London (Central)

‘London's biggest and broadest celebration of all things choral - and we mean everything! ... Brandenburg Choral Festival exists as a platform for amateur choirs to perform in Central London venues. St Martin-in-the-Fields is at the artistic, spiritual and geographical heart of the Festival. Our other venues range from the characterful Cheshire Cheese pub to the Royal Courts of Justice ... With two main seasons each year — the Spring Series and the Autumn Series — Brandenburg presents over a hundred concerts of unparalleled variety.’

Held September - November: 'The Festival is dedicated to Bhai Gurmit Singh Ji Virdee (1937-2005), an inspirational teacher of the tabla in whose memory the Darbar Festival was first established in 2006. Come to the Darbar Festival and explore some of the finest improvised music in the world. If you have never been to an Indian classical concert, then join us to experience this life enhancing music.'

'The London English Song Festival (LESF) was founded in 2011 under the direction of conductor and pianist William Vann to promote and celebrate the performance and knowledge of the wide and varied repertoire of English Song and Oratorio in London and throughout the U.K. ... The LESF has grown from strength to strength following our early performances at The Forge in Camden, and we now attract a wealth of internationally renowned artists and stage performances at major London concert halls.'

Held Late October: ‘London’s most prestigious guitar festival with a wonderful series of concerts, international artist debuts, our Young Artist Platform, new music commissions, workshops and foyer events at Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Milton Court Concert Hall, Kings Place and St James’ Church Piccadilly.’

'This exceptional opportunity offers choirs of young voices the chance to sing tailored performances to the individual capabilities of the singers to enthusiastic audiences in amazing London venues. During the Festival each choir performs their repertoire at different venues on two occasions. The venues are specifically chosen to reflect the size, singing style and repertoire of each group and are an integral part of the LNYDP Festival Series.'

Held Mid July: ‘A uniquely inspired annual four day performing arts event, including adjudicated concerts, masterclasses with world-class experts and formal performances across London ... It is open to amateur ensembles of all musical and performing arts disciplines, including choral, instrumental ensembles and dance groups ... We use a number of different locations in London for our festival, including prestigious churches, outside spaces and community venues, all based on the needs and requirements of our ensembles.’

Held Mid May: ‘A Non-Competitive Festival for all Choirs, sacred or secular, large or small, singing a repertoire of their own choice.’

‘A festival experience, in celebration of the saxophone through concerts, film, workshops and more. Bringing together lovers of the saxophone, worldwide musicians, music fans and students alike. This pioneering festival is for Londoners and visitors to celebrate, appreciate and learn more about the saxophone.’ Held Late May - Early June.

‘Jazz With Pzazz! ... A vibrant group of Polish singers based in London ... Marta Mathea Radwan founded Alle Choir in 2015 in response to a commission from the European Commission ... Since then, they’ve added jazz classics, modern vocal compositions and traditional material to their repertoire – mostly a cappella, occasionally with cool instrumental backing. Between them, this group of singers have decades of experience making music in many styles, working as soloists and musicians. As Alle Choir, they like nothing better than jamming together on a Friday night or on stage.‘

‘An enthusiastic orchestra covering a pretty wide age range (many of us are recent graduates). We aim to play challenging and exciting repertoire in an informal and relaxed atmosphere and perform a wide range of works for chamber orchestra, also spreading our wings into larger works from time to time ... We usually expect potential players to be of Grade 8+ standard or equivalent. Most years we put on 3-4 concerts with a run of 3 or 4 all-day or afternoon rehearsals in advance. These take place at a variety of central London venues on Saturdays or Sundays although we occasionally do a Friday night rehearsal before a Saturday concert. While most of our concerts take place on Saturday nights, in recent years we have presented some concerts on Saturday or Sunday afternoons, so that families can attend.’

'The Ernest Read Symphony Orchestra (ERSO) was founded in 1931 by Ernest Read, a pioneer in the development of music education and youth orchestras during the first half of the 20th century ... Read’s daughter and son-in-law ran ERSO for many years after his death and following their retirement in 1998, the charity Music Illuminated was founded to manage ERSO and continue Ernest Read’s work ... ERSO presents a series of five concerts each year, combining high quality performance with an approachable style of presentation.'

Formed 2016: ‘A group of elite London-based young musicians ... The orchestra is made up of musicians from conservatoires and universities across the country. At its inception, the players were drawn from London’s junior conservatoire departments, and the orchestra continues to grow from that beginning. Fantasia Orchestra presents regular concerts in London, performing an eclectic range of music ... some of the highest level of music-making by young people in the country. Our exciting seasons of concerts and projects allows us to perform a huge range of repertoire, and champion new music as well as the Western canon. Alongside our programme of concerts, we do outreach work with primary schools to foster a passion for music-making from an early age.’

'Since 2007, award-winning a cappella sensation In the Smoke has been bringing the cream of London’s vocal talent to audiences across the capital and beyond. All of In the Smoke‘s repertoire is arranged specially for the group by our members, making the most of our unique versatility and talents ...'

‘The mission of the LCS is to champion the riches of the choral and orchestral repertoire with its chamber-sized forces, through stimulating and thought-provoking programmes. The ensemble is made up of outstanding professional musicians, delivering the highest levels of classical music making. From the Renaissance to the present day, the LCS has a varied repertoire encompassing well-known major works as well as seeking to uncover lesser-known pieces and showcasing new compositions.’

‘Draws together London’s brightest young talent to explore and promote new music to an increasingly wide audience. Formed in 2008, the LCO has worked alongside a distinguished array of composers and artists ...’

‘We are an LGBT wind orchestra of around 40 woodwind, brass and percussion players based in central London. Our players come from a mix of backgrounds and playing abilities, from professional musicians, to people rediscovering an instrument they played at school. And of course, everything in between. Our musical aim is to be both fun and challenging. We want to encourage improving musicianship in an enjoyable and supporting environment. We play a wide variety of music to suit our diversity, including band classics, orchestral arrangements, show tunes and of course, the odd bit of Abba and Madonna.’

‘Established primarily to offer performance opportunities to accomplished individuals who have trained as musicians but might have gone on to progress in other fields ... We're proud to be a bit different.​ Our musicians don't pay membership fees to do what they love. We want the orchestra to be accessible to all the music makers of this wonderful city. The orchestra has graduates from Conservatoires and Universities all over the country and we're lucky to be joined by players from the London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra and John Wilson Orchestra on occasion.  We have a no-nonsense approach to concerts and can be found doing unusual things.’

‘One of the largest open community choirs in the city, enables people who enjoy singing to meet socially while developing their voice – with uplifting material including gospel, pop, jazz, funk, soul, and the root of it all, African song. London is home to people from all over the world, and we celebrate this diversity in a welcoming and fun environment. LIGC is open to all. We hold weekly rehearsals in Stratford, Notting Hill and Highbury and Islington, and new singers are always welcome – get in touch!’

‘The largest professional tango group in the country, a real "orquesta tipica" uniting leading UK tango musicians with players from Argentina. The orchestra was founded in 2009 by Caroline Pearsall and is the first of its kind in the UK. The orchestra performs music from the rich repertoire of tango, old and new, sharing its love of tango music through concerts, milongas and workshops and cultural exchanges between musicians from Europe, USA and Argentina.’

‘Strives to perform professional-quality 20th century and contemporary works with a variety of guest conductors and up-and-coming soloists ... Has been widely described as London’s finest non-professional symphony orchestra. Founded in 1963, we continue to put on high-quality performances of a broad range of symphonic repertoire, with three central London concerts per year (autumn, spring and summer) as well as other external events ... The orchestra is named after violinist, composer and impresario Johann Peter Salomon who brought Haydn to England 1791. This name reflected the predominance of Haydn in the orchestra's early repertoire. Since then the orchestra has become known for its performance of late romantic and 20th Century works.‘

‘One London Choir. Nine Locations ... West End Musical Choir is the most exciting adult musical theatre choir in London! We host weekly rehearsals learning classic and new musical theatre numbers, uniquely led by professional Musical Directors from the West End. ... No audition, no need to read sheet music and no pressure to perform. Join the most diverse Choir community, having weekly social events, regular theatre trips and amazing performance opportunities.’