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
8th/12th April 2026
West London Chorus Tour of Spain
Salamanca cathedral
This professionally organised Easter trip will take the choir to the Castile y Leon region of Spain, north west of Madrid, to sing in two glorious and ancient cathedrals in Salamanca and Valladolid, with some time for tourism in a region historically and gastronomically rich and a treasure house of palaces and castles.
Our Musical Director Hilary Campbell will lead us in a repertoire of sacred pieces for choir, soloist and organ, by Mendelssohn, Howells, Brahms, Vaughan Williams, and others, selected from our the Spring 2026 concert ‘Hear my Prayer’..
Thursday 23rd April 2026 at 19.30
St Michaels and All Angels, Bedford Park W4
‘The Private Mr Handel’
Thinking ahead to our 50th Anniversary Concert in July 2026 when we will perform Handel’s Dixit Dominus, this insight into the personal life of George Frederic Handel will delve beneath the public image of the composer to explore his friendships, passions and personality.Helen Dymond’s talk is based on her acclaimed novel ‘Finding Handel’ , which, while based on historical fact, reveals some surprising episodes in Handel’s musical triumphs and failures, as well as his loves and friendships.
Helen’s long interest in Handel began as a member of the Handel Opera Chorus and the publication of her ‘Handel-Lovers’ Chorus’, a comic version of the Hallelujah Chorus incorporating the names of all Handel’s operas and oratorios. Then came her three plays, ‘Handel and Susannah’, ‘Handel’s Feast’ and ‘Finding Handel’, with a novel of the same name published in 2021.
Helen is also a member of West London Chorus!
Click here for more details
Book your tickets hereSaturday 16th May 2026 – check-in from 12.30
‘Come and Sing’ at St Michaels Elmwood Road W4
Mozart ‘Coronation Mass’
Join us for the afternoon to sing this popular and accessible work,
‘..celebrated for its festive orchestration and melodic richness’.
Completed in 1779, this Mass was frequently played at Austrian coronations, from which it got its name.The Come & Sing will start at 1pm with an open house sing through at around 5pm.
There will then be an optional social gathering from 6pm to which everyone is welcome.
Sunday 12th July 2026 at 18.00
Special Summer Concert at the Cadogan Hall, Sloane Square SW1
‘Celebrating Fifty Years’
To celebrate our Fiftieth Anniversary, we are honoured to perform this special concert in London’s magnificent Cadogan Hall and accompanied by the London Mozart Players.
Founded in 1976 as the Chiswick Choir, we became the West London Chorus in 2021 and launched our Chamber Chorale in 2023.
The centrepiece of this concert will be one of Handel’s finest and most challenging choral works, his Dixit Dominus.
Nisi Dominus – George Frideric Handel
Brandenburg Concerto No 3 in G – JS Bach
Alma Dei Creratoris – Mozart
Dixit Dominus – George Frideric Handel
Book your tickets here for this special event
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).