About Us

Botley Choral Society is a thriving choir of around 80 members, which relishes in the rich tradition of choral music in this country. Concerts are given three times a year — in the spring, when performances are held at All Saints Church, Botley, and another local venue, and either a St Cecilia-tide or Christmas Concert. In May each year, the choir also takes part in the Hampshire Choral Festival (formerly known as the Winchester and County Music Festival) with other constituent choirs in either Winchester Cathedral or Romsey Abbey. Botley Choral Society Director of Music, David Burgess, is also the Director of Music for the Hampshire Choral Festival, and conducted Karl Jenkins' The Armed Man and Elgar's Spirit of England in Winchester Cathedral in 2019.

Botley Choral Society celebrates its Centenary in 2022 with a Gala Concert on Saturday 19th November (see details elsewhere). Now recovering from 18 months of inactivity due to the pandemic, a full programme of concerts is planned over the coming years. Works in the pipeline include George Shearing's Songs and Sonnets from Shakespeare, Mozart's Mass in C minor, Mendelssohn's Elijah — to name but a few.

The catchment area for Botley Choral Society is wide, embracing Winchester, Southampton, Gosport and the Meon Valley — but the membership unites in its pure enjoyment of singing, with its proven benefits for the soul and general well-being. Rehearsals are held on Wednesday evenings from 7.30 to 9.30pm at All Saints Church, Botley, usually from September to May, but with the occasional extra concert in the summer.

We would be delighted to hear from potential new members, so do make contact if you would like to know more.

The Society is a member of Making Music, which is the trading name for the National Federation of Music Societies, which gives support to organisations such as ours.