Bringing Music to Life in the City
Our Next Concert
Music Endures
How do we create lasting memorials to those who have gone before us? While monuments of stone mark places and people, music can become a different kind of memorial — a sonic shrine that transcends time and place.
Josquin des Prez’s Nymphes des Bois is an elegy for his teacher, the great Renaissance composer Johannes Ockeghem. Monteverdi’s moving Sestina mourns the favoured court soprano of the Duke of Mantua, Caterina Martinelli. Her untimely death devastated both the duke and Monteverdi, and inspired a sixth cycle of madrigals that has long outlived her marble tomb in the Carmelite church in Mantua.
From these intimate expressions of personal grief, the programme broadens to Benjamin Britten’s Choruses from Gloriana, a royal tribute to Elizabeth I, and his Hymn to St Cecilia. We conclude with Parry’s serene setting of Crossing the Bar — a timeless farewell that looks beyond loss towards peace. Marking the 50th anniversary of Benjamin Britten’s death, this concert becomes a monument in sound—living, breathing and reborn.
Come and Sing New Year Workshop
Saturday 30 January 2027
Lose yourself in the extraordinary harmonies of one of the most original composers of the sixteenth century
The Chromatic Labyrinth
Step into the chromatic labyrinth for a day of singing centred on the astonishing music of Carlo Gesualdo, whose daring harmonies still sound startling more than 400 years later.
From the intense beauty of his celebrated madrigal Moro, lasso, al mio duolo, we’ll explore the twists and turns of chromaticism and musical ingenuity, comparing Gesualdo’s music with that of his contemporary Thomas Weelkes and Orlando di Lasso, a master of the previous generation.
Re-examining Gesualdo’s reputation as a radical harbinger of the chromaticism of Wagner and the twentieth century, we’ll turn to the music of Bruckner and Brahms, both of whom drew on the rich musical heritage of earlier Renaissance masters.
A fascinating day of musical puzzles, unexpected harmonies and glorious choral singing.
Join us in 2026!
Looking for
Basses & Tenors!
We currently have openings for second basses and tenors for 2026-27. Please do come and meet Steve and do a taster rehearsal.
If you love singing confidently in a chamber sized group, enjoy exploring new repertoire and are an adept sight-reader, you will find the City Chamber Choir a haven of harmony and inclusivity.
We have some amazing upcoming repertoire to sing in our 40th Anniversary Celebratory Season 2026-27!
email Helen at citychamberchoir@gmail.com
Our Music Director Stephen Jones
Stephen Jones is our founder and mentor
Steve established the choir in 1987 to create innovative programs that connect contemporary choral music to the rich traditions of choral heritage
"I aspire for singers to become as besotted with the joy of singing together as I am"
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