About us

About us2023-04-07T15:17:41+00:00

The Hampstead Chorus is a friendly, un-auditioned local community choir based in North West London.

We offer communal music-making for all who are interested in choral singing.  We welcome:

  • those who would like to have a go at singing for the first time
  • those who have sung in the past and would like to resume
  • experienced singers.

Our Musical Director is Simon Walton, a highly accomplished and inspirational singer and musician and he is assisted by Heather Tomala, a talented pianist and répétiteur.

The Chorus was established as the UCS Centenary Choir and cointinues to be closely associated with University College School where  rehearsals and concerts take place. Our membership is made up of singers both from within the UCS community and the wider Northwest London area.

You can find out more about our history below.

We welcome interest from singers and audience members alike.  The Chorus holds two large scale concerts in the Autumn and Spring, usually with professional soloists and a full professional orchestra, and a less formal one at the end of the summer term, accompanied by our annual Summer party.  Our performances embrace a wide range of choral repertoire that includes established major works and other well-known music.

New members are always welcome. We do not audition new singers and not all new members can read music, though they often learn to do so during rehearsals.  Rehearsals consist of sectional sessions in which each voice part learns its notes, followed by full choir sessions in which we learn to sing together and to improve the sound we make.  If you can sing in tune and are enthusiastic about singing, we would love to meet you.  Just before each term, we post details of the term’s timetable, repertoire and how to subscribe so keep an eye on this website to see what is happening.

In addition to its regular concerts, the Chorus holds Come and Sing events to raise money for our charity partner, Marie Curie Hampstead Hospice which provides care and support for those with terminal illnesses and their families.  We also hold off-site weekend events in a range of venues inluding colleges in Oxford and Cambridge and King’s College Chapel in central London.

Contact us if you want to know more.

Our history

Our history

Our history

In the autumn of 2007, John Bradbury, then Director of Music at UCS and now a Patron of the Choir, decided to mark the 100th anniversary of University College School’s move from Gower Street in Central London to Hampstead with a performance of Handel’s Messiah. Parents, staff and old Gowers were invited to participate in the choir and rehearsals began in January 2008.  A very successful performance took place in April 2008.

The concert was intended to be a one-off event but everyone enjoyed the rehearsal and performance experience so much, the choir continued and became known as the UCS Centenary Choir.

After ten successful years, during which the choir has held many concerts and other events, it was very clear that we had become a permanent part of the local musical landscape.  So we decided, as we approached our tenth anniversary season to adopt a new name to reflect the wider choir membership, encompassing singers from both within the UCS community and the wider North-west London area.  The name Hampstead Chorus was chosen.  At the same time, the choir applied to become a charity.

 

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