We’re looking for new members who are ambitious, open-minded and committed. More information on How To Join Us, or write to membership@englishchamberchoir.co.uk
We come together from a variety of backgrounds to share our passion for singing.
Many of us are highly experienced choral singers, having sung from an early age through university. Because we are a busy group with many concerts, recordings and services in a year, we tend to perform as an ensemble of around 30 singers although our membership number is obviously higher. We recognise that not everyone can sing in every concert, or come to every rehearsal and we also know that many of our members have demanding day jobs. Flexibility is key.
Upcoming events include: a weekend in Staffordshire in early February; Elgar’s ‘The Dream of Gerontius’ in the Barnes Festival at the end of March, Evensong at The Chapel Royal, Hampton Court Palace and a tour to Antwerp in early July.
If you are interested in joining the choir there are more details on the How to Join Us page.
Rehearsals are on every Tuesday between 7:15 pm and 9:30pm, at Holy Sepulchre Church, Holborn Viaduct EC1A 2DQ.
Members pay an annual subscription (but we can offer subsidies). There is also a scholarship scheme for singers leaving university this year. See below.
Members are not required to own their own music as we have an extensive library.
The English Chamber Choir is a Company Limited by Guarantee no: 08198937 and a Registered Charity no: 1153396. The choir is governed by a Board of Directors, elected annually by members at the choir AGM.
The Choir
Key people
Rufus Frowde
Artistic Director
Guy Protheroe
Conductor Emeritus
Photograph of Richard Hills Courtesy of the Embassy Theatre Foundation
Richard Hills
Accompanist & Assistant Conductor
Andreana Chan
Assistant Accompanist
Patrons
We have two Patrons, reflecting aspects of our heritage and values:
Former Lord Mayor of London, Alderman Sir Andrew Parmley – our City connection
Rick Wakeman – recording studios and live rock concerts
Our former patron, The Very Reverend Dr Ivan Moody, sadly died in January 2024. We were privileged to have worked closely with Ivan and he wrote a piece that we commissioned for our 50th anniversary. He is sorely missed by all associated with the choir.
Artistic Director, Rufus Frowde, pictured alongside his predecessor
and our Conductor Emeritus, Guy Protheroe
Rufus Frowde - our new Artistic Director.
Rufus said: "I am thrilled to have been appointed to lead The English Chamber Choir in its next chapter. My father appeared as a violinist with the choir in many of their collaborations with Rick Wakeman - as such, recordings of the choir were a fond part of the soundtrack of my childhood.
"There are very few choirs that can tackle the range of repertoire that has become the hallmark of ECC. I look forward to nurturing Guy and Ann’s remarkable legacy, as well as exploring new opportunities, ensuring that this family of excellent singers maintains an enviable reputation for adventurous programming, consistently performed with professionalism."
A freelance conductor, organist, pianist and composer, Rufus was Organist and Assistant Director at the Chapel Royal, Hampton Court Palace from 2003 – 2023. He holds many varied conducting posts including VIVAMUS Chamber Choir, Dacorum Community Choir (founder), and orchestral work for Hertfordshire Music Service (where he has been the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Schools’ Galas at the Royal Albert Hall since 2014). He is also the Accompanist of Hertfordshire Chorus.
Rufus studied music as an Organ Scholar at Merton College, Oxford University. He subsequently became Organ Scholar of Worcester Cathedral and undertook prize-winning postgraduate study in Choral Direction and Church Music at the Royal Academy of Music.
Rufus has always maintained a versatile approach to music-making, both in terms of genre and with the musicians with whom he works, seeking to ensure that barriers to quality music-making are overcome. As such, alongside his work as a performer with professional musicians, he leads the music curriculum at his local primary school as well as working as an animateur for the Chorister Outreach Project at St Albans Cathedral.
Performances have included numerous UK cathedrals, Westminster Abbey, La Madeleine (Paris), Kaunas Cathedral, St Thomas’s Leipzig, St Paul’s Basilica (Rome), Cologne Cathedral, Haarlem Cathedral and Longwood Gardens (Pennsylvania). He has worked with musicians and performers including Emma Johnson, Crispian Steele Perkins, Kiri te Kanawa, José Carreras, Ian McMillan and Michael Rosen. He works with numerous orchestras as a guest conductor and has conducted The Hanover Band, Brandenburg Sinfonia, Southbank Sinfonia and the Brandenburg Baroque Soloists in collaboration with his choirs.
He appears as a conductor, organist and composer on the Signum Classics, Resonus Classics, and Divine Art record labels.
Rufus took over as Artistic Director from Guy Protheroe at the beginning of 2024, when Guy became Conductor Emeritus
Scholarships
We have a scholarship scheme open to young singers (typically but not exclusively recent university graduates) who are moving to London, looking to sing in a prestigious choir but may be deterred by the current high costs of living in the capital.
The scholarships offer free membership and assistance towards travel and accommodation expenses for events outside central London.
It is a long-held belief of the Choir that no-one should be excluded from singing on the grounds of cost. While the scholarship scheme is designed for new and generally younger members, those of limited means are encouraged to discuss their circumstances in confidence with our treasurer.
If you are interested please contact the artistic director Rufus Frowde: artistic.director@englishchamberchoir.co.uk.
ECC Directors
Mark Roper
Chairman
Mark is one of our tenors; he joined ECC in 2016 having previously sung with New Sussex Opera, Sheffield Philharmonic, Brighton Festival Chorus and Twickenham Choral Society. Frequently a soloist with us, Mark is by profession a Business Change specialist and director of a niche Change consultancy.
Marianne Aston
Soprano Marianne, has sung with ECC for 18 years. By profession she is an occupational psychologist, and she travels the world working with a variety of global clients. Marianne is also our German pronunciation coach.
Hannah Ainsworth
Hannah has sung soprano with us for five years, joining us from University of Bristol, where she sang in the University Singers and the Chamber Choir. In daily life she is a chartered accountant with one of the leading UK practices.
Martin Douglas
Librarian
Martin has sung tenor with us for over 5 years and is librarian for our extensive choral music collection. By day he is an IT consultant for a boutique consultancy, after many years with one of the Big Four accountancy firms.
Francois Boucard
Treasurer
Francois, who has sung tenor with us for 20 years, is a senior financial controller for a leading hedge fund, hence his appointment as our treasurer. Originally from France, Francois took UK citizenship in 2016.
Tim Johns
Tim has sung as a baritone with ECC for nearly 20 years. He has sung with many choirs over the years since starting as a chorister at Llandaff Cathedral. He ran the media and communications departments for a number of leading blue-chip companies before launching his own coaching and consulting business. Tim is also a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Musicians and chairs their Young Artist Programme.
Hugh Joslin
Hugh has sung bass with us for nearly 30 years. Managing Director of Media Contacts, a recruitment agency for the media industry, he prides himself on being possibly the only media recruiter with a music degree and a single-figure golf handicap.
Helen Gironi
Membership
Helen joined the choir in 2019 and previously sang with Bristol University Chamber Choir and her school chapel choir. By profession she is an impact investor and runs a small fund backing technology start-ups. She is also a trustee of Three Cs, which supports individuals with learning disabilities, autism and mental health challenges.
Katrina Wooltorton
Katrina joined the choir in 2022 after moving to London from university. She was a chorister at Coventry Cathedral for 9 years, taking on the role as head chorister in her final year. By profession, Katrina works in Compliance for a boutique asset management firm in Barnes.
Who else is who in the ECC?
David Lowe
Webmaster and Archivist
Peggy Hannington
Rehearsal Refreshments coordinator
Debbie O'Connor
Web Site Maintenance
Current Choir Membership:
Sopranos
Hannah Ainsworth
Nicky Archer
Marianne Aston
Alex Bloomfield
Jess Daggers
Julia Daniels
Eileen Davis
Helen Gironi
Anne Johnson
Tessa Lewes
Louisa Lynch
Fiz Markham
Natalia Murray/Soole
Anne-Sophie O'Connor
Stella Redburn
Katrina Wooltorton
Altos
Karen Bloomfield
Margaret Driver
Jane Goodenough
Peggy Hannington
Katherine Johns
Alex Lacey
Debbie O'Connor
Jenny Rowley
Robyn Sellman
Jay Venn
David Wheeler
Tenors
George Baxter
Francois Boucard
Roger Carpenter
Martin Douglas
Edwin Kutas
Iain McLaughlin
Mark Roper
Michael Roskell
Rob Scales
Basses
Simon Archer
David Elliott
Tim Johns
Hugh Joslin
David Lowe
Maxime Rischard
David Shield