History of Salisbury Community Choir


Salisbury Community Choir was formed in 1993 from an evening class entitled 'Singing for Non Singers'. Fiona Clarke became Musical Director in 1998 and under her leadership the choir increased its popularity, along with its membership - which now numbers about 200, one of the largest choirs in the area.

In 2001 the choir embarked on its first European tour to Germany; this was followed in 2003 with a trip to Paris, in 2005 to Poland and in 2007 to Cape Town.

The choir has developed a reputation for giving performances which are both thought provoking and fun. Various institutions ask us to perform concerts for them, including the National Trust at Stourhead for their Festival of the Voice, Salisbury Cathedral for their lunchtime concerts and Studio Theatre at the Salisbury City Hall.

 
We host many music workshops - open to all - and to date we have worked with:
  • Scott Stroman, Head of Jazz at the Guildhall School of Music
  • Ken Burton, Musical Director of the London Adventist Chorale
  • Bob Chilcott, contemporary composer and choral conductor
  • Michael McCarthy, Director of Music at Washington Cathedral 
  • John Rutter, leading English composer and choral conductor

A number of visiting musicians have been invited to work and perform with us, including a joint concert with Derbyshire's Tideswell Male Voice Choir, The Ebrius Brass Quintet and Sax Appeal. For two of our Christmas concerts we have been joined by children's choirs.

In July 2004 the choir provided the lunchtime concert in St Paul's Cathedral, London. A truly memorable occasion and a real milestone in its development.  Click here to see a photo of the event.

2004 was also the year that saw the choir's first performance of Karl Jenkins' 'The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace' on November 13th in Salisbury Cathedral, complete with full orchestra. This was an exciting project particularly as the idea to perform such a piece grew out of the choir itself and the choice of Karl Jenkins' work was suggested by a choir member. In the true spirit of the 'Community Choir' we asked members of other choirs to join us, and the concert was staged for the benefit of a number of charities.

The choir visited Poland in 2005, and had the opportunity to perform in several historically important venues, and also to learn about the history and culture of the area.

In 2007 the choir visited Cape Town where it performed a series of concerts and workshops with South African choirs. The tour was in association with the Tutu Peace Centre. Special links were formed with the Pro Cantu Choir, and with the Fezeka School in Gugulethu, Cape Town, and a fund was established by the Salisbury Community Choir to provide scholarships for disadvantaged children in South Africa. Fezeka pupils came to Salisbury in the summer of 2008 to sing in the Cathedral and other venues: "The journey of a lifetime. A phenomenal bond was created between the kids and their hosts – experiences that will never be forgotten".

The other main events of 2008 were 2 further performances of The Armed Man: one in Salisbury Cathedral as part of the Salisbury International Arts Festival, and one in the Millennium Centre in Cardiff.

A new chapter in the choir's history began in January 2009, when Jeremy Backhouse took over as our Musical Director. 

The highlight of 2009 was the premier performance of 'The Salisbury Vespers', a piece written by Bob Chilcott especially for the choirs of Salisbury to sing in the Cathedral. Click here to read a review of the concert by Roderick Dunnett published in the Church Times.

See the Forthcoming Events page for details of our future concerts and events.