The BRADFORD CHORALE rehearse at Northcliffe Church, Hall Royd, Shipley, BD18 3ED from 7.30 to 9.30 p.m, with a refreshment break partway, on Tuesday evenings.

COME AND JOIN US Whether you are singer with many years experience, a complete beginner or somewhere in between but with a love for choral singing, we would love to meet you. Come along on a Tuesday evening and see how you get on. There is no audition to join the choir and our Musical Director has extensive experience, and boundless enthusiasm for developing singing voices.

The choir started life in 1976 as The James Ashworth Singers giving its first concert in Thornton Parish Church in April 1976. It later moved to the Unitarian Church near St Luke's hospital to be more central for members coming from around the Bradford area.

We are privileged to have worked with many highly accomplished Musical Directors including: James Ashworth, Douglas Robinson, John Coates, Tricia Platts, Carleton Etherington, Andrew Dibb, Elizabeth Altman, John Griffiths, Christopher Rathbone, Paul Dewhurst, Jonathan Eyre, Jon Payne, Dr Ed Jones, Tom Carr, Jenny Martins and now Caius Lee.

Our repertoire is wide and varied from a backbone of traditional liturgical music and oratorios by composers such as Haydn, Vivaldi, Faure, Mendelssohn, and Mozart, to madrigals, part-songs, opera choruses, contemporary choral polyphony and arranged pieces spanning the centuries and embracing a wide variety of styles. The choir performs regularly at venues in and around Bradford including Bradford Cathedral, Bradford Grammar School, Bradford Girl's Grammar School, St Paul's Church and St Peter's Church both in Shipley, Victoria Hall in Saltaire and St Anne's Church in Keighley. The choir has enjoyed collaborating with great soloists and orchestras such as James Laing (counter tenor), Wendy Goodson (soprano), The Mowbray Orchestra. The Sinfonia of Leeds, Airedale Symphony Orchestra and Skipton Camerata.

The choir has a regular singing strength currently of around 35 voices several of whom have been members since the founding of the choir. We are always keen to recruit new voices in all parts and applications from new singing members will always be welcomed.

Whilst not from a musical family, Caius' musical journey started at Bradford Cathedral, aged 11, before joining Leeds Cathedral as Organ Scholar aged 17, becoming Assistant Organist a year later and returning full time as a Choral Director after university. Caius read Music at St Catharine's College, Cambridge, where he was the Organ Scholar, accompanying the girls and undergraduate choirs for concerts, international tours broadcasts and recordings.

An advocate for bringing singing opportunities to the broader community, Caius, age 15, directed a children's choir, which won its class at the 2016 Mrs Sunderland Music Festival and has co-delivered organ and choral workshops with Prof. David Baker nationwide, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Since 2019, Caius has been a trustee for Awards for Young Musicians, and in July 2021, he helped deliver the Europa Cantat Festival in Slovenia. His commitment and passion for providing singing opportunities to disadvantaged areas have recently been recognised with a Royal Society of Arts (FRSA) Fellowship.

Since returning to Yorkshire, Caius is delighted to be the Music Director for the Bradford Chorale and the accompanist for York Musical Society. He is also a choral tutor for the Royal School of Church Music, Historically Informed Summer School; Oxford and Cambridge Singing School and is the Director of the Florence International Singing Programme. Aside from music, in his spare time, Caius enjoys travelling and athletics, having previously represented his county in national championships.

Tom grew up in Northumberland and began playing the piano aged 7 Again, although no other family members were musical he competed in music festivals and played the organ at church throughout his teenage years. Tom was fortunate to have had wonderful opportunities to perform during sixth form at school - solo, jazz band, musicals, including at concerts at The Sage Gateshead.

He went on to study piano performance at Huddersfield University, winning the department prize for an outstanding pianist following a performance of Poulenc Piano Concerto with the university orchestra Whilst at Huddersfield also he was rehearsal pianist for the opera module, accompanied other students for recitals and took part in chamber music performances of contemporary compositions.

Work as a musician has included teaching to a high level, accompanying professionally and in Higher Education Institutions, performing as a concerto soloist, recitalist, in musical theatre, and as a cocktail pianist. In addition, a large part of his current work is as a church musician, playing the organ throughout the area and directing a church choir. Tom has been accompanist at Bradford Chorale since 2014 working with several Musical Directors and assisting in leading rehearsals where necessary. He particularly enjoys the relaxed and friendly atmosphere, as well as gaining different insights and tips from Caius on choral direction and thinking through a piece of music in alternative ways to maximise musical outcomes

In addition, Tom teaches piano privately and accompanies professionally. He has a huge passion for liturgical music and is also the Director of Music at St Anne's RC Church in Keighley. Tom has been associated with the Bradford Chorale both as Musical Director and Accompanist for several years.

The Bradford Chorale is a registered charity no. 517197 and a member of:
For queries or further information please email: thebradfordchorale@gmail.com
or 'phone 01274 594659