Who We Are

‍The Sheffield Chorale is a friendly, mixed-voice choir of around 50-60 singers, with a strong reputation in the city and beyond.
We enjoy singing all kinds of music, both accompanied and ‘a cappella’, from early Renaissance sacred through to more contemporary secular, as well as popular major choral works and everything in between! We rehearse on Monday evenings at Stephen Hill Methodist Church in Crosspool, 7.30-9.30pm.

We perform regularly in and around Sheffield, with a programme of 5 concerts every 2 years. We have had numerous performances in both Sheffield Cathedral and St Marie’s Catholic Cathedral, as well as other venues around the city. Our most recent collaborations have been with Yorkshire Wind Orchestra and Sheffield Music Hub.

Each Christmas season we raise money for charity through our popular carol-singing event in the Winter Gardens, and via a retiring collection at our Carols by Candlelight Service of Nine Lessons and Carols, held each year in the run-up to Christmas. This is always a very well-attended event in our calendar.

We hold a variety of social events throughout the year; a chance for members to spend time together and get to know each other better.

Our current Musical Director, Kate Shipway, joined us in the Autumn of 2022.

‍In discussion around her vision for the choir she said: ‘I want to work on a diverse repertoire that challenges both the choir and audiences. I enjoy exploring under-represented composers and genres and sharing exciting finds with choirs and audiences. I also think it is important to vary the sound world in a programme. I want to develop a clear and distinctive identity for the choir that sets it apart from other ensembles in the city and builds a reputation for inventive and interesting programmes.’

‍She has since worked to introduce the choir to a varied range of contemporary repertoire, while also retaining some more familiar and traditional material.

She successfully led the choir through its 50th Anniversary Year in 2024 which we were delighted to celebrate with three wonderful concerts including a collaboration with the Sheffield Music Hub choirs in Sheffield Cathedral, a Come and Sing event, and our main celebration concert in November 2024, Winter Stars.

Our History

The choir was formed by James Kirkwood in 1974 after a collaboration with Radio Sheffield and took that name. From the outset, James decided that the Radio Sheffield Choir would sing all kinds of music, from early Renaissance to twentieth century – sacred, secular, part songs, ‘pop’ songs, Songs from the Shows and major choral works. They quickly gained a reputation for singing music anyone can enjoy.

In 1984, after ten years of working with Radio Sheffield, the choir changed its name to The Sheffield Chorale, increased its membership through audition, and took on board large choral works with orchestra.

In 2005 James retired from the Chorale and was succeeded by five other MD’s including Neil Taylor who spent 8 happy years with the choir before leaving for new projects in 2019.

Since then, the choir has continued to stage a variety well-attended concerts – see our concerts page for more details - and has continued to attract new members and audiences.