A world-class choir in London
Join us
Are you interested in joining one of the most active, exciting and high-performing choirs in the UK?
We're looking for singers who are musically competent and have strong and pleasant voices. We are particularly keen to welcome new members from the socially and ethnically diverse communities of north London.
We rehearse most Friday evenings from 7.30 – 10.00pm at Fortismere School, Muswell Hill, London N10 1NE and put on concerts and events throughout London, and sometimes further afield. See our forthcoming concerts on the concert calendar and view our repertoire here.
Crouch End Festival Chorus is committed to performing new music by composers from under-represented backgrounds so there is often something challenging to learn as well as the opportunity to take part in more traditional choral works. In addition, we are often approached to sing in other engagements. Some of our singers have taken part in high-profile performances and recordings such as work with our patrons Sir Ray Davies, Noel Gallagher, Hans Zimmer and Ennio Morricone, and the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall.
Watch this video to hear from some of our singers about their experiences as part of Crouch End Festival Chorus - and to hear us singing!
Taster rehearsals
We encourage prospective new members to sing with us as a guest in one or two taster rehearsals before auditioning.
What to expect when you join the choir
We're known for being one of the leading symphonic choirs in the UK – and that means we have the opportunity to perform in amazing venues with renowned conductors, orchestras and artists. One week we might be performing in the Royal Albert Hall, and the next recording a TV soundtrack in a studio.
We promote five of our own concerts each year and members are expected to sing in most of these. You can, of course, sing in all of them, if you wish. Our busy performance schedule means that we are often rehearsing for concerts and recordings in quick succession, sometimes with more than one rehearsal during the week. We usually take a break for holidays at Christmas, Easter and during the summer.
Rehearsals move at a fast pace but will fully support and enable you to reach the standards required for our performances. There are always others in your voice section on hand to help out if needed too. We also provide music learning aids to help you practice at home.
We're a friendly and vibrant choir and enjoy the social side of being together as much as the music. A large group of people venture to a nearby pub for a drink after rehearsals, or a bite to eat before performances and there's always an opportunity to catch up with choir friends over a slice of cake and coffee in the rehearsal break.
Who can join?
Anyone aged 18+ can apply to join Crouch End Festival Chorus. We want to grow in strength through diversity and inclusivity and we welcome everyone who passes the audition. We are always happy to make adjustments for anyone with a mobility problem or other disability.
Here are some tips about what we’re looking for in prospective singers:
Your voice
You should have a strong voice that is pleasant in tone, is in tune and has a range of about two octaves (as a rough guide, sopranos and tenors = low B to high B and altos and basses = low F to high F).
Your experience
We don’t expect you to be able to sight-read but you should be able to read music competently so that you can learn your part in a choral piece.
If you’ve been a member of a choir previously it may help you to settle in faster, but it’s not required to successfully pass the audition.
| Annual | Quarterly | |||
| Standard membership rate | £248 /year | £62 / quarter | ||
| Concessionary rate | £124 / year | £31 / quarter | ||
| Full-time students | £30 / year | £9 / quarter | ||
We currently have vacancies for tenors and basses. If you are interested in joining us, just want to find out more or would like to attend a taster rehearsal, fill out our enquiry form or email newmembers@cefc.org.uk
There are no soprano or alto vacancies at present, but please fill in the enquiry form to join the waiting list. We will invite you to a taster rehearsal when soprano or alto spaces become available.
