Gala – Reprise at the beginning of the Gala Concert in the Abbey
Tickets for all concerts are included for participants. Attendance is optional unless you are singing in the concert. Admission is by showing your Summer School lanyard. Participants are requested to enter the Abbey by the side door.
Tickets for non-participants can be purchased via the Festival's online box office: voces8.foundation/miltonabbey
The bar will take pre-orders for post-concert and interval drinks. You are encouraged to order in advance to avoid big queues.
During the Day
Casual dress throughout
Thursday
Chamber Concert
Smart casual shirt/top with black trousers/skirt
Saturday
Gala Concert
All black — black shirt/top with black trousers/skirt
The swimming pool is available for course members to use between 7:00–9:00am each morning from Tuesday to Saturday, subject to staff availability.
The golf course can be used, although clubs are not available for hire. Booking is not required.
The bar in the Prince's Room will be open from supper time onwards. We operate a strict over-18 drinking policy. Soft drinks will also be available.
Mon & Tue – last orders 10pm, main building closed 10:30pm
Wed–Fri – last orders 11pm, main building closed 11:30pm
On Thursday and Friday evenings there will be informal cabarets – sign up with your party piece! Please bring enough copies of your music (staff are unable to photocopy for this purpose).
Impromptu games of football and Ultimate Frisbee are likely – bring appropriate clothing and footwear, plus any other games you'd like to share.
On Tuesday afternoon, Anne Litchfield (Trustee of the Milton Abbey Heritage Trust) will offer a short tour of the Abbey from 1:30–2:30pm with a brief talk about the local history. A sign-up sheet will be available in the office at registration; maximum capacity of 25.
Eat lunch first then meet in the Abbey porch at 1:30pm.
Wednesday afternoon is free time to enjoy the facilities and explore, or take part in Neil Valentine's famous Ceilidh! This will take place on the lawn (or in the sports hall if wet). Band rehearsal at 2pm in the Sports Hall, Ceilidh begins around 3pm, followed by a barbecue supper at 5pm.
Alternatively, join the country walk with afternoon tea led by Ian Bromilow, departing from outside the main school building at 3pm and returning around 5:30pm. Ian and his wife Wilma will host afternoon tea at their house in Hilton. Bookings taken at registration.
Two optional vocal health lectures in the Theatre, led by Gertie Savelkoul (Summer School participant, vocal health expert, voice pathologist and trainer of the singing voice):
- First session: Monday evening after supper
- Second session: Wednesday before the Ceilidh
Topics include:
- First aid for voice fatigue and strained laryngeal muscles
- Lax Vox ('bubbling method') exercises for vocal muscle training
- SOVT (semi occluded vocal tract) exercises for better breathing flow
- Voice hygiene and rehabilitation exercises for hoarseness
24-hour pastoral care will be provided for under-18s by a team of dedicated and appropriately qualified staff. The team will also run activities for children as per the timetable.
All participants under the age of 18 will fall under the pastoral supervision of Summer School staff. Non-residents should be collected from the school after the activities scheduled on the timetable each day.
Due to Milton Abbey's rural setting, there is very patchy mobile phone reception. Wi-Fi connectivity is available across the site and the password will be provided on arrival.
Non-resident participants on site should congregate beside the statue outside the main entrance of the school building. You must not return to a building until authorised to do so.
If you are resident, please familiarise yourself with the nearest fire exit when you settle into your room.
All participants who leave the site during the week should sign out at the Porters' Lodge and sign back in on return.
- We have participants of all ages – please be mindful that some will be going to bed earlier
- Limit evening social gatherings to the area around the King's Room, Prince's Room, and Abbot's Hall
- Keep noise to a minimum elsewhere on site after 22:30
- A number of families live on site – respect that Milton Abbey is their home
- Milton Abbey is a no smoking site – please do not smoke on the school grounds
- School support staff work during office hours – please be mindful as you move around
Our photographer Andrew Wilkinson will be on site during the week. If you prefer not to appear in photographs, please contact Anne Smith at summerschool@voces8.foundation.
Summer School & Festival Office (available from 27th July – 1st August)
Direct line:
