Who is taking part in York Community Choir Festival 2025 and what will they sing?

York Wellbeing Choir members singing at York Community Choir Festival in 2024. Picture: Jenny Jones

YORK Community Choir Festival 2025 will run from March 2 to 8 when more than 1,250 voices will grace the Joseph Rowntree Theatre stage in York.

A festival that began in 2016 with 11 choirs taking part in three concerts will comprise eight concerts in 2025, each featuring up to five choirs, drawn fromHarrogate, Easingwold, Malton, Fairburn, Selby and Pocklington, as well as York.

Choirs of all sizes and types take the stage – all ladies, all men and mixed voices – covering everything from pop classics and show tunes to blues, jazz, folk, world, classical and religious music.

The smallest choir has ten members; Huntington School has 75 representatives and 50 will be participating from schools across the Excel Learning Trust Academy.

Some choirs will give a nod to the JoRo’s 90th birthday celebrations by performing a song from the 1935 “hit parade” in their set.

Festival chair Graham Mitchell says: “I moved to York in 2012, joined the theatre board in 2013 and was immediately struck by the number of choirs in York and the surrounding area, compared with where I had been living previously.

“I asked a colleague where they all sang and was told church halls, community centres and occasionally civic buildings or major halls.

Fairburn Singers on song at the 2024 festival. Picture: Jenny Jones

“It was a no-brainer as far as I was concerned that the theatre needed to give all these people a place to sing that was a real theatrical experience. Now, in the festival’s tenth year, the theatre’s decision to reach out and welcome all forms of performance has been fully justified.”

“In addition to choirs telling us how much they love the experience of being part of a major York event in lovely and welcoming surroundings, the festival ticket sales contribute to the theatre’s “Heart For The Arts Appeal”, raising funds for the improvement of theatre facilities that will benefit all theatre goers”.

March 2’s choirs will be: Selby Youth Choir; The Stray Notes (Harrogate); Aviva Vivace!; Singing Communities: Poppleton and  Easingwold Community Singers. March 3, Euphonics Ladies Choir; The Pocklington Singers; Track 29 Ladies Close Harmony Chorus;
Cantar Community Choir and Community Chorus.  March 4: Jubilate; York City Harmonisers; Ryedale Voices; Supersingers and The Rolling Tones.

March 5: Stagecoach Performing Arts Choir; The Sounds Fun Singers; The Garrowby Singers; In Harmony Ladies Choir and  Stamford Bridge Community Choir. March 6: Huntington Schools’ Choirs; York Military Wives Choir and Heworth Community Choir. March 7, York Theatre Royal Choir; Eboraca; Some Voices York; Bishopthorpe Community Choir and Harmonia.

March 8 matinee: Excel Learning Trust Schools’ Choir; The Rhythm Of Life Singers; The Fairburn Singers and The York Celebration Singers. March 8, evening: York Philharmonic Male Voice Choir; Chechelele, York Sing Space (Musical Theatre Choir); The Wellbeing Choir and Main Street Sound Ladies Barbershop Chorus.

Graham adds: “In addition to choirs telling us how much they love the experience of being part of a major York event in lovely and welcoming surroundings, the festival ticket sales contribute to the Rowntree Theatre’s Heart For The Arts Appeal, raising funds for the improvement of theatre facilities that will benefit all theatre-goers”.

Tickets are on sale on 01904 501935 or at josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk. Evening concerts start at 7.30pm except March 2 at 6pm; March 8 matinee, 2.30pm.

Stagecoach Junior Choir taking part in last year’s festival. Picture: Murray Swain

York Community Choir Festival 2025 programme of songs

March 2, 6pm

Selby Youth Choir will sing: Raising My Voice; This Little Light Of Mine; Dreamer; Count On Me, Pure Imagination and I’m A Believer.

The Stray Notes: Let The River Run; A Thousand Years;  I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For; Who But The Lord and The Scientist.

Aviva Vivace!: Ain’t No Sunshine, 80s’ Medley and Cheek To Cheek.

Singing Communities: Poppleton: Ticket To Ride; City Of Stars; Moor River; True Colours and Cantar.

Easingwold Community Singers: Go Down Deep; Ezatale; I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free; Shanty Medley; Spring Comes In; Dream A Little Dream and Life Is A Song.

March 3, 7.30pm

Euphonics: Flying Free, The Lady Is A Tramp; Colours Of The Wind; Song Sung Blue and California Dreamin’.

The Easingwold Singers: The Lord Is My Shepherd; Why Do The Roses, Magic Moments; Cantique de Jean Racine and The Seal Lullaby.

Track 29 Ladies Close Harmony Chorus: Ascot Gavotte; Chatanooga Choo Choo; Blue Moon; The Gospel Train; De Battle Of Jericho; Steel Away To Jesus; Only You and Goodnight Sweetheart.

Cantar Community Choir: Harbour; TaReKita; Sure On This Shining Night; Follow The Heron and Be The Change.

Community Chorus: Top Hat And Tails; Don’t Sit Under The Apple Tree; King Of The Road; Breakout and You Can’t Stop The Beat.

March 4, 7.30pm

Jubilate: Autumn Leaves; Frankie And Johnny; Blue Skies; Cross The Wide Missouri and House Of The Raising Sun.

York City Harmonisers: Overture; Songbird; More I Cannot Wish You; Dancing In The Dark; Music Of The Night and New York, New York.

Ryedale Voices: Mack The Knife; Pokarekare Ana; Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around; Ramblin’ Sailor and Come What May.

SuperSingers: What A Wonderful World; With A Little Help From My Friends; Blue Moon; Defying Gravity; Never Enough and Waterloo.

The Rolling Tones: Rolling In The Deep; Shenandoah; Disney Movie Showstoppers; All Night, All Day and Crazy Little Thing Called Love.

March 5, 7.30pm

Stagecoach York Junior Choir: I’m A Believer; Please Can I Have A C?; Stars Mash Up and Aladdin Medley.

Sounds Fun Singers: Downtown; There Will Come Soft Rains; Smoke Gets In Your Eyes; Popular (from Wicked) and You Can’t Stop The Beat.

The Garrowby Singers: Lullaby Of Broadway; The Stars Are With The Voyager; Let The Praise Go Round; Wild Horses and River In Judea.

In Harmony Ladies Choir: The Lord Is My Shepherd; Sumer Is Icumen In; The Sound Of Silence; Summertime and Zadok The Priest.

Stamford Bridge Community Choir: Wellerman; California Dreamin’; Run; I Will Follow Him and Sing, Sing, Sing.

Easingwold Community Singers performing at the York Community Choir Festival in 2024. Picture: Murray Swain

March 6, 7.30pm

Huntington School Choirs: Apple Tree; Closer To Fine; Hakuna Mungu Kama Wewe; Fire And Rain; And So It Goes; Hide And Seek; Ubi Caritas; Wonderwall; Jolly Roving Tar; Break My Stride and Keep Your Head Up.

York Military Wives Choir: November Sunday; For Good; When Will I See You Again; Make You Feel My Love; Carry Me and Home Thoughts From Abroad.

Heworth Community Choir: Ticket To Ride; The Ground; Little Blue; Pokarekare Ana and I’ll Be On My Way.

March 7, 7.30pm

York Theatre Royal Choir: It’s Grand Night For Singing; The Lord Is My Shepherd; Let The River Run; I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free; Anthem and Exultate Deo.

Eboraca: Cum Decore; Blue Moon; A Nightingale Sung In Berkeley Square; I Want It That Way and Walking On Sunshine.

Some Voices: I Wanna Dance With Somebody; Freed From Desire; Crazy In Love and Pink Pony Club.

Bishopthorpe Community Choir: Yundah; Run: Kiss From A Rose; Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow and It Must Be Love.

Harmonia: Get Happy; Ca’ The Yowes; Sing A Song Of Sixpence; Embraceable You and Dubula.

March 8, 2.30pm

Excel Learning Trust Choir: Our Time; Song Of The Sea; Viva La Vida and Glorious.

The Rhythm Of Life Singers: If I Had A Hammer; Three Song Medley; Three Little Birds; Edelweiss and Sing.

Fairburn Singers: One Voice; I Am A Small Part Of The World; Why We Sing; Come Follow The Band and When The Saints Go Marching In.

York Celebration Singers: One (from A Chorus Line); 1935 Mash Up; Java Jive; Tell Me It’s Not True; Abba Medley and One Day More.

March 8, 7.30pm

York Philharmonic Male Voice Choir: Tydi a Roddaist; Run; Down By The Riverside; What Shall We Do With The Drunken Sailor; He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother and Alexander’s Ragtime Band.

Chechelele: Akanamandia; Ngothando; E Malama; Hope Lingers On; Ke Dau Bibi and Ladum Izulu.

York Sing Space Musical Theatre Choir: Welcome To The 60s; Come From Away Medley; Wicked Medley and A Million Dreams.

York Wellbeing Choir: Oklahoma; Hallelujah Get Happy; From A Distance; Tomorrow and A Little Peace.

Main Street Sound: White Winter Hymnal; Shenandoah; That Man; Girl On Fire and This Is Me.