Singing with the Bach Choir

The 250 members of The Bach Choir meet to rehearse every Monday between 6.15 and 8.15 from September to July in Westminster Cathedral Hall, Ambrosden Avenue, SW1 (a few minutes' walk from Victoria Station).

Our repertoire covers music from early to the present day. Concerts are given in the Royal Festival Hall, Royal Albert Hall and various venues such as cathedrals, St George's Chapel Windsor and the Guildhall. During the closure of the Royal Festival Hall, the Choir gave a series of concerts in Westminster Cathedral with the Philharmonia Orchestra.

In the past few years we have taken part in the Queen's Golden Jubilee celebrations outside Buckingham Palace and the WW2 Commemoration event in Horse Guards Parade, made a recording of Howells' Hymnus Paradisi for NAXOS and recorded the soundtracks for Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven, Disney's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and, most recently, Dreamworks' Shrek 3.

We tour abroad every two or three years; recent tours have included Beirut (March 2003), Germany (December 2005 and October 2007) and Australia (March/April 2008). In the past we have sung in the USA, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand, Sweden, France, South Africa and more.

The Choir has a basic programme of about seven London concerts each year but there are always extra events. Fifteen concerts in a year would not be unusual. To qualify to sing in a concert members must have attended at least two-thirds of the rehearsals for that concert.

In order to join, it is necessary to pass an audition and members are re-auditioned every three years. We hold auditions at various times throughout the year. An audition consists of scales or arpeggios, various musical tests and sight reading which needs to be of a good standard in order to cope with the amount of music we sing in a year.

The subscription is £17 per month or £204 per year (although any difficulty with this would be viewed sympathetically). Full-time students (first degree) will be offered free membership for the duration of their course. Music can be bought through the Choir and hire copies are often available.

For more information contact the Membership Secretary. To apply for an audition fill in the Application Form online.