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About Dorking Choral Society

We are an active, non-auditioned choir of about 90 singers, who rehearse in Dorking, aspiring to a high standard of performance with our professional conductor and musicians. We are proud of our heritage and repertoire, which continues to evolve and is a joy to sing. Our performance programmes include iconic choral masterpieces and traditional carols, as well as more contemporary works, opera choruses, madrigals, folk songs, jazz classics and newly commissioned pieces – with inspiring collaborations and an occasional dash of the unexpected! Having celebrated our 100th year anniversary in 2022, we are very excited for the Society’s future.

Although we are a non-auditioned, amateur choir, we aspire to a high standard under the dynamic Musical Directors we work with. We attract new members because of our warm welcome, our standard of singing and our attitude towards making music together. It’s fun!

Many of our members are musically knowledgeable, so the scholars help to support newly returning singers or those seeking to sing for the first time. We perform two accompanied concerts ourselves in November and July, and a Christmas concert in December (often with a local children’s choir). We also compete and sing in the Leith Hill Music Festival each spring. 2026 was our most successful year ever, with a total of 7 wins out of every available category. This included the highest mark for an individual class and the highest overall aggregate – both awards across the whole 2-day competition.

Overview of the scholarships

Dorking Choral Society has created a set of four Choral Scholarships — one for each voice part — to be musical leaders and ambassadors for DCS. They are singers who have completed secondary or university education and are either looking to develop their professional singing career or looking for a way to enrich their professional life through continued singing activity. While serving as section leaders for each voice part, the choral scholars also have opportunities to sing solos, lead warm-ups or small sectionals, and generally develop their musical leadership skills in a supportive environment with a professional musical team. We are currently offering scholarships for a bass, tenor and alto.

Responsibilities/Duties

• Be musical leaders for the voice sections of DCS
• Singing in concerts throughout the year, including the Leith Hill Music Festival (LHMF) competition and evening concert
• This might include singing solos in concerts, workshops or in the LHMF competition
• Prepare for and attend regular rehearsals, plus any additional rehearsals by arrangement with the Music Director
• Prepare for and perform in a proposed new Choral Scholar benefit concert
• Maintain a positive relationship with funders, including at least one handwritten letter per year
• Any other tasks as reasonably requested by the Music Director

Terms

Scholars will be expected to attend a minimum of 85% of term-time rehearsals, as well as singing in DCS’s 3 concerts unless dispensation is given by the Musical Director. Rehearsals are usually Wednesday nights from 19.30 – 21.30 and during the day of the concert, plus any additional pre-concert rehearsals called by the Musical Director. Concert dates will be provided 12 months in advance.

In addition, we will also require scholars to participate in the Leith Hill Music Festival day – comprising of a competition in the morning, followed by the pre-concert rehearsal in the afternoon for the performance in the evening. The LHMF day is usually mid April.

Participation in any additional events (e.g. those in which the choir is invited to sing) is encouraged

All coaching and mentoring will be the responsibility of our Musical Director, who will also provide ongoing appraisal with DCS’s committee input/feedback as necessary.

Scholars receive £40 per rehearsal (approximately 13 for the 3 main terms, and 4 for Christmas), £100 per concert and £140 for a solo within a concert performance. Invoices are submitted on a monthly basis and payment will be a month in arrears.

Application

Candidates are asked to apply via email to the DCS Chair at:
dcschairmen@gmail.com with the following:

• A CV
• A 2-3 minute recording of your voice
• A cover letter outlining why you are interested in applying for a choral scholarship with Dorking Choral Society and describing your long-term singing goals

Audition Procedure

Applicants will be notified whether they have been shortlisted via email. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to audition and interview in Dorking, on a mutually convenient date.

For further information, please contact dcschairmen@gmail.com

We are thrilled to announce that at this year’s Leith Hill Music Festival (10th & 11th April), Dorking Choral Society won every category available for Friday’s competition - Division 1. In addition, across both days of the festival, we achieved the highest mark for a single category (Living Composer) and the highest overall aggregate score, by some margin. We are immensely proud of this achievement which is our best ever performance for this competition. The other choirs in the festival are tough adversaries, so we were thrilled to have been judged to be the best choir in 2026. Congratulations DCS!

Here’s a message from Justin Doyle, our President (currently Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the RIAS Kammerchor, Berlin)

Dear DCS
“Fantastic news to hear about your Leith Hill successes. I’m not at all surprised and am very proud of you all. It’s great to see the choir leading such a strong field and keeping choral music so wonderfully alive. Well done! And I can’t wait to see you all in July” *

(* 11th July – Justin is running our singing workshop for Bach’s Magnificat)

Dorking Choral Society has returned from a memorable concert tour of Romania, where they performed in some of the country’s most historic and atmospheric venues.

The tour began in Brașov, where the choir gave a moving performance of Mozart’s Requiem in the majestic Black Church, one of the most significant Gothic buildings in Eastern Europe. A recording of this performance is available to view on YouTube.

Next, the choir visited the charming UNESCO-listed village of Viscri, where they toured The King’s House and collaborated with the local village choir for a joyful joint performance in the fortified church, steeped in centuries of history.

The tour culminated in Sibiu, as part of the renowned FITS25 Sibiu International Theatre Festival (Sibfest). Dorking Choral Society again performed Mozart’s Requiem, this time in the Lutheran Cathedral, with the concert streamed live on the Sibfest website to international audiences.

The tour was a celebration of musical connection, cultural exchange, and artistic collaboration, and will be long remembered by choir members and audiences alike.