Experience Carefully Curated Choral Concerts
Revel in the Joy of Music
2024-2025 Season
8 July 2025
Jacobean Genius
St Vedast-alias-Foster
29 April 2025
Evensong
Charterhouse
1 April 2025
From Darkness
to Light
Holy Sepulchre
25 Jan 2025
Chapel Royal Masters Workshop
St Mary-at-Hill
17 Dec 2024
A Rose has Sprung
St Mary-at-Hill
17 Dec 2024
Edwardian Splendour
St Mary's Bourne Street
This concert showcases the leading composer of the early-Stuart period at the 400th anniversary of his death, along with works by his contemporaries, and present-day composers he has inspired.
Gibbons’ rich, polyphonic style led him to be dubbed the ‘English Palestrina’ before England’s descent into Civil War and Puritanism.
City Chamber Choir, led by conductor Stephen Jones, will perform with period instrument group Orlando Camerata, playing Baroque viols.
Interval drinks will be served in the beautiful secluded courtyard of St Vedast, Foster Lane.
Jacobean Genius
Orlando Gibbons and his legacy
7pm 8 July 2025
St Vedast-alias-Foster
London EC2V 6HH
Tickets on the door | £20
Early Bird until 24-June-25 | £17
Student | £10
Under-12s free
2025-2026 Save the Dates!
Thursday
6 Nov 2025
Organ Jewels
St Mary's Bourne Street
Tuesday
16 Dec 2025
Christmas Concert
St Mary's Bourne Street
Saturday
24 Jan 2026
Come & Sing Workshop
St Mary-at-Hill
Tuesday
24 March 2026
Five Season Strings
Gresham Centre
April 2026
Evensong
Charterhouse
Tuesday
8 July 2026
Summer Celebration
St Vedast-alias-Foster
Recent Events
Evensong at The Charterhouse
5:30pm | 29 April 2025
Evensong is enjoying a renaissance as a showcase of choral tradition and the new music of today.
City Chamber Choir’s Evensong at Charterhouse will feature the exceptional music of two female British composers – our President Cecilia McDowall and Ruth Gipps. Alongside these will be Orlando Gibbons’ (‘The English Palestrina’) invigorating anthem ‘O Clap your hands’ and Percy Whitlock’s ethereal ‘Be Still, my Soul’.
The Charterhouse
Charterhouse Square
Barbican
London EC1M 6AN
From Darkness to Light
Inspirational choral music from Finzi to Howells
7:30pm Tuesday 1 April 2025
Holy Sepulchre London EC1A 2DQ
An evening of glorious music awaits you in the majestic setting of the Musicians’ Church, and includes a not to be missed, rarely performed An English Mass by Herbert Howells.
Finzi | Requiem da Camera
Howells | An English Mass
Bob Chilcott | My Prayer
Farrar | Margaritae Sorori
Rota | Sonata per orchestra da camera
The bonds of friendship entwine our programme. Gerald Finzi’s beautiful and intimate Requiem da Camera was written in memory of his esteemed teacher Ernest Farrar, killed in the final days of the First World War, and Farrar’s moving and lyrical partsong Margaritae Sorori which follows is a fitting valediction.
Howells wrote his turbulent An English Mass, a work full of agony and ecstasy, for Harold Darke (organist of St Michael’s, Cornhill 1916-1966) and his St Michael’s Singers. Chilcott’s passionate ‘My prayer’ and Nino Rota’s characterful Sonata per orchestra da camera, at turns elegiac, heroic, pastoral and spritely, complete our programme.
Tickets on the door | £25
Early Bird until 10-March-25 | £22
Student | £10
Under-12s free
We are deeply grateful to The Finzi Trust
for generous their support
The 20th century English composer Gerald Finzi is renowned for the lyricism of his songs (especially settings of poems by Thomas Hardy) and instrumental writing. A lover of reading, collector of books and conservationist – whether of 18th century music or apples – Finzi joined with his wife, the artist and poet Joyce (Joy) Black, in developing amateur music-making, using their home to support the creativity of others.
Founded in 1969, the seeks to promote the music of Gerald Finzi and to further his ideals.
Saturday 25 January 2025
Chapel Royal Masters
of the 17th Century
Come and Sing With Us Workshop
10am-5pm
Saturday 25 January 2025
St Mary-at-Hill, Lovat Lane, London EC3R 8EE
Ticket + Printed music booklet | £38.50
Ticket | £35
Under-12s free
Our workshop explores some of the wonderful music by Chapel Royal musicians of the 17th Century, a significant share of which is given to Orlando Gibbons (the “Palestrina” of English Jacobean music) in this the 400th anniversary of his death.
We include a gorgeous and moving lament by Ramsey on the death of Prince Henry, as well as music by Richard Dering, a leading musician in Queen Henrietta Maria’s private chapel. Finally we cannot but include some of the exquisite music by Purcell from the beginning of his career.
Stephen Jones | conductor
Ivan Linford | organ
Tickets on the door | £15
Student | £10, Under-12s free
A Rose has Sprung
A Christmas Celebration
Tuesday 17 December 2024
6:00pm Wine & Mince Pies
6:30pm Concert
St Mary-at-Hill, Lovat Lane, London ECR 8EE
Our programme this year centres around Es ist ein Ros entsprungen, set by Praetorius, and explores other composers’ settings on a similar theme. These gentle items are interspersed with celebratory and joyful pieces across the ages by Sweelinck, Mendelssohn, Bob Chilcott, Leighton, and even antiphonal music by Handl (without an ‘e’) across the church! The audience will need their singing hats on for Carols and we are delighted to be premiering a new piece by Samuel Wilson.
Guaranteed to get you into the Christmas spirit!
Praetorius | Es ist ein Ros entsprungen
Handl | Resonet in laudibus
McDowall | There is no rose
Leighton | Lully lulla
Sweelinck | Hodie Christus natus est
Gibbons | Song 46 ‘Christmas Day’
Briggs | A tender shoot
Bullard | Scots nativity
Chilcott | Gaudete
Stanford | A carol for Christmas
Wilson | Westward leading
Mendelssohn | Frohlocket, ihr Völker auf Erden
There will be a charity collection for Veterans’ Growth ‘improving veterans’ mental health through horticulture. veteransgrowth.org
Tickets on the door | £20
Early Bird Discount until 25-Oct-24 | £17
Student | £10
Under-12s free
Edwardian Splendour
Stanford | Eight Partsongs Op.119
Brahms | Fünf Gesänge Op.104
Parry | Dear Lord and Father
Whitlock | Be still, my soul
Stanford | Fantasia & Toccata Op.57
Ethel Smyth | Komm, süsser Tod
Stanford | For lo, I raise up Op.145
City Chamber Choir commemorates the one-hundredth anniversary of the death of the Irish composer, Charles Villiers Stanford, with a programme that is half secular, half sacred. There is plenty of Stanford, as you would expect, plus music by his great friend and colleague Parry, Brahms, by whom he was immensely influenced, and Percy Whitlock, one of his pupils, plus music by his contemporary, Ethel Smyth.
The Eight Partsongs op. 119 include Stanford’s famous The Blue Bird, the Brahms pieces are his last partsongs. Stanford’s op. 145 is a remarkable tour-de-force with a glorious organ part.
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