The London Welsh Chorale, now in its twenty-seventh year, is a mixed voice choir of some 75 members, performing at major London venues such as the Queen Elizabeth Hall, St John’s Smith Square, Southwark Cathedral, St John's Waterloo, St Paul’s Knightsbridge, Dukes Hall at the Royal Academy of Music and St Giles Cripplegate.
The Chorale was delighted to welcome Gareth Hancock as its new Musical Director: Gareth took up the baton in Jan 2009 and we are very much enjoying new growth and direction under his leadership. This year alone we have recorded a new CD: Seren Bethlehem - Welsh Christmas Music, accompanied Byrn Terfel St David's Hall Cardiff and the Festival Hall London and have been invited to sing on the pitch at the Millennium stadium in Cardiff next February. Our previous conductor, Kenneth Bowen, retired from the Chorale at the end of 2008 having been musical director since its creation in February 1983 and is now Conductor Emeritus.

The Chorale's repertoire concerts are given at venues in Wales and southern England and have included Denham and Haddenam. The Chorale also tours abroad: Vienna, Prague, Plzen and Budapest (1994), Copenhagensh (1995), Barbados (1997), Brittany (1998 & 2000). Stockholm (2003), Paris (2004) and Zurich (2008). Home tours have included: Bangor & Gresford (2002), Derbyshire (2002), Dinas Powys (2004), St. Davids Cathedral (2005), Margam & Swansea (2006), Laugharne (2007) and Zurich (2008).

The Chorale is delighted to have been part of the hugely successful Lleisiau Cymry Llundain 2000 London Welsh Voices concert at the City Temple and the repeat event in May 2002. The most recent event showcasing all three London Welsh Choirs was held at The Cadogan Halls in April 2008.

Kenneth Bowen worked with the Chorale to build a repertoire of Welsh compositions – many of them works by turn of the century composers which have been sadly neglected – as well as more recent works rarely heard outside Wales. The Chorale's first full length recording, Earth Rejoices! celebrates that great Welsh tradition of choral music. Our more recent recording "Cenin Aur - A Century of Welsh Music" charts the progress of choral music in Wales over the last hundred years. The most recent work being "In My Craft" by Geraint Lewis, a commission to celebrate the life of Dylan Thomas whose daughter Aeronwy was one of the Chorale's vice presidents and fervent supporters for many years. The Chorale is firmly committed to contemporary music as witnessed by the commissioning of William Mathias's St David's Service (Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis) and by inviting Mervyn Burtch to write the Te Deum to celebrate the 850th anniversary of the founding of Margam Abbey. The Chorale has also contributed to contemporary recordings including Roger Water’s Amused to Death and Towering Inferno’s remarkable multi-media work Kaddish. And you can hear us on every UEFA Champions League Programme as we are honoured to be the choir singing the theme tune! We were also showcased on S4C's Dechrau Canu Dechral Canmol, introduced by Huw Edwards, just before Christmas 2008.

New singers always welcome

Potential new members of the Chorale are always welcome. We are keen to build on the present core of singers who can be relied upon to attend at least 70 per cent of rehearsals and to take part in the majority of concerts performed each year. 

Chorale rehearsals take place every Tuesday evening from 7.15 to 9.30 pm at the London Welsh Centre, (Map) 157-163 Gray's Inn Road, London WC1.

If you are interested in joining - or know of someone else who might be interested - please contact: Susan Craig, Honorary Secretary at Secretary@LondonWelshChorale.org.uk.

Click here to view our  repertoire of 
Short Items or Concert Pieces