The Chester Festival Chorus was formed in 1981 by Martin Merry, a founder of the Chester Summer Music Festival and Artistic Director from its inception in 1978 until 1985.  Since its formation the Chester Festival Chorus has established itself as one of Northwest England’s leading large-scale mixed-voice choirs.  At the annual Chester Summer Music Festival the chorus has performed major choral works from Handel and Mozart to Weill, Mahler and Tavener.  

The chorus made its first visit to the BBC Proms in 1992 when it gave the second performance of John Tavener’s We Shall See Him As He Is, conducted by Richard Hickox with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.  The chorus has since returned to the Proms on three occasions, with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in 1994 for a performance of Dvorák’s Requiem conducted by Libor Pešek, with the BBC Philharmonic in 1998 for a performance of Poulenc’s Gloria under Yan Pascal Tortelier and again with the RLPO in 2005 singing Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Sea Symphony conducted by Gerard Schwarz.  

The Chester Festival Chorus has also appeared with the BBC Philharmonic and other choirs from the North of England at the opening choral concert at the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester.

Repertoire over the years has included Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast, Handel’s Saul, Britten’s War Requiem and Spring Symphony, Mozart’s Requiem, Tippett’s A Child Of Our Time and Finzi’s For St Cecilia.  Recent conductors who have worked with the choir include David Hill, Harry Christophers, Martyn Brabbins and James Burton.  Many of the chorus’s performances have been broadcast by BBC Radio 3 and in 2005 the choir made its live television debut when its Prom concert was broadcast on BBC 4.  

In 2008 the choir sang the first Festival Commission since 1992 when it performed John Harle’s Earthlight, conducted by the RLPO’s chief conductor, Vasily Petrenko, in his long awaited first appearance in Chester.

2009 saw the choir celebrate the life and work of former Festival Director Richard Hickox with a performance of Handel’s Israel in Egypt, with the RLPO conducted by James Burton. The 2010 concert had a French theme with works by Gabriel Fauré, Camille Saint-Saëns, Emmanuel Chabrier, and Francis Poulenc, his vibrant Gloria, and for 2011 we welcome John Wilson and the RLPO with a wonderful all-English programme including Vaughan Williams’ rumbustious Five Tudor Portraits.

Since 1991 the chorus has been trained by Frances Cooke.  The choir’s rehearsal accompanist is Eve Taylor.

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