Chester Music Society Choir is an auditioned choir of 150 members giving performances of major choral classics in Chester Cathedral.

The Choir draws singers from Chester and the surrounding district and gives four concerts each year in the beautiful location of Chester Cathedral. New members in all voice parts are always welcome to attend rehearsals prior to audition.

The three principal concerts in November and in the Spring are performances of major choral classics, oratorio and similar works with professional soloists and orchestra.

The choir engages professional soloists and orchestral players to perform the works in their entirety to a very high standard.

In May the concert usually comprises a number of smaller works,  performed with accompaniment from the cathedral organ or with a chamber ensemble. This concert also forms the basis of the overseas tour programme.

The choir makes an overseas tour every two years. Tours to Ghent (2000); Venice (2002); Prague (2004); Dresden and Leipzig (2006); Budapest (2008); Florence 2010); and Krakow (2012) have been made in recent years. The last tour - in 2018 - waas to Lisbon.

In addition to these concerts, the choir gives two performances of Christmas music in Chester Cathedral in December. These Christmas concerts provide an opportunity for all the family to celebrate the festive Season with us.

The Choir also, on an occasional basis, collaborates with other Musical Societies in the North West of England to join with them for their concerts which require large choral resources. In this way, in recent seasons, the choir has sung with Chester Philharmonic Orchestra, the Crosby Symphony Orchestra, Southport Bach Choir and the Liverpool Welsh Choral Union.

From time to time, a number of our choir members also provide a visiting choir for an evensong service at Chester Cathedral during the summer.

You will find full details of future choir concerts elsewhere in this web site.

Admission to the choir is by audition; either in September, at the start of the new season, or in January, at the beginning of the second session of the season. Auditions are held within the first few weeks of the session with the Director of Music. You will be given a date and asked to prepare and bring along a short, simple piece of music of your choosing to sing. (Please bring 2 copies). You will also sing a few scales to determine your range and voice part and there may also be a short section of straightforward sight-singing. The result of the audition will be given promptly by letter. We make every effort to put you at your ease during auditions, which are conducted in a friendly, relaxed manner.

In order to ensure a correct balance of voices, it may prove necessary from time to time to impose a limit on membership of the choir. On these occasions your name will be added to a waiting list and you will be invited to join as a vacancy became available.

Full details of admission procedures can be obtained from the Membership Secretary, tel. 0151 336 5088 or by
email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

An application form to join the choir can be downloaded HERE

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Video of choir rehearsing Mahler's 2nd Symphony in Chester Cathedral on Youtube Video.