About us

Our choir met for the first time as a quartet in 1975 and started to rehearse in Oriel Terrace in Cheltenham, from which we took our name. The original members met on Sunday afternoons to sing for pleasure and had no intention at that time of developing into a performing group.

Our numbers grew and we quickly established ourselves as one of the leading chamber choirs in Gloucestershire, singing ‘a capella’ music, both sacred and secular, serious and light hearted. The original ethos of singing for our own pleasure, as well as striving to produce music of a high standard, remains today. Our eclectic programmes span from the 15^th to the 20^th centuries, with repertoire ranging from motets by Monteverdi through to contemporary compositions by James MacMillan. We come from many walks of life, including teachers, translators, engineers and even a few professional musicians.

We give about 12 concerts a year, mainly to raise funds for charitable and other worthy causes, and as part of larger events such as the Cheltenham International Music Festival. Over the years, we have entered several competitions, most notably winning the BBC Radio 3 Choir of the Year competition in 2005. Although based in Cheltenham we have sung in many Cathedrals and Churches both at home and abroad, and have taken part in programmes broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and 4. Our most recent tours have taken us to France, Ireland and Italy.