BBC Singers

Renowned for their musicality and breadth of repertoire, the BBC Singers is one of the most versatile and sought after choral ensembles in the world. Since 1924, the ensemble has held a unique place at the heart of the UK’s choral scene, collaborating with many of the world’s leading composers, conductors and soloists. The group records music for broadcast on BBC Radio 3 alongside work for other network radio, television and commercial release. It presents annual series of concerts at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama’s Milton Court Concert Hall, performs free concerts across London and appears at major festivals in the UK and abroad. The ensemble was awarded the Royal Philharmonic Society’s prestigious Ensemble Award in 2024.

Beyond concert broadcasting, the BBC Singers can be heard on a range of BBC Radio 3 podcasts and documentary programmes. Recent projects include recordings for The Music & Meditation Podcast and Key Changes: Radio 3’s Essential History of Classical Music. The Choir also lent their voices to the popular children’s programme Hey Duggee, appearing as guests on the show’s ‘The Choir Badge’ episode and released a Christmas single in 2023.

The BBC Singers is committed to championing new music and diverse creative voices. The Choir promotes a 50:50 gender policy for composers whose music it performs, and champions composers from all backgrounds. Recent concerts and recordings include music by Dame Judith Weir, Sir James MacMillan, Judith Bingham, Errollyn Wallen, Caroline Shaw, Shruthi Rajasekar, Cecilia McDowall, Nico Muhly, Bernard Hughes, Shiva Feshareki, Kim Porter, Cheryl Frances-Hoad, Deborah Pritchard, Thomas Hewitt Jones, Lucy Walker, Sven-David Sandström, among many others.

The BBC Singers work closely with the local community through a programme of local music education, outreach events and live performances. The Choir plays a key role in the BBC Get Singing music education initiative, recording audio tracks and performance videos for the programme aimed at encouraging young people aged 11-14 to sing together, both in and out of the classroom.

The BBC Singers appears annually at the BBC Proms, including its much-celebrated performances at the First and Last Night of the Proms. During the 2025 season, the Choir performed Berio’s Sinfonia with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Steve Reich’s The Desert Music with Joe Hisaishi and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and Bartók’s The Miraculous Mandarin and Bliss’s The Beatitudes with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Further appearances included performances in The Traitors Prom, an electric double bill featuring Arooj Aftab and Ibrahim Maalouf, the Great British Classics Prom with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and a semi-staged performance of Shostakovich’s ‘Lady Macbeth’ with the BBC Philharmonic and musicians of the English National Opera.

Find out more about upcoming concerts and where to hear the BBC Singers on our What’s On page.