It is an extraordinary privilege for us to be able to host the BBC Singers - one of the world’s greatest choirs - at King’s for the coming period. Their presence at the heart of the Strand Campus will be an inspiration for us all, students and staff, and the opportunities this brings King’s students in the Choir, the Music Department and beyond are unparalleled. We look forward to welcoming the Singers onto campus in June.”
Dr Joseph Fort, College Organist & Director of the Chapel Choir, and Senior Lecturer in Music at King's College London
03 June 2026
BBC Singers find new home in King's College London chapel
The BBC Singers will be moving their rehearsals to King’s College London where they will be using the College Chapel at the Strand as a temporary home.
The space will serve as a temporary base for rehearsals and recording sessions while they prepare to move into their new premises at East Bank on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, following their move from Maida Vale Studios.
The Singers will take up their new residency from mid-June but the chapel will continue to be shared with the Choir of King’s College London and the Chaplaincy. The partnership will offer future collaboration opportunities with King’s Choir. This shared environment is expected to strengthen creative partnerships and broaden the ensemble’s musical reach.
During their time in the Chapel, the Singers will be preparing for a number of flagship events, including the BBC Proms and their concerts across the UK. They will also record performances for BBC Radio 3, making full use of the venue’s acoustics and historic setting.
As we move from Maida Vale Studios and await our new home at East Bank on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, I’m delighted the BBC Singers will be relocating to King’s College London. The chapel will be an ideal space for the BBC Singers to make music. This move enhances the many exciting creative collaborations of the group and we look forward to working with students and staff at KCL on a variety of projects whilst we are based within the university."
Jonathan Manners, Director of the BBC Singers
About the BBC Singers
Renowned for their musicality and breadth of repertoire, the BBC Singers is one of the most versatile and sought after choral ensembles in the world. Since 1924, the ensemble has held a unique place at the heart of the UK’s choral scene, collaborating with many of the world’s leading composers, conductors and soloists.
The group records music for broadcast on BBC Radio 3 alongside work for other network radio, television and commercial release. It presents annual series of concerts at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama’s Milton Court Concert Hall, performs free concerts across London and appears at major festivals in the UK and abroad. The ensemble was awarded the Royal Philharmonic Society’s prestigious Ensemble Award in 2024.
Beyond concert broadcasting, the BBC Singers can be heard on a range of BBC Radio 3 podcasts and documentary programmes. Recent projects include recordings for The Music & Meditation Podcast and Key Changes: Radio 3’s Essential History of Classical Music. The Choir also lent their voices to the popular children’s programme Hey Duggee, appearing as guests on the show’s ‘The Choir Badge’ episode and released a Christmas single in 2023.
The BBC Singers is committed to championing new music and diverse creative voices. The Choir promotes a 50:50 gender policy for composers whose music it performs, and champions composers from all backgrounds. Recent concerts and recordings include music by Dame Judith Weir, Sir James MacMillan, Judith Bingham, Errollyn Wallen, Caroline Shaw, Shruthi Rajasekar, Cecilia McDowall, Nico Muhly, Bernard Hughes, Shiva Feshareki, Kim Porter, Cheryl Frances-Hoad, Deborah Pritchard, Thomas Hewitt Jones, Lucy Walker, Sven-David Sandström, among many others.
The BBC Singers work closely with communities through a programme of music education, outreach events and live performances. The Choir plays a key role in the BBC Get Singing music education initiative, recording audio tracks and performance videos for the programme aimed at encouraging young people aged 11-14 to sing together, both in and out of the classroom.
The BBC Singers appears annually at the BBC Proms, including its much-celebrated performances at the First Nights of the Proms and the Last Night of the Proms.
For details of upcoming concerts, including performances at the BBC Proms, visit https://www.bbc.co.uk/singers
About The Choir of King’s College London
The Choir of King’s College London is one of the leading university choirs in England, and has existed since its founding by William Henry Monk in the middle of the 19th century. The Choir today consists of some thirty Choral Scholars reading a variety of subjects. The Choir’s principal role at King’s is to provide music for Chapel worship, with weekly Eucharist and Evensong services offered during term, as well as various other services. Services from the College Chapel are regularly broadcast on BBC Radio. The Choir also frequently sings for worship outside the university, including at Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s Cathedral.
In addition, the Choir gives many concert performances. Recent festival appearances in England include the Barnes Music Festival, London Handel Festival, Oundle International Festival, St Albans International Organ Festival, Ryedale Festival, Spitalfields Festival, and the Christmas and Holy Week Festivals at St. John’s Smith Square. The Choir has made many recordings, and enjoys a longstanding relationship with Delphian Records. Recent recordings have been acclaimed in the press as ‘a performance of astonishing intensity and musicality’—Gramophone, ‘an intimate, highly charged performance’—The Observer, and ‘a colourful performance . . . Joseph Fort’s superbly drilled Choir of King’s College London singing with shedloads of oomph’—theartsdesk.com.
In this story
Senior Lecturer and Director of Performance, Admissions Tutor