Chorus UK (styled Chorus Choirs) is a large professional
choir
A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...
performing with the community and based in
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...
,
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...
,
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
,
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
, and
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...
, England. The choir is managed by Andy Booth Presents, formerly Fono Productions, and the Musical Director is Andy Booth.
The choir performs various concerts as well as paid professional work, and is formed predominantly from singers without professional musical experience, and has grown from 50 to over 500 members. New members are recruited through regular 'come and try singing' workshops. With the ethos that 'anyone can sing' the choir welcomes all members and does not require auditions.
The choir sings a variety of popular music, from Broadway, pop, and rock. Across a term of 12 weeks, the choir prepares for a large concert at various venues including
Sheffield City Hall
Sheffield City Hall is a Grade II* listed building in Sheffield, England in Barker's Pool, one of the city's central squares. It was built and is owned by Sheffield City Council but is now managed by the Sheffield City Trust, under a 99-year l ...
,
Royal Northern College of Music, and
Leeds Town Hall
Leeds Town Hall is a 19th-century municipal building on The Headrow (formerly Park Lane), Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Planned to include law courts, a council chamber, offices, a public hall, and a suite of ceremonial rooms, it was built be ...
. The concerts are often supported by the Sheffield Pops Orchestra and have featured guest soloists such as
Lance Ellington
Lance Ellington (born 22 June 1957) is an English singer, songwriter and actor.
Ellington, the only son of the band leader Ray Ellington, specialises in swing and big ballads. He has worked with many artists including Sting, George Michael, Glo ...
and
Jonathan Ansell.
Chorus expanded in to Manchester in April 2016 and then in to Leeds shortly after, with new branches opening in Birmingham, Nottingham, and Chesterfield opening in 2017, and Liverpool in 2019. Members of the choir supported
Russell Watson
Russell Watson is an English tenor who has released singles and albums of both operatic-style and pop songs. He began singing as a child, and became known after performing at a working men's club. He came to attention in 1999 when he sang "God ...
on his 'Songs from the Heart' tour in July 2016. The choir was also invited to re-record a song with
James Toseland
James Michael Toseland (born 5 October 1980) is an English former motorcycle racer and vocalist of his own rock band named Toseland. For 2020, he is team-manager of Wepol Racing with riders in World Supersport and Supersport 300.[Special Olympics
Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities and physical disabilities, providing year-round training and activities to 5 million participants and Unified Sports partners in ...]
.
Concerts
The choir have now held many large scale concerts, with a variety of other performances for charity as well as paid work for television.
International appearances
* In June 2016 ChorusUK were invited to sing in Amsterdam to celebrate the Netherlands presidency of the EU, performing at the
Noorderkerk
The Noorderkerk ("northern church") is a 17th-century Protestant church in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. A number of other towns in the Netherlands also have a Noorderkerk church, including The Hague, Hoorn and Kampen. History
The church was built i ...
as well as at Leiden Shopping Centre and on the seafront at
Scheveningen.
* In June 2017 ChorusUK performed a number of traditional a cappella songs at
Notre Dame Cathedral
Notre-Dame de Paris (; meaning "Our Lady of Paris"), referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité (an island in the Seine River), in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. The cathedral, dedicated to the ...
, as well as a more lively lineup at
Disneyland Paris
Disneyland Paris is an entertainment resort in Chessy, Seine-et-Marne, Chessy, France, east of Paris. It encompasses two theme parks, resort hotels, Disney Nature Resorts, a shopping, dining and entertainment complex, and a golf course. Disney ...
* In November 2018 ChorusUK performed again at
Disneyland Paris
Disneyland Paris is an entertainment resort in Chessy, Seine-et-Marne, Chessy, France, east of Paris. It encompasses two theme parks, resort hotels, Disney Nature Resorts, a shopping, dining and entertainment complex, and a golf course. Disney ...
as part of Disney's Enchanted Christmas
* In November 2018 the choir also performed at
Walt Disney World
The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, ...
at part of the Christmas Parade
Professional Work
* ChorusUK performed on the
David Walliams
David Edward Williams (born 20 August 1971), known professionally as David Walliams, is an English comedian, actor, writer, and television personality. He is best known for his work with Matt Lucas on the BBC sketch comedy series ''Little Br ...
TV movie
Billionaire Boy in 2016
* At Christmas 2019 the choir recorded and performed several songs with
Aled Jones
Aled Jones, (born 29 December 1970) is a Welsh singer and radio and television presenter. As a teenage chorister, he reached widespread fame during the mid-1980s. Since then he has worked in television with the BBC and ITV, and radio (for ...
for Celebrity Carols at Christmas
References
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External links
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Yorkshire choirs
Musical groups from Sheffield
Musical groups from Leeds
Musical groups from Manchester
Musical groups from Liverpool