Image of men singing, a man conducting and a smiling man receiving applause after playing the piano

Join our friendly and exciting Yorkshire choir and experience the power of choral music. To find out what we’re like, come along to one of our Open Rehearsals or to any of our Wednesday rehearsals (please email first to make sure we’re singing that evening).

Please contact us on bradfordfestivalchoralsociety@gmail.com if you would like to come to a rehearsal to check the venue.  All venues we use have good parking and wheelchair access.

What’s BFCS all about?
We are a really friendly and positive choir, with high standards, superb musical leadership and always thinking of the enjoyment of our members.

What do you sing?
Most of our concerts focus on the amazing heritage of classical choral music – music that covers every aspect of emotion and experience! Our programming tries to combine the familiar with the new and unusual, and we’ve sung flamenco with Eduardo Niebla, jazz with Will Todd, a flashmob performance of Bruno Mars, Carmina Burana across two stages in City Park… not to mention Mozart Requiem in Undercliffe Cemetery…

Do I need to be an experienced singer?
No! We’re interested in your potential and our rehearsals are designed to develop our singers musically and vocally. Our members range from people who’ve not sung since primary school through to music graduates, with every level of experience in between.

Do I need to be able to read music?
Some familiarity with music reading is useful, but not essential. Some of our members will learn pieces entirely by ear, some will be able to sight-read anything.

I’m an experienced choral singer… won’t it be a bit slow?
Our rehearsals are engaging and fast-paced, with lots of emphasis on creating an excellent sound and bringing music to life, and we really value the many experience singers in the choir. Our acclaimed and expert musical team are exciting and inspiring – it’s definitely not just note-bashing! We also work with vocal coaches in small sectional groups and work with guest musicians to enrich our performances.

What does it cost?
The normal annual subscription is £160 (less than £5 per rehearsal!) which can be paid in installments.  If you join in January, the subscription is £80. For singers aged 30 and under, the annual subscription is just £80.

I’m really busy, do members have to be at all rehearsals to perform in the concerts?
No, members are asked to ensure they attend as many rehearsals as possible in preparation for our concerts so that we can ensure we are able to achieve the high standards that we expect – the guideline is 75% of rehearsals as well as attending the rehearsal on the day of the concert.  We do sometimes offer Zoom links into our live rehearsals, which are useful for staying up-to-date if there are some rehearsals you can not attend in person.

I’m still interested…is there an audition?
Come along to a few rehearsals and see if you enjoy it.  If you do, there’s a short and informal ‘voice check’ to provide positive and encouraging tips on developing your voice and to check that you’re singing the right part for the range of your voice and don’t have any vocal issues that singing will aggravate.  In the voice check our Musical Director will take you through some simple vocal exercises – there is no sight-singing or need to prepare a piece. You don’t have to pay anything until after your voice check.

We have vacancies in all parts, but would particularly welcome tenors and basses.  If you’re not sure that we’re the right choir for you, please get in touch and we’ll try and answer your questions.

Rehearsals take place every Wednesday evening during term time from 7.30pm-9.30pm – our next open rehearsal is Wednesday January 10th 2024.

Clock House Main Hall at Bradford Grammar School (the Junior School), Keighley Road, BD9 4JP

Car:  Excellent parking available on site

Bus:  The 622 and 626 run along Keighley Road
Train:  Frizinghall Station is a moderate walk from the school (15 minute walk)

If you are interested in joining us, please email bradfordfestivalchoralsociety@gmail.com to arrange to come to a rehearsal and to check for any venue changes.

What members say…

‘BFCS is my ‘me time’, a break from being ‘Mum’, a great chance to make new friends & to let off steam!’
‘I look forward to BFCS rehearsal on a Wednesday. To be in a room full of people with the same passion and dedication to their music is uplifting.’
‘BFCS is a workout for my lungs, an education and confidence builder, and my little contribution to to the life of Bradford, my adopted home.’
‘What would I do on a Wednesday night if I couldn’t sing with BFCS? I have learned such a lot and my voice and technique have got better and better. Great fun and challenging!’
‘Ultimate stress buster – impossible to think about anything else during a rehearsal, it blows the cares of the day away. It’s therapeutic singing with other people – we’re programmed to do this but usually don’t nowadays. Time just for me doing something I love – not work, not family’
‘I love being in the choir as it gives me the ability to have a sense of fulfilment, to enjoy beautiful music and be proud of being a part of a professional and up and coming choir. I love the challenge and sense of success when the audience has obviously enjoyed our performance – PLUS it’s very good for your health and mental agility!!’