We are delighted to introduce our Choral Scholars for the 26/27 season, Emily Clifford and Polly Stirland.
This year, the successful candidates were both sopranos, and the soprano section of the choir has already felt the benefit of having them singing amongst their ranks! We hope that Polly and Emily will enjoy the experience of singing big choral works in a large choir which contains a range of singers from new starters to those with decades of choral experience. In contrast, we look forward to future opportunities to hear our scholars singing in small ensembles or solos.
Emily comes from Kent and has just started her second year studying vocal performance at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.
“Having previously sung in choral societies, I am incredibly excited to get back to singing larger-scale works again. I am delighted to be involved with BFCS this year as a scholar, and I am really looking forward to the wonderful opportunities and experiences the year will bring”
Polly grew up in Derby and has recently completed a degree in Musical Theatre and Dance at Performer’s College, Birmingham. She is in this year’s cohort of the Genesis Sixteen and is currently a member of the National Youth Choir and National Youth Voices.
“In 2022 I took part in Mendelssohn’s Elijah with Birmingham Festival Choral Society playing the roles of the youth and an angel, so I’m really excited to be involved with the choir this year and to be surrounded by people that love music as much as I do! I am very grateful for this opportunity!”
Photo: Polly singing with Alexandra Wynne and Molly Barker in the Elijah concert.
We all wish Polly and Emily success and happiness in their year singing with Birmingham Festival Choral Society!
Join us at St George’s Church Edgbaston on 11th July for an uplifting evening of spirituals, rhythmic and soulful. We’re really looking forward to singing with the mezzo soprano Lufuno Ndou and musicians playing bass guitar, drums, piano and saxophone!
The main item in our concert will be John Rutter’s arrangements of a variety of spirituals in his work ‘Feel the Spirit‘.
Other items include:
Hogan – Battle of Jericho
Hogan – My soul’s been anchored
Hogan – Elijah Rock
Washburn – Balm in Gilead
Bartholomew – Little Innocent Lamb
Bartholomew – De animals a-comin’
Chilcott – Didn’t it rain
Chilcott – Every Time I feel the spirit
Chilcott – All my trials
FEEL THE SPIRIT
Saturday 11th July 2026 19.30
St George’s Church, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 3DQ
Birmingham Festival Choral Society
David Wynne – conductor Lufuno Ndou – Mezzo soprano
Kevin Gill – piano Jim Griffiths – bass guitar Julian Powell – drums Nicky Fox – saxophone
Join us in Leamington on Saturday 21st March for a musical voyage through works inspired by the sea!
Experience the vastness of the ocean and the spirit of exploration in Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony – a masterpiece for choir, soloists and orchestra, inspired by the poetry of Walt Whitman.
The theme of the sea is continued in Stanford’s Songs of the Fleet, a stirring early 20th century patriotic song cycle for choir and baritone, reflecting Britain’s strong naval tradition.
As an extra treat, our soprano soloist will sing The Seal Man by Rebecca Clarke, with piano accompaniment.
A Sea Symphony Vaughan Williams
All Saints Parish Church, Leamington Spa, CV31 1AA
Sat 21 Mar 2026, 7:30PM
Birmingham Festival Choral Society Leamington Chamber Orchestra
David Wynne – Conductor, Kevin Gill – Piano and organ Carrie-Ann Williams – soprano, Jamie Hall – Baritone
On Saturday 15th November St George’s Church, Edgbaston was filled with the sound of beautiful French choral music.
The main works in the first half were Louis Vierne’s Messe Solennelle, and Jean Dattas’ Messe ‘Cum Jubilo’. Sylvie Dattas, one of our sopranos, had introduced us to her father’s music when we went on tour to Burgundy in 2016, and we were delighted to be able to sing it again. Fauré’s much-loved Cantique de Jean Racine brought the first half to a close.
The second half of the concert was the main item – the glorious Requiem by Maurice Duruflé.
Rhiain Taylor (mezzo-soprano) and Matthew Nuttall (baritone) treated us to some French songs, in addition to their wonderful solo parts in the Requiem. They were accompanied by Kevin Gill, who also played the complex and challenging organ accompaniment to the choral works.
The whole concert was prepared and conducted by our talented Music Director, David Wynne.
And now for the applause…
Thank you to Alfred White for taking these great photos at the concert.
April 12th 2025 was a night to remember! A choir of 194 singers and a full orchestra came together to perform Elgar’s choral masterpiece Dream of Gerontius, under the inspiring direction of David Wynne.
The planning for this project had begun long ago, when we started talking about what would be a suitable work to mark the 175th anniversary of the formation of the Birmingham Festival Choral Society. Joining with other choirs would be wonderful – but would we be able to find a venue big enough? In the end, Covid and lockdowns intervened, and it didn’t seem possible.
Fast forward to 2025, and here we were, celebrating BFCS’s 180th anniversary by singing Dream of Gerontius in All Saints Church Leamington Spa! Our fellow singers in the large chorus came from Coventry Philharmonic Choir (MD David Wynne) and the Athersone Choral Society (MD Kevin Gill). Singing such a major work with wonderful professional soloists and the Leamington Chamber Orchestra was a great experience.
The evening had started with a talk by David McLoughlin, Emeritus Fellow, Birmingham Newman University. He put John Henry Newman’s whole poem in context , from the thoughts and feelings of Gerontius before his death, to his journey in the afterlife before finally coming before the Almighty. Performing the work as a whole, rather than in sections for rehearsal, was very inspiring, whether one took it from the point of view of Christian faith, or from the point of view of seeing Elgar’s musical vision fulfilled.
We were very fortunate that a singer of such quality as Matthew was able to come at relatively short notice, when Gwion Thomas, the baritone advertised on the posters, had to withdraw.
Kevin Gill also played a major part in bringing this piece to fruition. He prepared the Atherstone Choral Society for the concert, as well as accompanying the Birmingham Festival Choral Society’s rehearsals and playing the organ in the performance.
The Leamington Chamber Orchestra lifted the performance to greater heights!
David Wynne was the man who brought it all together, visualising the initial concept, spending many hours training his choirs to such a high standard, and finally bringing out the very best of the choirs and orchestra at the performance. Bravo!
The final important component of a wonderful concert is an appreciative audience! The tickets completely sold out and a handful of people had to sit in the half-price overflow seats behind the choir.
Here are a couple of examples of the feedback we received after the concert:
….What a wonderful evening and so beautifully and brilliantly performed. It was so moving. I totally loved the way the dynamics came across, given the large choir and orchestra, it was unbelievably beautiful and produced quite a stunning effect. I got quite emotional several times, especially during the second half…
FH former BFCS singer
I would just like to say how much I enjoyed the performance of ‘Dream of Gerontius’ on Saturday evening. The performance was stunning and the organisation of the event was also very professional, and for me the evening will leave a lasting impression.
Birmingham Festival Choral Society will be joining Coventry Philharmonic Choir and Atherstone Choral Society to perform Elgar’s magnificent choral setting of John Henry Newman’s poem, the Dream of Gerontius. We will be accompanied by the Leamington Chamber Orchestra.
The concert will take place at All Saints’ Church, Leamington Spa, on Saturday 12th April 2025, 7.30pm, and will be preceded at 7pm by a talk by David McLoughlin, Emeritus Fellow, Birmingham Newman University.
Birmingham Festival Choral Society (celebrating its 180th Anniversary) Atherstone Choral Society Coventry Philharmonic Choir Leamington Chamber Orchestra David Wynne – conductor
Louise Crane – Mezzo soprano Tom Raskin – Tenor Matthew Nuttall – Baritone
This 2025 performance of Dream of Gerontius will, of course, be very well prepared and performed to a high standard. The premiere in 1900 was the complete opposite! An interesting history of the background to the composition of the poem by John Henry Newman, the commissioning of Elgar to write the work for the Birmingham Festival and the first performance can be found here on the Birmingham City Council website.
We recommend that you buy your tickets soon, as this is proving to be a very popular concert and the large number of performers means that seating is limited.
St John’s and St Peter’s Church, Birmingham, B16 8TF
Sunday 8th December 2024, 4.30pm
Come to our concert of Christmas music, carols and Christmas refreshments. We are also expecting a visit from a certain Christmas gentleman!
Birmingham Festival Choral Society will be joined by the choir of Bournville Village Primary School, directed by Rachael Stidwell. Kevin Gill will be accompanying from both the piano and organ, and David Wynne is the Music Director.
A collection will be taken for St Basils, the charity helping young people find and keep a home. This charity was chosen by the Bournville Village Primary School choir.
One week until our Music from America concert! Come and listen to a feast of exciting and beautiful music by American composers. Click here to see the full vocal programme.
Our venue, St George’s Church Edgbaston, is a well known landmark, situated on the island by Simpson’s Restaurant. As well as street parking, we have negotiated free parking in St George’s School, Calthorpe Road, and Edgbaston High School for Girls, further down Westbourne Road. Finally, there are public car parks (payable using the RinGo app) associated with The High Field and The Physician, both in Highfield Road.
16th November 2024. 7.30pm.
Music from America
St George’s Church Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 3DQ.
Birmingham Festival Choral Society Conductor: David Wynne Piano and organ: Kevin Gill Percussion: Tom Peverelle
The months leading up to our concert on 16th March included extra choir rehearsals and lots of study at home in order to master Bach’s wonderful but complex B minor Mass. All that preparation paid off handsomely, and performers and audience alike were able to enjoy the glorious work in the magnificent surroundings of Lichfield Cathedral. Aren’t we lucky to have such wonderful venues to perform in!
The performance was enhanced by the playing of the Musical and Amicable Society, using period instruments, and the four superb vocal soloists Emilia Morton, Martha McLorinan, Jack Granby and Andrew Tipple.
(Click on photos to enlarge)
Our audience, which had come from far and wide – North Wales, Sheffield and even St Andrews, Scotland – gave us long applause and even a standing ovation in some cases!
The concert might be over now, but Bach’s music is still going round and round in our heads. It was indeed ‘music that can change lives’!
Come and hear the majestic space of Lichfield Cathedral filled with the music of Bach’s supreme masterpiece, the B minor Mass!
The Mass is a culmination of Bach’s lifetime of composition, with many of his pieces brought together to form this final major work. A Catholic Mass written by a Protestant composer, the B minor Mass is a profound musical expression of the Christian faith for believers of all backgrounds.
The Birmingham Festival Choral Society is looking forward to singing this wonderful work with The Musical and Amicable Society, the renowned orchestra of period instrument specialists, and four superb vocal soloists.
Saturday 16th March 7.30pm.
Birmingham Festival Choral Society
David Wynne – Conductor
Emilia Morton (Soprano), Martha McLorinan (Mezzo soprano), Jack Granby (Tenor), Andrew Tipple (Bass).
The friendly Birmingham choir singing the world's best choral music.
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