Latest news
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.
