Holmfirth Choral Society.

is a mixed choir singing a range of styles, but enjoying most oratorios and masses. We don’t audition new members – we are open to anyone wishing to sing with us who feels able to be part of our friendly group of singers. We do try to reach a high standard of musicianship, and some of our concerts are accompanied by the Valley Sinfonia, a very competent group of local orchestral players.

New members welcome!

We practise on Thursday evenings in Holmfirth Methodist Church, 7.30 until 9pm (sometimes later when a concert is imminent!). Our concerts traditionally were held in Holmfirth Civic Hall, but more recently we have given some concerts in local churches.

You are welcome to try us out with no obligation. We sing mostly oratorios and masses or similar, often in Latin, but a wide range of other styles too. We don’t usually audition members – in that sense, we are really a community choir, but we do sing moderately difficult music, so although there’s no requirement to be able to read music, it does help if you have some reading experience.

Our history

There was a Holmfirth Choral Society back in the 19th century, but it eventually wound up in the 1930s. The present Society started life as Holmfirth Parish Church Choral Society, which was basically the choir of the church that was augmented by singers from other churches and chapels specifically to put on a concert to raise money for the relief of victims of a serious flood which occurred in Holmfirth in 1946. The concert was successful, and the singers decided to continue as a group, which soon was renamed as Holmfirth Choral Society, and it has staged at least 3 concerts each season since then, apart from during the covid period.

Holmfirth Choral Society has very occasionally made recordings, and there are still some copies of the CD recorded in 2002 available, which can be ordered online.

Our first concert of 2025 featured Mozart’s ever-popular Requiem, his final work which famously was incomplete at his early death, and which has been “completed” several times by various composers and scholars. We used the more traditional version attributed to Franz Xaver Süssmayr, who did know Mozart and sometimes worked with him. Also in our concert, as a contrasting theme to the Requiem, was Poulenc’s joyful Gloria. Holmfirth Choral has performed both these works more than once before to appreciative audiences, and this concert lived up to expectations. The Valley Sinfonia (leader Mary Barber) accompanied the works, and the soloists were Olivia Hunt (soprano), Hannah Cooper (contralto), William North (tenor), and Charlie Trueman (Bass). The concert was on Saturday March 22nd, and was enjoyed by a larger audience than other recent concerts, despite heavy rain at the time.

We are looking for a talented musician to lead us into the next phase of our music making following the retirement of our current conductor Geoffrey Lockwood. We meet weekly for 90 minutes of enjoyable yet focused, singing practice. With a love for the traditional choral repertoire, we perform three major concerts each year along with a lighter event in the summer. We’re seeking someone who can bring energy, positivity and encouragement to our rehearsals. The ideal candidate will work on a self-employed basis and foster a supportive atmosphere where our members can have fun whilst working hard to produce beautiful music.

More details in the advertisement at https://abcd.org.uk/vacancies/vacancy-5183/ , or download it as a pdf here. THE CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS IS 31st MAY 2025

Christmas Concert and Tea

Our second concert of the 24/25 season was a Christmas-themed concert in our rehearsal venue – Holmfirth Methodist Church, followed by a Buffet Tea in the community room there.

The concert included some of the Christmas music from Handel’s Messiah together with a selection of Christmas music both popular and less well-known. There were also a few carols for all.

It was a very successful social event, with choir and audience members spending some time eating and chatting after the concert. Our facebook page has some pictures of the spread!