2014-15

Friday 7th November 2014, Sheffield City Hall

  • Mozart Great Mass in C Minor
  • Mendelssohn Overture: The Fair Melusine
  • Wagner Siegfried Idyll

Northern Sinfonia, James Burton, conductor

Gillian Keith (soprano I), Anna Dennis (soprano II), Sam Furness (tenor), Matthew Hargreaves (bass)

Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus, Gentlemen of Sheffield Cathedral Choir

Saturday 13th December 2014, 3pm and 7pm Sheffield City Hall

Christmas concert

Paulette Edwards (presenter)

Black Dyke BandDr Nicholas Childs (conductor)

Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus, Darius Battiwalla (conductor)

Saturday 2nd May 2015, Sheffield Anglican Cathedral

  • Bruckner Mass in E minor
  • Gorecki Totus Tuus
  • Tavener Svyati
  • Messiaen Quatuor pour la fin du temps

Sheffield Camerata, Darius Battiwalla – Music Director, Simon Turner (‘cello)

Sunday 17th May 2015, Sheffield City Hall, 7pm

  • Schubert Symphony No.3
  • Beethoven Symphony No.9 ‘Choral’

Claire Meghnagi soprano, Hannah Pedley mezzo, Andrew Rees tenor, Paul Carey Jones baritone

Warsaw PhilharmonicJacek Kaspszyk conductor

Tuesday 9th June 2015, Doc/Fest, Crucible Theatre, 8.30pm

  • Holst The Planets

Paul Crowther – commentary;

Sheffield Rep. OrchestraGeorge Morton – Conductor

Women’s voices from Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus, Darius Battiwalla – Conductor

Embark on a breathtaking voyage to the outer limits of the universe as Gustav Holst’s The Planets is performed by the Sheffield Rep. Orchestra conducted by George Morton and accompanied by images of interplanetary odysseys and newly commissioned visuals by Sheffield creative design agency Human and a commentary from astronomer Paul Crowther. Brought to you by the University of Sheffield Departments of Music and Physics/Astronomy, Festival of the Mind.

2015-16

Saturday 4 June 2016, Sheffield City Hall

A special celebration concert to mark the Chorus’s 80th Birthday and the 60th Birthday of our former Chairman, Julie Smethurst, and to celebrate the music of Vaughan Williams:

  • O Clap Your Hands
  • Fantasia on Greensleeves
  • Dona Nobis Pacem
  • The Lark Ascending
  • Serenade to Music
  • Let All the World in Every Corner Sing

Royal Liverpool PhilharmonicDarius Battiwalla (conductor)

Jenny Rust – Soprano, Joshua Ellicott – Tenor, Oliver Dunn – Baritone

Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus and Sheffield Bach Choir

Friday 6th May 2016, Sheffield City Hall, 7pm

  • Vaughan Williams – Sympony No. 5
  • Haydn – Nelson Mass Royal

Northern Sinfonia, James Burton (conductor)

Anna Patalong – Soprano, Frances Bourne – Mezzo-soprano, Timothy Robinson – Tenor, David Soar – Bass

James Burton, the Royal Northern Sinfonia, the Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus and a fine line-up of soloists performed the ‘Nelson Mass’. This great late work of Haydn’s is widely regarded as one of the composer’s supreme achievements. Originally conceived as a response to Napoleon’s aggressive and acquisitive foreign policy, it gained its nickname after Admiral Nelson defeated the French navy at the famous Battle of the Nile.

Saturday 20th February 2016, Sheffield City Hall

Late-night ‘After Hours’ concert

Following the concert in the Irwin Mitchell Hall which featured Sibelius – Symphony 5, this special ‘After Hours’ concert, free to main concert ticket-holders, featured:

  • Sibelius – Rakastava
  • Arvo Pärt – Magnificat
  • Ēriks Ešenvalds – Vakars (Evening)
  • Ēriks Ešenvalds – Lielupe (The River Lielupe)

Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus, Darius Battiwalla (conductor)

Sat 12th December 2015, Sheffield City Hall, 3pm & 7pm

Christmas concerts

Petroc Trelawny (presenter)

Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus, Darius Battiwalla (conductor)

Black Dyke BandDr Nicholas Childs (conductor)

The annual Christmas Concert featured the Black Dyke Band, one of the world’s most celebrated brass bands, joining forces with Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus for the fifth year in a row. This pairing delighted the audience with their seasonal offering of carols and yuletide favourites for all the family.

Christmas 2020

Annual Christmas Carol Concert – 7pm on Saturday 12th December 2020

Sadly, our much-loved carol concert with the world-famous Black Dyke Band at Sheffield City Hall had to be abandoned because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Christmas Carols in the City Hall

However, Chorus and band have been working on a virtual Christmas carol concert, recorded from our own homes. The concert will feature a new version of the 16th century carol Resonet in Laudibus, arranged for brass band and chorus by our Music Director Darius Battiwalla, and the beautiful traditional Welsh lullaby Suo Gan, sung in Welsh with violin, harp and organ.

We are thrilled that our new Patron, BBC Radio 3’s Petroc Trelawny, has kindly agreed to present the concert, something he has done at the City Hall a number of times over the last few years.

With the Chorus accompanist Rachel Fright on the piano, and Music Director Darius Battiwalla on the Leeds Town Hall organ, this will be a virtual concert not to be missed!

Programme

Resonet in Laudibus arr. D. Battiwalla. Chorus, Black Dyke Band, Darius Battiwalla (organ)

Suo Gan (Welsh traditional) Chorus, Susan Voss (violin), Eira Lynn (harp), Darius Battiwalla (organ)

Deck the Hall arr. Langford. Chorus (a capella)

Gaelic Blessing John Rutter. Chorus, Rachel Fright (piano)

The Holly and the Ivy John Gardner. Chorus, Rachel Fright (piano)

Hark the Herald Angels Sing Mendelssohn. Chorus, Black Dyke Band, Darius Battiwalla (organ)

‘Awake Arise’ – our Christmas CD – an ideal Christmas gift

Our Christmas CD

Buy our Christmas CD ‘Awake, Arise! A Yorkshire Christmas Carol Collection for Brass and Voices‘, recorded with the world-famous Black Dyke Band. This collection has a real Yorkshire flavour and includes some of the Sheffield carols, traditionally sung in Sheffield pubs over the Christmas period.

It also includes arrangements by the Chorus’s gifted Music Director, Darius Battiwalla, of such Christmas classics as Joy to The World and O Holy Night, a firm favourite at our annual Christmas concerts at Sheffield City Hall. Other favourites include I Saw Three Ships and Hark the Herald Angels Sing, and the band playing the March from Tchaicovsky’s Nutcracker Suite and the wonderful Sleigh Ride from Prokofiev’s Lieutenant Kijé.

To order your copy for £12 including postage and packing, please contact

You might also like to check out our most recent CD Anthems, Hymns and Gloria for Brass Band, which reached Number One in Classic FM’s specialist classical albums recently, as well as being Album of the Week. The CD, directed by Professor Nicholas Childs and Chorus Music Director Darius Battiwalla, was recorded in St Oswald’s Church on Bannerdale Road in Sheffield. It features eleven tracks composed by Rutter and arranged for brass band by Belgian conductor Luc Vertommen, including the Pie Jesu from his 1985 Requiem, and This is the Day composed for the wedding of HRH Prince William and Kate Middleton in 2011. For further details and how to purchase, see Anthems, Hymns and Gloria for Brass Band

Carol Singing

Each year members of the Chorus volunteer to sing Christmas carols at a range of venues around Sheffield. Sadly none of the singalongs proved possible this year. However, the Chorus has contributed music from the ‘Awake Arise’ Christmas CD with the world-famous Black Dyke Band, to a virtual carol concert in aid of youth homelessness charity Roundabout.

Also, St Luke’s Festival of Light Service of Remembrance will be virtual rather than a live service this year. We were very keen to contribute to this very special event, as we do every year, and you can hear us sing ‘We Saw Three Ships‘ from our Awake Arise CD on the St Luke’s website

See What’s On this week in Sheffield on the Classical Sheffield website

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Tickets

Look out for special offers! Some concerts are FREE for under 12s, or for under 16s. See individual concert details.
For Sheffield International Concert Season concerts at the City Hall, you can get 10 tickets for just £10 each, no matter where you sit – a great opportunity to get together with friends and family in the best circle seats for a third of the standard price!

Sheffield International Concert Season

Irwin Mitchell Hall

Most of our concerts form part of the prestigious Sheffield International Concert Season and take place at Sheffield City Hall in the magnificent Irwin Mitchell Hall, a visually stunning auditorium tiered on three levels.

Sheffield International Concert Season ticketing is explained on the City Hall website. Tickets are available from the Sheffield City Hall Box Office, and may be purchased

  • online via Sheffield City Hall Ticketmaster; however follow the links on our Current Season Concert page. Please note that booking fees apply.
  • by telephoning the City Hall Box Office on 0114 2 789 789 Monday to Friday from 9.00am to 6.00pm and Saturday from 10.00am to 4.00pm.
  • in person from the City Hall Box Office, open Monday to Saturday from 9.00am to 5.30pm, or up to one hour prior to the start on the day of the concert

Self promoted concerts

We also present self promoted concerts, which may take place at a range of venues, including the beautiful Art Deco ballroom at Sheffield City Hall, in the gorgeous acoustic of Sheffield Cathedral, at St Mark’s Church Broomhill, at the Victoria Hall or in the lovely Upper Chapel. We are committed to encouraging  young people to enjoy creating, making and listening to all kinds of music including classical, so we make sure that tickets are free for under-16s.

Tickets for these concerts may be purchased

  • online
  • at the door
  • from chorus members

However please follow the links for individual concerts on our Current Season Concert page.

See What’s On this week in Sheffield on the Classical Sheffield website

Current Season

2025-26 season

SPC is looking forward to another full season of fantastic concerts in 2025-26. We are the Resident Chorus at the City Hall and continue to enjoy glowing reviews. We are Royal Philharmonic Society Award nomineesone of four shortlisted for the Inspiration Award in 2024.

PREVIEW OF THE SEASON’S CONCERTS (further information and ticket links to follow)

Saturday 1 November 2025St Marie’s CathedralA concert to celebrate the cathedral organ’s 150th anniversary. The programme will include a number of organ solos and duets, and the following wonderful choral works:

  • Jonathan Dove Seek Him that maketh the Seven Stars
  • Cassie White for music like the sea
  • Stanford Blue Bird
  • Coleridge Taylor Lea Shore & Summer is Gone
  • Balfour Gardiner Evening Hymn
  • Lili Boulanger Hymne au Soleil
  • Durufle motets

The programme will culminate in a performance of rarely-performed Messe Solonnelle by Jean Langlais, a marvellous work for choir and two organs – a real treat for lovers of organ music and majestic choral works alike!

Joining the choir will be organists Neil Taylor, James Mitchell and Chorus Music Director Darius Battiwalla.

Tuesday 9 December 2025, City Hall. 

A real Christmas treat – the Halle orchestra and Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus playing and singing live to accompany a big-screen showing of the popular film “Home Alone”. A true holiday favourite, this beloved comedy classic features renowned composer John Williams’ charming and delightful score performed live to picture. Hilarious and heart-warming, Home Alone is holiday fun for the entire family! Featuring Carol of the Bells, O Holy Night and other favourite carols. Not to be missed!

Saturday 13 December 202530, City Hall

Another Christmas treat – our annual carol concert with the world famous Black Dyke Band, with presenter Josie D’Arby from the BBC Proms.

Friday 6 February 2026, City Hall

The choir will sing Arvo Part’s amazing Lament with Manchester Camerata.

 

A Saturday in April/May 2026

will feature our third Come and Sing event in the beautiful Upper Chapel, Sheffield.

Sunday 7 June 2026, City Hall

The Chorus will be joined by the Halle for a performance of Mendelssohn’s marvellous oratorio Elijah, conducted by Halle Chorus Music Director Matthew Hamilton

 

See What’s On this week in Sheffield on the Classical Sheffield website

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Go to next page: Tickets

Concerts 2010 to 2020

From 2010 to 2020 the Chorus performed works spanning seven centuries and eleven nations, in English, German, French, Hungarian, Latin, Russian and Latvian. We sang works by stalwarts such as Monteverdi, Tallis, Vivaldi, Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Verdi, Vaughan Williams, Tippett, Schoenberg, Britten and Bliss, but also by contemporary composers such as Wilby, Mealor, Jenkins, Part, Gorecki and Esenvalds.

Click on the links to view details of our performances for each season:

Steve’s Fantasy Concert

Steve’s fantasy concert was a performance of Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem in Sheffield’s City Hall in December 2011. The Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus (supplemented by singers from the CBSO Chorus), the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (conductor Michael Seal), Lindley Junior School Choir and three top-class soloists helped to create an extremely moving and memorable event.

Steve says “I chose the War Requiem in memory of my wife, who had died two years earlier, and my mother who died earlier that year, and because it was Britten’s centenary year and I’d worked with him in the 1960s and had admired his War Requiem since I first heard it in 1962. It is an expensive work to perform, but my mother had left me some money – and she’d have been glad that I put it to good use. The whole experience of helping to organise the concert and the emotions of the performance itself have left wonderful abiding memories.

Read why for Jo Briddock, 2nd Alto with the Chorus, her fantasy concert would have to include Brahms’ Requiem.

What’s your fantasy concert? If you have an occasion that you’d love to celebrate by supporting us to bring your fantasy concert to life, contact us now at 

 

Julie’s Fantasy Concert

In 2016 Julie Smethurst lived her dream of creating a large-scale choral concert at the City Hall on 4 June, to celebrate her 60th birthday and the 80th anniversary of the Chorus. “I’d always dreamed of being able to sponsor a classical concert to the extent of being able to say what I wanted on the programme. Vaughan Williams became my favourite English composer in my teens, so the whole concert is made up of his music, including the mesmerising The Lark Ascending. The choices have been chewed over quite a bit but all the pieces I wanted have made it to the final line-up – with no compromises.

Julie Smethurst

But even armed with extensive personal experience and supportive colleagues who have been organizing and promoting concerts for over 15 years, the financial and practical implications make for a long to-do list. Concerts of this nature can take between 2 – 5 years to plan, to allow for venue and performer diary dates to align and partnerships to be devised. These are the real keys to success due to the team of professionals and volunteers needed; members of the Chorus, orchestra, bands, soloists, conductors, music directors, and all the ‘behind the scenes’ personnel who are needed to deal with booking the venue, ticketing, contracting, stage management and publicity.

Is it daunting? “I’d be telling fibs if I said no, but it’s also such a thrill and a privilege to celebrate my birthday so collaboratively, and with a splendid, experienced, and friendly team of people.” Classical concerts on this scale are just about impossible to make commercially viable, hence the importance of finding sponsors. Julie explained “I certainly couldn’t afford this on my own. A full orchestra costs around £20,000, then there’s venue hire and soloists’ fees to name just a few items. So we are all clubbing together to get the event off the ground. This is the fulfilment of a long-cherished dream. I can’t quite believe that the wonderful Royal Liverpool Philharmonic orchestra, four soloists, and two large choirs will all be joining forces to create an unforgettable Birthday celebration. I can’t wait!

Julie was prompted into making her dream a reality when fellow singer, Steve Terry, Bass with the Chorus, donned his ‘executive producer’ hat in December 2013. Read about his fantasy concert here.

So what would your concert be? Read why for Jo Briddock, 2nd Alto with the Chorus it would have to include Brahms’ Requiem.

What’s your fantasy concert? If you have an occasion that you’d love to celebrate by supporting us to bring your fantasy concert to life, contact us now at