About us
ABOUT US
For nearly fifty years, the West London Chorus (previously the Chiswick Choir) has built up a reputation for performing classic European repertoire and contemporary works.
Recent concerts
RECENT CONCERTS
The West London Chorus performs at least three concerts a year, bringing choral music to a wide audience.
Join us
JOIN US
We welcome new members to enjoy and share the experience of performing choral works to the highest standards.
Members
MEMBERS SECTION
Useful information for West London Chorus members
Welcome to the West London Chorus
Coming Events
Saturday 19th September 2026 at 1pm
St Michaels Church, Elmwood Road W4
‘A Voyage of Discovery’
Join members of West London Chorus for this afternoon singing workshop led by our award winning Musical Director, Hilary Campbell.
We’ll be exploring a selection of part songs by Tallis and Vaughan Williams, along with lighter arrangements by The King’s Singers and other repertoire – concentrating on developing vocal confidence, technique, ensemble skills and more. So learn to sing higher or lower, longer or shorter, with plenty of warm ups, practical advice, beautiful music and fun (including tea and cake)!
Sign up for this workshop here
Saturday 5th December 2026
Venue tbc
‘A West London Christmas’A celebratory Christmas gathering, with a guest Youth Choir and lots of brass!
Cecilia McDowall and Bob Chilcott
This concert will feature:
Wenceslas by Bob Chilcott – based on the legendary tale of the Bohemian King and his Page,
and
Christus Natus Est by Cecilia McDowall – a Christmas cantata presenting a sequence of five carols with their familiar melodies given a colourful new harmonic treatment, ranging in atmosphere from tenderness to joyful exaltation...together with some favourite Christmas Carols to sing along with!
About Us
We were originally founded as the Chiswick Choir in 1976 in London W4 by John Thackray, a passionate musician who served as conductor for many London choirs. Between 1984 and 2015 the choir was conducted by Alistair Jones, and since January 2016 the choir continued to flourish under the direction of award-winning composer and conductor Hilary Campbell. In 2021 the choir changed its name to the West London Chorus to reflect its wider reach and appeal, and in 2022, the well-known choral composer Cecilia McDowall agreed to be our Patron.
Over the course of its career, the Choir has built a repertoire principally based on the European tradition from the 16th to 20th centuries. The choir has also performed more contemporary pieces, including the world premiere of Alistair Jones’s Stabat Mater in 2006, Will Todd’s Mass In Blue and works by Bob Chilcott and others.
The choir’s repertoire includes most of the major works suited to a group of its size – the Bach Passions, Mass in B minor, oratorios by Handel, major works by Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven, Verdi’s Requiem, Mendelssohn’s Elijah and so on. Excursions into the 20th century have included performances of Britten’s Saint Nicolas, Tippet’s A Child of Our Time and Stravinsky’s A Symphony of Psalms.
Our Aims are:
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To inspire amateur singers to perform choral works to the highest standards
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To bring choral music to a wide audience at affordable prices
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To encourage singers to experience the enjoyment of singing
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To keep the tradition and art of choral singing alive for future generations
We always welcome new members, and there’s more information on our Join Us page.
We also offer a limited number of vocal scholarships each year to nurture the skills and experience of talented singers between the ages of 18 and 30.
Listen to our CD of Bob Chilcott music, On Christmas Night on Spotify
Watch some short videos of the Choir performing:
Concerts
For more information about our recent performances and events,
please see our RECENT CONCERTS page
We usually perform three concerts a year as the culmination of our Spring, Summer and Winter seasons, working with a variety of soloists, small ensembles, or full orchestras, to deliver a varied repertoire of work.
Mozart’s Requiem, Handel’s Coronation Anthems and Messiah, Carl Orff ‘s Carmina Burana, Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem, Haydn’s Nelson Mass, Fauré’s Requiem, Will Todd’s Mass in Blue, Duruflé’s Requiem, Elgar’s Spirit of England, Vaughan Williams’ Sancta Civitas, Schubert’s Mass in G, Bruckner’s Requiem in D, Bob Chilcott’s Songs and Cries of London Town, Bach’s Magnificat and Vivaldi’s Gloria and much more.
We normally perform in local churches but we’ve also filled St Johns Smiths Square and provided the guest choir at York Minster as well as Llandaff and Southwark Cathedrals.
We’ll be celebrating our fiftieth anniversary in 2026 with a grand celebratory concert in the Cadogan Hall – and a tour to Spain!
Chiswick Choir is registered with Making Music (National Federation of Music Societies).