The Bach Choir
The Bach Choir are the leading independent UK chorus known for performing the very best in choral music since 1876. Directed by David Hill MBE, their mission is to inspire and connect people of all backgrounds with the magnificence and emotional power of choral music through our performances, recordings and community projects. The choir was founded in 1876 to sing the first UK performance of Bach’s Mass in B minor. In its 150-year history it has had only nine musical directors including Sir Charles Villiers Stanford, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and Sir David Willcocks. The common thread since 1876 has been the passion and pursuit of excellence. Today, with HRH The Prince of Wales as our Patron, John Rutter CBE as our President, and David Hill MBE as its Musical Director, its performances and recordings go from strength to strength. Bach remains important, with its critically acclaimed annual performance of the St Matthew Passion sung in English, and regular performances of the Mass in B minor. But they don’t just sing Bach! As an independent choir, it commissions, performs and records new works that add to the choral tradition of the future. They regularly perform and record across London and the UK, in prestigious venues from the Southbank Centre and Royal Albert Hall to Abbey Road Studios, and have toured the world from the USA to China and the Sydney Opera House. They sing at prestigious events from Royal Weddings to the annual Festival of Remembrance and have provided soundtracks to films such as Prometheus, The Martian and The Chronicles of Narnia, on Star Wars video games and even on a famous Rolling Stones track. With over 240 talented singers coming from all walks of life and a community engagement programme that takes its passion for music into inner-city schools and dementia care homes, the choir are an active community performing, recording and sharing music for everyone to enjoy, whatever their age or background. It believes that singing is good for people’s health, happiness and social inclusion and it is as committed to inspiring the next generation as it is to preserving its own musical heritage.