Oxford Harmonic Choir has been making a major contribution to musical performance in Oxford for over 100 years. Currently, we put on three concerts a year with professional soloists and orchestra, usually in the Sheldonian Theatre or the Oxford Town Hall.
We are a mixed amateur choir of about 125 people of all ages, supported by professional musicians: our experienced conductor and accompanist, Robert Secret and David Langdon, the Orchestra of Stowe Opera and excellent professional soloists. Find out more on Our Musicians page, or, if you are interested in singing with the choir, see Join for details.
Our concerts generally feature the great choral works of the classical repertoire, but we also present less well-known pieces that deserve to be heard more often. Two recent examples are performances of Max Bruch’s oratorio Odysseus and of Josef Rheinberger’s Star of Bethlehem.
We also aim to showcase new talent and have worked with many exciting young performers: for example, soloists from the Royal Academy of Music in association with the Josephine Baker Trust.
On 19 June 2019, we gave the world première of Of Trumpets and Angels by David Lancaster, designed to be performed with the Mozart Requiem. David won our 2017 composition competition out of a strong field of over 80 applicants. Read an interview with David Lancaster here.
Oxford Harmonic Choir reached its centenary year in 2021, having begun life in 1921 as the Iffley Glee Club. Our blogposts on this website during 2021 explore some facets of the choir’s rich and fascinating history.
Find out more
- If you would like to come and hear us, please go to Concerts.
- To receive information about future concerts, sign up to our Mailing List.
- If you are interested in joining the choir, go to Join.
We look forward to meeting you, whether as audience member or singer!
Click on the video below to hear a short excerpt from our rehearsal for Verdi’s Requiem in the Sheldonian Theatre in November 2014.
