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 nineteenth 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 offered during term, as well as various other services. Services from the 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 the UK include the Barnes Music Festival, Cowbridge Music Festival, London Handel Festival, Oundle International Festival, Presteigne Festival of the Arts, Ryedale Festival, St Albans International Organ Festival, Spitalfields Festival, and the Christmas and Holy Week Festivals at St. John’s Smith Square. The choir enjoys a longstanding relationship with the English Chamber Orchestra, which in 2025 became Ensemble in Residence at King’s. The choir tours widely, with recent destinations including Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Nigeria and the USA.
The choir has made many recordings, in particular for Delphian Records.
Recent recordings include portrait discs of music by contemporary composers Kristina Arakelyan, Kerensa Briggs and Edward Nesbit (the latter recognised as Gramophone ‘Editor’s Choice’). Their recordings have also championed the music of twentieth- century British composers such as Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Gustav Holst and Kenneth Leighton. These recordings have received wide critical acclaim; one was described as ‘a performance of astonishing intensity and musicality’ (Marc Rochester, Gramophone). The choir was the partner choir for Choir & Organ magazine’s 2023 New Music Series.
Following some twenty years under the leadership of David Trendell, the choir has been directed since 2015 by Joseph Fort.