(English) UK Choirs

Ymddiheuraf, does dim ar gael yn Gymraeg.

Affinity

After running a successful singing workshop in early 2010, the recently founded chorus Affinity won the North Wales Choral Festival Barbershop and the Barbershop class in Llangollen. In the last three years, led by their inspirational leader Lesley Carson and her team, Affinity competed in the Ladies Association of Barbershop Singers Convention, consistently improving, and their Tone-acity quartet are current Labs silver medallist, with Halo close behind and SK4 steadily climbing the ranks.

Bois y Castell

The folk choir Bois y Castell was formed in 1996 and has developed and extended over the past 19 years its repertoire to become a male voice choir. With the help of their founder and musical director Nia Clwyd and their accompanist Kim Lloyd Jones, Bois Y Castell won a lot of competitions such as the National Eisteddfod Festival, the Wales’ National Cerdd Dant Festival and appear on Welsh television. Furthermore Bois y Castell travelled to Spain and were a guest choir in the 53rd Ontario Welsh Festival.

RESIZED.Bois Y Castell Male Voice Choir

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cantabile Girls’ Choir

Cantabile Girls’ Choir continues to go from strength to strength building on a string of successes. The choir won the BBC Songs of Praise Senior School Choir of the Year Competition in 2015, beating some of the finest school choirs from across the UK. They were also named as Childrens’ Folk Song competition winners at the 2015 Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod. The girls’ choir later performed at the Royal Albert Hall as part of BBC Songs of Praise event, The Big Sing.

SCOTY 2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cantabile Youth Choir

The Cantabile Youth Choir consists of 18 members and is based in Nuneaton, Warwickshire. Under the direction of Christine Summer 2014 was a highly successful year for Cantabile. They were named ‘Choir of the Day’ and put into the Category Final of the ‘Choir of the Year’. In November of the same year, Cantabile became Youth Choir Champions at the North Wales Choral Festival. In January 2015 the Cantabile Youth Choir recorded their latest CD ‘Holy Night’ which is a collection of Christmas Music.

RESIZED.Cantabile Youth Choir Nuneaton

 

 

 

 

 

 

Celebration Choir

Celebration Choir was formed 8 years ago to raise money for St. Helens Local Hospice –Willowbrook and is a pop/ gospel choir of about 40 members of all ages. The choir sings all year round at community events, churches, nursing homes and at St. Helens Choir Festival and at North Wales Choral Festival. Celebration Choir has raised thousands of pounds for the hospice and also for Unicef and other organisations. They rehearse every week at the last remaining Welsh Chapel on Merseyside Sutton Oak Welsh Chapel.

Chanteuse Chamber  Choir

Chanteuse Chamber choir is formed in 2008 by Sue Brereton-Banks and based in Stafford. The choir performs a number of concerts each year for the benefit of local communities and appears regularly in the Stafford Music Festival. They have also performed a number of times for the British Legion Festival of Remembrance at Kings Hall, Stoke, and at the Gatehouse Theatre, Stafford, in Lichfield Cathedral and at Stafford Castle. In 2014 Chanteuse entered the National Choir of the Year competition. In 2015 the choir was selected to perform at the Festival Internationale de Musique Universitaire (FIMU) in Belfort, France as the only ones from the United Kingdom.

RESIZED.Chanteuse Chamber Choir

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheshire Chord Company

Cheshire Chord Company is a ladies acapella chorus based in Warrington, Cheshire.  The multi-award winning choir consists of members from all walks of life, ranging from the age of 13 to 60+ and sings a wide variety of songs and styles. Cheshire Chord Company has been national UK Champions on seven occasions and was pleased to win in the barbershop category at the Llangollen Eisteddfod in July 2014. In April 2015 they won gold medals in the International Chorus competition at the Spanish Association of Barbershop Singers; they also won in the barbershop category at the North Wales Choral Festival.

RESIZED.Cheshire Chord Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cor Glanaethwy

Ysgol Glanaethwy was established in 1990 by Cefin and Rhian Roberts and have had many successes with the various choirs over the years which have included gold and silver awards at the Shaoxing World Choir Games with the youth choir. Last year the junior choir won the Children’s category at the Choir of the Year Competition and the adult choir recently won the mixed choir category at the Pan Celtic Festival in Derry. The choir visited Patagonia during the summer of 2015, but the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Italy, Hungary, Belgium, the Ukraine, Scotland, Ireland and England over the last years.

Cor Heol y March

The chour was established in 2009 and comprises around 50 children aged 8-18 years. In the following years Cor Heol y March won a lot of prizes and become a successful choir. Over the years they celebrate success at the National Urdd Eisteddfod, became Choir of Wales and among the others they were chosen as one of five children’s choirs in Wales to compete in the biennial S4C Côr Cymru competition held that year. The choir has appeared several times on S4C and has taken part in numerous concerts, sharing the stage with well known artists such as Dennis O’Neill, Wynne Evans and many other.

Cor Heol y March Arweinydd : Eleri Roberts Enillwyr Cor Cymry 2015 Canolfan y Celfyddydau Aberystwyth Ebrill 19 2015 S4C / Rondo llun: Keith Morris

Côr Ieunectid Môn

Côr Ieunectid Môn is celebrating a decade together this year and has a varied repertoire from classical to modern. The Choir has been successful in getting to the semi-finals at the Côr Cymru competition 5 times and has performed with many famous Welsh musicians and composers such as Cathrin Finch, Gareth Glyn and Karl Jenkins (at the Llangollen Eisteddfod). They have over a hundred members but are keen to bring their youngest singers to the Eisteddfod this year.

Côr Llunsain

Côr Llunsain is London’s Welsh female choir, formed in 2012 and directed by Hannah Grill. The biggest highlight in the choir’s history to date was performing the national anthems on the pitch ahead of the Wales v England match at Twickenham Stadium, in front of an audience of more tha 80.000. Côr Llunsain has also been featured in The Times, Telegraph, BBC News, BBC Radio 5 and Radio Cymru. In 2015 the choir appeared on S4C television Côr Cymru semi-finalists, and were prize-winners at the National Eisteddfod in 2012.

RESIZED.Cor Llunsain

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cor Meibion Llangwm

Llangwm Male Voice choir was established in 1930 in order to compete at the local village Eisteddfod. Since its formation it has had only 5 conductors and 3 accompanists. Members come mainly from an agricultural background and who speak Welsh as their first language. This choir won first prize in the National Eisteddfod at Denbigh in 2013 and also in the same event in Glamorgan in 2014.

RESIZED.Cor Meibion Llangwm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Côr y Cwm Biography

Côr y Cwm was established in 2008 when pupils from all the five primary schools of the Rhondda met for the first time to compete at the Llangollen Eisteddfod. One year later Côr y Cwm won the Junior Children’s Choor competition. Other highlights in the history of Côr y Cwm include becoming winners in the Urdd Eisteddfod, being chosen as the viewers’ choice in the TV series ‘Côr Cymru’, singing in the front of Her Royal Majesty the Queen and being chosen as ‘choir of the day’ in the ‘Music For Youth’ competition in Birmingham.

RESIZED.Côr y Cwm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DaleDiva

DaleDiva is a successful female A-cappella chorus and was formed 8 years ago. The ladies have been awarded many medals over the years at the Sweet Adelines International National competition and have just returned from competing in Las Vegas at the World Championships. In 2010 they have won the Channel 5 ‘Don’t Stop Believin’ contest to search for ‘The best Showchoir. DaleDiva has also recorded 3 albums.

RESIZED.DaleDiva

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Decibellas

Decibellas is an enthusiastic choir formed in 2010 and supported by 60 women of diverse age, background and ability. Their first singing performance at the Llangollen Eisteddfod was in 2014. They have taken part in many events as such the BBC Music Nation Event, and performed on numerous occasions in Chester. Decibellas organises charity concerts where members of the choir have the opportunity to sing solos. The most recent was in partnership with the Llangollen Male Voice Choir and was in aid of St Luke’s Hospice in Winsford.

RESIZED.DECIBELLAS”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hallmark of Harmony

Hallmark of Harmony is a group of about sixty men who enjoy singing together in the four-part close-harmony barbershop style. Their main reason for singing is entertainment, but they also take part in competitions. Over the years the chorus has enjoyed considerable success, winning the gold medal on seven occasions at the UK National Barbershop Convention, most recently in 2014 at Harrogate.

RESIZED.Hallmark of Harmony

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Helen Vereker Singers

Helen Vereker Singers is a mixed choir based at the National Blind College in Hereford, founded 10 years ago and is now a 50-strong group of all abilities.The choir doesn’t use soloists, so everyone gets to sing a part of every song.Helen Vereker Singers started 2015 with a performance at Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff, followed by a fund-raising rendition at our local Sainsbury’s store. With several locally arranged charity concerts, they also gave two performances at The International Eisteddfod in Llangollen and have supported BLAKE on their national tour.

RESIZED.Helen Vereker Singers 2015 purple

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hereford Cathedral Junior School

The Hereford Cathedral Junior School Choir is made up of volunteers from years 5 and 6. They enjoy a wide variety of musical styles and sing in concerts throughout the year at school and in the local community. Last year the choir was winner of the Bernardo’s National Choral Competition becoming the Barnard’s Junior Chior of the year 2015. This lead to a performance at the Royal Albert Hall. Recently the choir had the opportunity to sing to HRH, the Duke of Kent during a visit to the country.

Kent College Choristers

Kent College Choristers are all pupils at Kent College, Canterbury in Kent, ages 3-18 years. The choir was founded 9 years ago and has a schedule of services and concerts for charity in the local community. Last summer the Choristers were in Austria where they sang a Mozart Mass, accompanied by an Austrian band, and performed in Salzburg Cathedral. Kent College Choristers received Junior Choral Awards at the National Festival of Music for Youth in 2008, 2010 & 2012. Furthermore they won the Barnardos’ Junior Choir of the Year in 2013, were national finalists in Choir of the Year and appeared as semi-finalists in the BBC Songs of Praise School Choir of the Year 2015.

RESIZED.Kent College Choristers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Manchester Community Choir

Manchester Community Choir was founded in 1999, has over 100 members and is directed by their music director Liz Powers since 2008. They sing acapella songs about equality, peace and respect from all over the world, both modern and traditional.Although the Manchester Community Choir doesn’t go in for competitions they have appeared at many important events, such as the Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony, the re-opening of the People’s History Museum or the Annual Manchester Day Parade.The choir also helps raise funds for charities and has recorded 3 successful CDs.

RESIZED.Manchester Community Choir1

 

 

 

 

 

Newport Male Voice Choir

The choir is based in Shropshire, was founded in 1943, and celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2013. The choir has won many competitions over the years and have been ‘English National Champions’ twice. The Newport Male Voice Choir is one of the leading male voice choirs in the Midlands has sung in many different and varied locations in the UK and abroad, including tours in Malta, USA, Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovenia.Music has been written specially for the choir, including one piece by Armstrong Gibbs.

RESIZED.Newport MVC-Group-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

North London Collegiate School Canons Choir

In the last five years the 50-strong Canons Choir, conducted by Cassandra White in 2011, has competed in local and national festivals.The girls occurred at Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod 2014 and 2015, and performed at the Royal Festival Hall in October 2014 as one of four Category Finalists in Choir of the Year 2014. The choir was subsequently selected by BBC Radio 3 as one of four UK entries to take part in the international competition and recorded an a cappella programme at the iconic BBC studios in Maida Vale in November 2014.

RESIZED.North London Collegiate School Canons Choir

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Surrey Hills Chamber Choir

Founded in 2005, Surrey Hills Chamber Choir (SHCC) is from the heart of Southern England and has 32 members.What makes SHCC special and highly popular is that they perform from memory and predominantly without conduction. The choir is relatively young in its competition experiences and has achieved results at every competition entered to date with wins at Cheltenham (2008), Bournemouth (2009) and Mrs Sunderland Music Festival in Huddersfield (2010), Cheltenham (2014). 2012 the choir has competed at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod and has entered the UK National Choir of the Year where it won the Adult Choir of the Year title.

Sutton Coldfield Youth Voices

The choir was formed by Richard Jeffries and Liz Birch in 2009, is made up of singers aged 13-18 and forms the teenage arm of the ‘Sutton Coldfield Choirs’ charity. In July 2012 they reached the National stage of Music for Youth and performed at the Choir Of The Year auditions in both 2012 and 2014 and were finalists in July 2014 at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod. In November 2014 they were invited to perform at the LG Arena in front of 16,000 people with international star Andrea Bocelli. The choir performs in a variety of other prestigious venues, as well as churches, halls and schools.

RESIZED.Sutton Coldfield Youth Voices

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TGS Motet Choir

The TGS Motet Choir has 40 members from the senior school aged from 14-18 years. Founded in 1992 under its current director Adrian Pitts, it has performed at major venues across the UK, such as the Barbican, Royal Festival Hall, the Royal Albert Hall, the O2 Arena, as well as Cathedrals in London. The choir undertakes a number of charity concerts each year, singing for the Hospice in the Weald (Kent) and Orchid (Male Cancer charity). They have had great success in national choir competitions, including winning Barnardo’s National Choir competition and being runners up in the BBC Songs of Praise School Choirs competition. In 2015 they were finalists for the 7th year running for Barnardo’s National Choir competition at the Royal Festival Hall, London, and won a silver certificate at their first European Choir Games in Magdeburg, Germany in the summer. At Christmas 2015 they are performing at Westminster Cathedral to a capacity audience.

The Four Oaks Cluster Choir

The Four Oaks Cluster Choir began in April 2005 and has now 60 singers aged 9-12. The choir is directed by Richard Jeffries and Liz Birch, accompanied by Chris Hall and Matt Walker and performs a wide range of music.In February 2015 they won the Manchester Amateur Choral Competition (MACC), fighting off stiff competition from many older choirs. They achieved 3rd place at the Eisteddfod (Llangollen) in 2013 and 2014, and reached in October 2012 the Category Finals of the national Choir Of The Year competition.This choir has performed at Symphony Hall, Bridgewater Hall (Manchester), the ‘Ballroom Foyer’ of the Royal Festival Hall, Warwick Arts Centre and Birmingham Town Hall.

The Kinder Children’s Choir

The Kinder Children’s Choirs was formed in 1991 and is conducted by Joyce Ellis MBE. The organisation embraces a holistic approach promoting traditional familial values, personal development and responsibility of its young members.The choirs perform regularly in a wide variety of venues including cathedrals and national concert halls, as well as all over Derbyshire. Highlights of this last season include a concert for H.R.H. Prince Edward at Chatsworth and concerts in Normandy. Exciting events are planned including concerts in special and beautiful venues such as Buxton Opera House, Buckfast Abbey and Exeter Cathedral.

The Major Oak Chorus

In the autumn of 2003, Glenn Chaney, musical director of Lace City Chorus founded the Major Oak Chorus. Now it is led by Joe Knight, a successful multiple gold winner 2006 they attended their first British Association of Barbershop Singers convention in Brighton.In 2015 The Major Oak Chorus achieved their highest ever score at the BABS convention, not only winning Divison 2, but also picking up the most improved chorus trophy.

RESIZED.The Major Oak Chorus

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Mirabilé Vocal Ensemble

The Mirabilé Vocal Ensemble was established by Joy Nicol and has varied musical backgrounds, with choral and soloist experiences, including performances with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, English National Opera, Covent Garden Festival Opera, D’Oyly Carte (UK tour) and a lot of more.In 2012, Mirabilé toured Italy, performing in the Basilica di San Lorenzo in Lucina in Rome, and within the international festivals of “Festival Terre di Scansano” in Scansano, “Musica in Aulis” in Bolzano, and “Corti, Chiese e Cortili Festival” in Bologna. In June 2013 Mirabilé performed in Nottingham with the “Zaporozhian Cossacks” dancers and in 2014 they performed in some of the England’s greatest cathedrals.

RESIZED.Mirabile Photo 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Truro Prep Choir

Truro Prep Choir is made up of 60 singers aged between 8 and 11 who attend Truro Prep School, a coeducational independent school in the city of Truro, Cornwall. The choir enjoy singing a wide variety of songs of all styles, in Cornish and English as well as in other languages and perform locally in concerts and competitions. The choir’s most recent success was the award of Best Performance Practice in the Music For Youth 2015 National Festival in Birmingham.

RESIZED.Truro Prep Choir

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ysgol Gynradd Nantgaredig

The enthusiastic school choir sing at local events, charity nights and community gatherings. A great honour and achievement for the choir and the school last year: competing at the Urdd Eisteddfod 2015 in Caerphilly and coming second in the whole of Wales. Members of the choir also compete as individuals and do so on a monthly basis around the county and beyond.