In 1911 Sheffield Musical Union, the choir that became the Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus, went on a remarkable world tour with a number of other Yorkshire choirs, covering 34,000 miles and giving 134 concerts in Canada, The United States, Fiji, Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania and South Africa.

This unique event is documented in a book by Dr. Christopher Wiltshire using letters written by young soprano May Midgley to her family back in England. The book ‘12 Oak Avenue – the letters of  May Midgely 1911‘ was featured in the Yorkshire Post on 28 July 2018 and in the Sheffield Telegraph in May 2019.

Due to continued demand, the book has been reprinted and can be purchased from Chris using the email

Read more about the book and the tour at 1911 World Tour Book

Sunday 01 September 2024

The Chorus was thrilled to hear that their BBC broadcast from Bank Holiday Monday was chosen by Andrew Peach on BBC Radio 4’s ‘Pick of the Week’.

His clip featured part of the August broadcast of music series ‘How to Play’, which followed preparations for the Chorus tour with the Flanders Symphony Orchestra and their award-winning Music Director, Kristiina Poska to perform Mozart’s Requiem in three concerts across the UK earlier this summer. As well as the Sheffield City Hall concert on 22nd June, the Chorus joined the Belgian orchestra at London’s Cadogan Hall and the Usher Hall in Edinburgh.

Actor and Chorus Patron Sam West said of the London concert “Terrific Mozart Requiem from Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus at Cadogan Hall tonight. Never heard them in better voice. I am a very proud Patron.“

The ‘How to Play’ programme provides insights into how musicians prepare for concerts, and the BBC recorded two rehearsals and interviews with chorus members, Chorus MD and the conductor to learn about how the musicians shape the performance.  Previous ‘How to Play’ programmes have focussed on The Hallé, the London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO).

Listen to the ‘How to Play’ programme on BBC Sounds

The Chorus will perform music by French composter Lili Boulanger in their next concert with the Hallé in Sheffield City Hall on 15 November.

Monday 26 August 2024

The BBC recently joined Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus in Sheffield and London to record their preparations for a tour with one of Belgium’s leading orchestras. The programme was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 at 9.30 this morning, as part of the music series ‘How to Play’, which gives listeners insights into the rehearsal process before a concert. Chorus Chair Joanne Briddock said “It was an honour to be invited to take part in the programme – especially in such illustrious company”.

The Chorus joined the Flanders Symphony Orchestra and their award-winning Music Director, Kristiina Poska to perform Mozart’s Requiem in three concerts across the UK earlier this summer. As well as the Sheffield City Hall concert on 22nd June, the Chorus joined the Belgian orchestra at London’s Cadogan Hall and the Usher Hall in Edinburgh.

Actor and Chorus Patron Sam West said of the London concert “Terrific Mozart Requiem from Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus at Cadogan Hall tonight. Never heard them in better voice. I am a very proud Patron.“

During two rehearsals ahead of the concerts, the BBC recorded interviews with chorus members, orchestral players, and the conductor to learn about how the musicians shape the performance. Musical Director Darius Battiwalla said “Concertgoers may not be aware that the chorus often only rehearses with the orchestral conductor once or twice before a concert. My role is to prepare the chorus in the weeks beforehand by conveying the conductor’s vision for the performance. This recording shines a light on part of that process.”

“It was not only a pleasure to speak to BBC radio, but also an eye-opener.” observed tenor Ranjan Sen “Their expert questioning really raised a mirror to our rehearsal process. They delved into what Mozart’s remarkable Requiem means to us, a piece many of us first encountered in the 1984 film Amadeus.”

Chorus member Rosalind Hobson was “…thrilled to have the opportunity to talk about what it’s like, as an amateur, to sing in a large choir, perform with world class musicians and hopefully inspire others to seek out similar experiences”.

“Although many of us have sung the very moving and beautiful Mozart Requiem before, each performance is a new experience, and understanding precisely what a new conductor wants from us is always a challenge, but immensely rewarding.” reported Chorus member Steve Terry.

Previous ‘How to Play’ programmes have focussed on The Hallé, the London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO).

Listen to the programme on BBC Sounds

The Chorus will perform music by French composter Lili Boulanger in their next concert with the Hallé in Sheffield City Hall on 15 November.

Wednesday 14 August 2024 March 2024

The BBC recently joined Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus in Sheffield and London to record their preparations for a tour with one of Belgium’s leading orchestras. The programme broadcasts on BBC Radio 4 at 9.30AM, on Monday 26th August.

BBC Radio 4 have been behind the scenes with the Chorus as part of their music series ‘How to Play’. The programme gives listeners insights into the rehearsal process before a concert.

Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus joined the Flanders Symphony Orchestra and their award-winning Music Director, Kristiina Poska to perform Mozart’s Requiem in three concerts across the UK earlier this summer. As well as the Sheffield City Hall concert on 22nd June, the Chorus joined the Belgian orchestra at London’s Cadogan Hall and the Usher Hall in Edinburgh. Actor (and Chorus patron) Sam West said of the London concert “Terrific Mozart Requiem from Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus at Cadogan Hall tonight. Never heard them in better voice. I am a very proud Patron.“

During two rehearsals ahead of the concerts, the BBC recorded interviews with chorus members, orchestral players, and the conductor to learn about how the musicians shape the performance.

Chorus Chair Joanne Briddock said “It was an honour to be invited to take part in the programme – especially in such illustrious company. We can’t wait to hear the broadcast on BBC Radio 4”.

The Chorus’s Musical Director Darius Battiwalla said “Concertgoers may not be aware that the chorus often only rehearses with the orchestral conductor once or twice before a concert. My role is to prepare the chorus in the weeks beforehand by conveying the conductor’s vision for the performance. This recording shines a light on part of that process.”

Tenor singer Ranjan Sen said “It was not only a pleasure to speak to BBC radio, but also an eye-opener. Their expert questioning really raised a mirror to our rehearsal process. They delved into what Mozart’s remarkable Requiem means to us, a piece many of us first encountered in the 1984 film Amadeus.”

Chorus member Rosalind Hobson said “I was thrilled to have the opportunity to talk about what it’s like, as an amateur, to sing in a large choir, perform with world class musicians and hopefully inspire others to seek out similar experiences”.

Chorus member Steve Terry commented “Although many of us have sung the very moving and beautiful Mozart Requiem before, each performance is a new experience, and understanding precisely what a new conductor wants from us is always a challenge, but immensely rewarding.”

Previous ‘How to Play’ programmes have focussed on The Hallé, the London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO).

The programme will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 at 9.30am, on Bank Holiday Monday 26th August. The Chorus will perform music by French composter Lili Boulanger in their next concert with the Hallé in Sheffield City Hall on 15 November.

26 June 2024

Unusually, the nigh on 100-strong choir occupied the choir balcony throughout the first half, clad in black with gold sashes for the ladies, worn on the right shoulder for the sopranos stage right and on the left for the altos stage left; the tenors and basses in the middle.  Before a note was sung, they looked absolutely stunning. …..

The choir were as aurally impressive as their visual promise.  Scrumptiously sepulchral in the Introitus, the Kyrie gave a first taste of their ardent facility with contrapuntal singing as they were unleashed in a double fugue.  Flawless pitching in the chromaticism of the Dies Irae confirmed their status as a topflight chorus.  More delicious full-on counterpoint with Rex tremendae dropped dramatically to hushed awe and had me on the edge of my seat.  A spirit-shocking contrast can be wrung from the brutality of the male voices interspersed with the gentleness of the female lines in the Confutatis and Kristiina Poska exploited this to great effect, the chorus evidently willing accomplices in the theatricality.  The mood of the opening was recalled in the Lacrymosa, bringing the Sequentia to a close.  Two more fabulous fugues drove the drama of the first part of the Offertorium, Domine Jesu.  The second part, Hostias, with dynamic contrasts and searching harmonies, explored a range of keys before another dramatic fugue.  Süssmayr’s Sanctus was satisfying with its wee fugue on the Hosanna.  After the Agnus Dei, the Communio brought us back to Mozart’s glorious music from the beginning, fitted to the concluding liturgy.  Perfect.

The Usher Hall audience knew they had experienced something special.  The dynamic balance, a bit light on the string sound in the first half, was fine for the Requiem.  The applause was enthusiastic and prolonged and the chorus’ Music Director, Darius Battiwalli, came to the stage to acknowledge it with the other performers.  Ms Poska then addressed the auditorium, thanking the audience for the warm welcome and announced “a little present”.  The four soloists had joined the choir in their balcony.  All then performed the most perfect rendition of Mozart’s exquisite ‘Ave verum corpus’ as an encore.  A perfect end to a perfect afternoon of music-making.

Donal Hurley 

Full review in the Edinburgh Music Review (online review site)

23 June 2024

Coming to their tour on its final performance, in Edinburgh’s Usher Hall, you could tell that the relationship between the orchestra and chorus had settled in nicely. They even had an encore up their sleeves, Mozart’s Ave verum corpus, which formed a neat companion piece to the main item on the programme, Mozart’s Requiem in D minor.

This was a Requiem performed with focus and energy, held together ably by conductor Kristiina Poska, who preferred fast speeds and tight drama. Those speeds stretched the chorus a little in the fugues of the Offertorio, and there were one or two pitching issues in the Confutatis and Lachrymosa. Otherwise, they sang with concentration and drive, managing proper heft in the Dies irae and impressive agility in the more stately Kyrie fugue.

Touring programmes tend to go for safe options, and in featuring only Beethoven and Mozart this one didn’t contain any surprises, but it was delivered with care, affection and a great degree of skill. Most audiences would find that very satisfactory indeed.“

Simon Thompson, see full review on Bachtrack

Friday 21 June 2024

Three works from the Viennese periods of Mozart and Beethoven given worthy presentations by the Flanders Symphony Orchestra and Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus. …..

Flanders SO [Belgium] were joined for this performance by Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus [England] for a generally sturdy performance that took no risks, but delivered everything it needed to……

The chorus gave a very decent account that was nicely co-ordinated and alight with attention to Poska’s requirements in terms of speed and dynamic, albeit that, perhaps, a little extra drama might have been gained from more contrast in the latter (the only truly pianissimo came in the final ‘dona eis requiem’ of the ‘Agnus Dei’). The contrapuntal material presented them with no challenges, so that their fugues throughout were crisp and well delineated in each voice (although perhaps having half of the sopranos and altos positioned in the gallery led to occasionally understrength entries in these parts). If the opening of the ‘Sanctus’ was perhaps a touch underpowered (the subsequent statements got louder), the friskiness brought to ‘Hosanna’ made up for it.”

Barry Creasy see full review at Flanders Symphony Orchestra review – Vienna comes to London via Ghent and Sheffield 21 June 2024

27 September 2023

The Chorus was excited to hear that the Stella Jockel Young Composer Competition has been shortlisted for a Making Music UK award in the ‘Best Project with a Focus on New Music’ category. . The competition was organised by the Chorus as part of the 10th anniversary Classical Sheffield Festival Weekend 2023, and culminated in a world premiere performance of the two winning compositions to a sell-out audience at the festival finale at Sheffield City Hall.

The competition, in its inaugural year, attracted fourteen high-quality pieces of music to be judged by a panel of experts which included conductor and composer George Nicholson, Emeritus Professor of Composition at the University of Sheffield, and Chorus Music director Darius Battiwalla. It was set up in memory of former Chorus member Stella Jockel, who supported young musicians throughout her life, using part of a generous legacy left to the Chorus when she died in 2020.

“We wanted to use Stella’s legacy to continue her work by supporting local young composers, who struggle to find outlets for their compositions” explained Chorus President Rachel Copley, “We worked hard to make sure there were as few barriers as possible, so we didn’t charge an entry fee for example, or require recordings of the works. It was a real privilege  to be able to make the two winning works come to life in the festival finale”

The text for the competition was set by award-winning Sheffield poet Katherine Towers, and it encouraged the young composers to think outside the box when writing their pieces. Joint winners Mason Birch and James Thomas wowed the judges and the 1,400-strong audience at Sheffield City Hall with their talent and fine ear for composition. All the winners received their prizes from the Lord Mayor of Sheffield, Sioned-Mair Richards.

Making Music is the UK’s membership organisation for leisure-time music, with around 3,850 groups representing around 228,000 music makers across the UK. They are dedicated to empowering everyone, whatever their background or experience, to come together in their community to make or present music.

Read more about the Making Music Awards

Read about the winners of the Making Music Awards