Welcome to Ilkley Choral Society and Otley Choral Society
Both are long-established four-part choirs of around eighty members each. We are much-loved local societies, celebrating classical choral works. We perform together, staging four concerts each year with professional soloists and accompanists, and often with an orchestra.
We’re privileged to be led and supported by a team of professional musicians of the highest calibre: our Musical Director Alex Kyle and our accompanists Robert Sudall (Ilkley) and Anthony Gray (Otley).
We warmly welcome new members: there are no auditions, but a singing ability and some knowledge of reading music are very helpful. We rehearse on Monday evenings in Ilkley and Tuesday evenings in Otley. Both choirs are especially keen to increase the number of tenor and bass voices, and ladies who sing in a lower range are welcome in the tenor section. For further information about membership please see here for Ilkley Choral Society or here for Otley Choral Society.
** Latest News **
Our next concert is this Saturday! We’re excited to be performing Haydn’s “Nelson Mass” and Durufle’s “Requiem” on 14th November at Otley Parish Church, with an orchestra and four soloists. Get your tickets here, or from the Grove Bookshop Ilkley and Bookshop on the Square Otley. You can find details of this and all our future programme here.
From next week 16th and 17th November we will make a start on rehearsals for this year’s “Messiah”, to be performed on Saturday 12th December in Ilkley. Always a popular sell-out event!
We welcomed a number of new members in September. If you think you might like to try singing with either of our choirs please get in touch at any time – see Contact page for email addresses.
We also appointed two new 2026/7 Conducting Scholars – Elinor Johns and Jan Hinde. Elinor is working with Ilkley and Jan with Otley Choral Society. We are enjoying working with both of them and look forward to a rewarding year for them and us!
