Chanticleer Singers is a mixed-voice choir of musicians, who have a love of singing and a wide range of music from the medieval era to contemporary works. Although we do concentrate mainly on classical and sacred music, we also enjoy singing a lighter repertoire, including popular and folk music and songs from the shows.
The choir gives concerts mainly in North Yorkshire but we have sung all over the UK in many different venues - from stately homes to cathedrals - and have also performed in France, the Netherlands and Ireland. Since its inception, the choir has given hundreds of concerts in very many different venues, has made recordings and broadcast on radio and television and built a reputation for good music and a broad repertoire.
In a typical year the choir gives four or five concerts in the local area and further afield, including the always popular Candlelit Carols concerts when we sing in the beautiful St. Mary’s Priory Church, Old Malton. We also organise Open Rehearsals and if you're interested in joining a mixed voice choir, do come along and try us out - we're a friendly group!
We have also held a number of hugely enjoyable and well-supported Come & Sing days, when anyone can book to join us in learning a piece during the day and performing it at the end of the afternoon. One highlight event was in 2019, when we performed the Fauré Requiem, led by Nigel Perrin, a former member of the King’s Singers and former Director of the Bath Bach Choir, as our Guest Director.
When possible, we are happy to collaborate with other groups and also to sing services and for charity fundraising, other special events and weddings. If you would like to talk to us about a special event, please do get in touch (details on the contact page).
The choir had its roots in the Malton Singers and first met to revive that group in 1975. It had a number of conductors, including Andrew Carter, now our President, for a time and subsequently David Turmeau took over as Musical Director. The choir, then just 16 voices, adopted the name Chanticleer Singers, after the singing cockerel in Chaucer's 'Canterbury Tales', which escaped a tricky situation with a fox by 'singing clearly'.
The group met as an evening class at Norton School but in 1976 David's work led him to take up the post of Head of Music at King James’ Grammar School in Knaresborough and Jane Sturmheit was approached to take over. At the time, she was Head of Music at Lady Lumley’s School, Pickering, and so began the happy association which continued until 2023, when she retired from the post in March and William Dore then joined us as Musical Director. The choir used to rehearse in the Saville Street Methodist Church (now the Wesley Centre), where it met for some years before moving to St. Leonard’s Church Hall in Malton. Now, following the recent extensive refurbishment of the Wesley Centre, the choir is looking forward to performing in this beautiful building in summer 2024 and developing a close relationship with the Centre.
In April 2023 the choir was delighted to welcome William Dore as our Musical Director. A choral director with many years’ experience, he has worked with singers of all ages.
William read music at Jesus College, Oxford, where, as Organ Scholar, he studied organ with Nicolas Kynaston and John Wellingham. He was Organ Scholar at Norwich Cathedral before taking up teaching posts at Ipswich School and Ampleforth College. He was appointed as Abbey Organist at Ampleforth in September 2005 and has performed as accompanist and organ recitalist throughout the UK, Europe and in south-east Asia. He also works as a freelance accompanist and teacher (piano and organ), mostly in the north of England.
As a soloist and continuo player, William has worked with the orchestra of Opera North, the Ryedale Festival, Manchester Camerata and ‘Sounds Baroque’ for the Northern Aldborough Festival. He has recorded a disc for Priory records at Ampleforth - The Influence of Plainsong - which includes works by Tournemire, Demessieux and Philip Moore.
William also founded and directed the Ampleforth and Ryedale Concert Choir for 12 years, performing a number of major choral works, including Monteverdi’s Vespers and Haydn’s Creation, and directed the Ampleforth Schola Cantorum. He is an accredited teacher at the Royal College of Organists, for which he presents masterclasses, and some of his students have won organ scholarships to top universities and cathedrals.
William retired as Organist and Head of Keyboard at Ampleforth in September 2023, but continues performing as a freelance musician.
We are very fortunate to be able to call on a number of accompanists both to play with us and also to perform themselves.
Geoffrey Coffin grew up in a household where music was encouraged and early tuition on the piano, and later the violin and organ, established firm foundations on which to build. With inspirational music teaching at junior school and then, under Eric Merriman’s guidance at King Edward VI Grammar School in Southampton, an appreciation of choral music quickly developed. Besides the chance to sing in church and school choirs, there were opportunities to play in public on keyboard instruments both in solo and accompanying roles. Fortnightly trips to Winchester Cathedral for organ lessons with Alwyn Surplice were a special highlight!
Geoffrey was privileged to be appointed organ scholar at Emmanuel College, Cambridge from 1965–68 and studied with Sir David Willcocks. On leaving university he worked as Administrator of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain (having been awarded a place as a general musician in the Orchestra whilst at school) and moved to York in 1971, when he was appointed assistant organist to the legendary Dr. Francis Jackson at York Minster.
Playing organs has long been combined with making them and Geoffrey established Principal Pipe Organs in York in 1983. His talented team has restored an extensive variety of instruments, and built many new ones, and remains in demand across the UK. Robin Dickson, his senior colleague since 1984, took over the running of the firm (now called York Pipe Organs) in 2017.
Geoffrey says: “The opportunity of working with many of York’s excellent solo instrumentalists, singers and choirs over 50 years has provided immense satisfaction. In particular, accompanying the Chanticleer Singers, under Jane Sturmheit’s inspired direction, has proved a very happy and fruitful association for some decades now! Long may choirs of this stature flourish and, importantly, keep the art of music making vibrant and alive for the future.”
The choir has been delighted to have Paul Laidlaw with us a number of times over the years. He is an amazing pianist and his highly individual style and formidable technique have brought him countless recitals as a soloist in this country and around the world. He has been Musical Director for numerous productions, including Noel and Gertie in Vienna, The Englishman Amused in Canada and West Side Story for the National Theatre of Kenya.
For five years Paul was Artistic Director of the renowned ARTTS International Theatre and Television Training College. Recently, he wrote the orchestral arrangements and was conductor of the Northern Sinfonia Orchestra for a Gala Concert in aid of the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation with guest artists including Joe McElderry, Mark Knopfler and Russell Watson.
In a diverse career Paul was awarded a Gold Disc for his work as arranger and conductor on the Lindisfarne album Dingly Dell and he directed the recording of Britten’s opera Albert Herring with Dame Josephine Barstow. In 2008 he was appointed Musical Director of the famous Scarborough Spa Orchestra and with them has given over 1,000 concerts with singers including Lesley Garrett, Marilyn Hill Smith and Alfie Boe.
The choir is very fortunate to have Andrew Carter, composer and founder of the Chapter House Choir, York, as its President and Canon John Manchester, formerly Vicar of St. Mary’s Priory Church, Old Malton, as its Vice President. We very much welcome and appreciate their support.
We also have a very loyal audience and some of their comments have been:
The Chanticleer Singers are true musical ambassadors in many ways. When making such wonderful sounds in various sacred and secular places, their music seems the ideal complement to those glorious vistas in a rather special part of Yorkshire, and when they sing elsewhere, they then take something of the warmth of the region with them.
The Chanticleer Singers brought a warm & friendly atmosphere to the [wedding] service and this, together with their superb singing, helped to make the ceremony particularly meaningful & memorable for everyone present.
The sparkle and life they bring to whatever genre they sing never fails to make an audience realise that music does indeed stir the soul. Long may they continue to enchant listeners and encourage more of us to join them.