Who are we?

• Leeds Festival Chorus was formed to celebrate the opening of Leeds Town Hall in 1858 and thereafter re-formed for each triennial Music Festival. It became a permanent and self-governing chorus in 1976. We now have a membership of almost 120 and are actively looking to grow and recruit more members.

• We perform both large and smaller scale choral works and continue our long tradition of commissioning and championing new music. Our most recent premiere was Deus Noster Refugium by James MacMillan.
   
• We work with many different professional soloists and musicians, local, national and international, in a range of venues. Recent concerts have featured orchestras such as the BBC Philharmonic, English Chamber Orchestra, The Hallé and the Orchestra of Opera North. We perform regularly in Leeds Town Hall, both independently and as part of the Leeds International Concert Season, at St Edmunds Church Roundhay and Ripon Cathedral . We have also performed in Manchester (Bridgewater Hall, MEN Arena) and Leeds Arena.
   
• We also enjoy collaborating with other choirs and touring and recent trips have included performances in Poland (Krakow, Wroclaw and Opole) and Venice (Caorle and St Mark’s Basilica).
   
• All our singing activities are under the direction of our Conductor and Artistic Advisor, Simon Wright, and our accompanist is Rebecca Taylor.
   
• We also support a Youth Choir to encourage younger singers and offer both Chorus Master and Choral Composer Scholarships to support aspiring professional musicians.
   
• But it’s not all singing! We have a thriving social side led by the Fundraising and Social Committee (FRASC) who organise regular events to raise funds for the chorus and monthly social evenings so that we can chat and get to know our fellow singers.
   
• We have an active Friends Group, and welcome new Patrons and Business Sponsors.
   
• Choral music scores can be hired from our extensive score library.
   
• Leeds Festival Chorus is a member of Making Music, the national body that supports voluntary music societies.