Lord Williams’s Festival Chorus is a long established choir in Thame. We are a friendly choir, which gladly welcomes new members. We have a secure local base and we are looking forward to an exciting future. Our numbers are growing (120 plus now) but we always welcome new faces and voices. You do not need to audition to join us but we do ask that you share our enthusiasm for choral music and its performance.

Our Spring Concert 2022 was dedicated to the people of Ukraine. Thanks to the wonderful generosity of our audience we raised £1,374 in donations which went to the Disasters Emergency Committee. 

Enjoy singing? Come and join us.

Summer term begins on Monday 8th April 2024 and our concert is on Saturday 29th June. Rehearsals are at Long Crendon Baptist Church.

We will be performing Mass in Blue by Will Todd. Music hire £3. 

Why not join us? The chorus welcomes new members who are keen to join a friendly choir that tackles interesting and challenging works.
Our rehearsals are held on Monday evenings (term-time only), currently 7.15-9.15pm, at Lord Williams’s Upper School for our Spring and Autumn concerts. Our summer term rehearsals are held at Long Crendon Baptist Church, High Street, Long Crendon HP18 9AF.
Please get in touch or come along and try a couple of free sessions. (No auditions!) Contact Claire at clairehumphries02@gmail.com

Our concerts

In the autumn and spring terms our repertoire usually includes a variety of classical choral music accompanied by the Lord Williams’s Festival Orchestra.  In the summer term we often have a “lighter” programme.

The Creation – March 2024

On March 16th 2024 we celebrated our 50th anniversary by reprising The Creation by Joseph Haydn, which was the very first work performed by the choir in 1974. The choir was on top form, accompanied by fabulous soloists and a wonderful orchestra all led by our Musical Director Jeff Stewart. Invited guests included Thame Mayor Adrian Dite and David Wybron, former head teacher of Lord Williams’s School, along with Karen Ross, former Chair of the choir. Current Chair Vivienne Hall addressed the audience before the performance to explain the significance of the evening’s repertoire and to thank the Town Council for their generous grant towards the concert, and also the people of Thame for their support over the past fifty years. Here’s to the next 50!

See more photos taken by Jay Lynch on our Blog.

Carmina Burana – December 2023

Our 2023 winter concert on 2nd December saw us performing Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana to a sell out audience, followed by a selection of Christmas pieces by John Rutter and Holst’s Christmas Day. The evening finished with a roof-raising rendition of Hark! The Herald with fabulous participation by the audience and a joyful Twelve Days of Christmas arranged by Rutter. We were joined in Carmina by three wonderful soloists, a fabulous orchestra and local children’s choir TCC2. Our own very talented pianist Andrew Hoodless accompanied us throughout the whole programme.

See more photos taken by Joe Lynch on our Blog.

Coronation Concert – July 2023

On 1st July 2023 we celebrated the Kings’ Coronation with some truly stunning pieces including Zadok the Priest, Jerusalem, Rule Britannia and Elgar’s wonderful Coronation Ode culminating in Land of Hope and Glory. Led by our wonderful MD Jeff Stewart along with four fabulous soloists and the amazing organist Sam Laughton it was a night to remember. Much flag waving ensued.

See more photos taken by Joe Lynch on our Blog.

Verdi’s Requiem – March 2023

In March 2023 we performed Verdi’s Requiem, one of the biggest and arguably the most operatic of choral works. Under the brilliant direction of our MD Jeff Stewart and with spectacular soloists, a fabulous orchestra and the chorus on their best form, the concert was a sell out and was greeted with a standing ovation and glowing reviews from the audience. It was a good day at the office!

See more photos taken by Jay Lynch on our Blog.

A German Requiem – December 2022

We were thrilled that Paul Carr, the composer of Requiem for an Angel was in our audience at our winter concert on 10th December 2022. We were delighted that he was really pleased with our performance! Here he is with our Musical Director Jeff Stewart. Photo by Jay Lynch.

Winter Concert – December 2022. Photo by Jay Lynch. 

Social Events

Along with our concerts we also have a variety of social events from quizzes to termly rambles and tours.