A message from our Chair

Emma Humphreys

A very warm welcome to Guildford Chamber Choir’s website.

We recently enjoyed singing Chiara Cozzolani's Vespers in March 2024, and being back at Holy Trinity Church. Hailed as the "Female Monteverdi", this 17th century nun has written a work of considerable charm. We hope that those of you that joined us had an enjoyable evening, listening to a rarely performed work.

We are now looking forward to singing services at Canterbury Cathedral in April, and then singing joyfully in June as a tribute to Richard Fox, founder of GCC. We look forward to welcoming you.

With very good wishes

Emma Humphreys

Chair of Guildford Chamber Choir

GCC was born in 1980, as a result of a conversation between local businessman Richard Fox and musician John Bawden. John became the choir's first conductor and the pair managed to recruit seventeen singers; professionals, semi-professionals and experienced amateurs for that first concert.

It is with great sadness that we announce the loss of Richard, who passed away peacefully at home on June 20th 2023 after a long illness, faced with courage and good humour.

Until recently Richard had been singing with us, and continuing to organise our annual Cathedral trips with his meticulous eye for detail. Richard was involved with all sorts of local organisations, and his love of walking will be enjoyed by those who find themselves on the "Fox Way", a 39 mile circular walk centred on Guildford. A generous and kind man, he will be hugely missed.

We send our condolences to his wife Sandi and all his family.

We welcome new singers to the choir!

We would particularly welcome hearing from any new basses!

We are a smallish, friendly project choir, singing three concerts a year with additional events such as an annual Cathedral visit. Rehearsals take place during a 3 to 4 week period before each performance, dates of which are published at least 6 months in advance. Singers may normally sing in a particular concert only if they have attended all the rehearsals. These usually number between 5 and 7, depending on the concert programme.

The choir is run by an elected committee of volunteer members with our Principal Conductor as an advisory member.

All members contribute to the smooth running of the choir by distributing publicity materials, selling tickets, helping to prepare the concert venues on the day, and assisting with post-concert parties.

To request an audition please email:

secretary@guildfordchamberchoir.org.uk

Guildford Chamber Choir was founded in 1980 with the express aim of performing choral music of the finest quality from the 16th century to the present day. Over the years the choir has remained loyal to this aim, gaining an enviable reputation both for the high standard of its singing and for performing varied and often unusual repertoire. As well as being at the forefront of Guildford music-making, the Guildford Chamber Choir’s reputation has stretched beyond the town and county boundaries. More about the choir....

Support the choir by becoming a Friend.

Principal Conductor

Max Barley

Honorary Patrons

Mr & Mrs Michael More-Molyneux

Steven Grahl

Peter Wright

Data Protection and Retention Policy

Keeping data safe and secure is important to us and we are committed to the changes introduced by the European data protection law known as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which goes into effect on 25 May 2018.To learn about data privacy and how we process personal data, please view our Data Protection and Retention Policy.

Choir concert was a revelation

Guildford Chamber Choir – Holy Trinity Church Guildford – 2nd March 2024

You wouldn’t expect it from a nun, would you? Or, indeed, would you? The capacity audience at Holy Trinity Church on Saturday was transported back to a Milanese convent to hear the remarkable music of Chiara Cozzolani, who in her own seventeenth-century time created quite a stir and attracted many through her remarkable music. Her Vespers, composed in 1650, formed the programme for the Guildford Chamber Choir’s spring concert in Holy Trinity Church on Saturday 2nd March, held in aid of the Cheryl King Trust which helps to provide music lessons for disadvantaged children. Conductor Max Barley has taken to choosing original and little-known works for the choir, now in its 45th season.

The music is very much in the style of Claudio Monteverdi, and, for 1650 audiences would have sounded a little old-fashioned. It consists of elaborate solo passages, sung ably by the five magnificent soloists, sopranos Daisy Livesey and Ailsa Campbell, mezzo Helena Cooke, tenor Samuel Kibble, and bass Thomas Lowen. But these five starring roles were not enough for this ambitious composer! Several soloists stood out from the choir and sang their bit, quite splendidly. It would be unfair to single out names: they were all excellent. Between the solo sections there were many choral interjections, including rapid refrains in which co-ordination proved a little bit of a problem. The effective accompaniment came from David Goode, organ, Sardinian-born Emanuele Addis, theorbo, and Camilla Morse-Glover, cello. Helena Cooke and Daisy Livesey sang remarkable solos to the accompaniment of theorbo and (in one case) cello. True musicianship indeed.

The whole piece, consisting of a short introduction, six psalms, and a setting of the Magnificat, had a tremendous impact and was moreover full of joy, something badly needed in these distressing times. Thumbs up for Chiara Cozzolani and her gifted singing nuns!

Guildford Chamber Choir’s next concert will be in memory of its founder Richard Fox, and will consist of choral gems from Byrd to the Beatles, and will take place at St Nicolas Church in Guildford.

Shelagh Godwin