Our Choir
We are an enthusiastic mixed voice choir of between 40 and 50 members. Some members join us for the full year of events, whilst others take part in specific performances. We welcome the full vocal range of singers, of all ages. Our only pre-requisite for joining is that you love to sing!
We are always looking for new members. If you want to find out about joining us, read more about this here.
We often sing with South Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra.
We also invite high quality soloists to perform with us.
We enjoy welcoming children from Froggatt Young Singers to sing with us from time to time.
Our Patron
For many years we have welcomed the Duchess of Devonshire as our Patron. We are thrilled to have both her and the Duke’s support and dedicated presence at many of our concerts as well as the impact their notoriety provides to the choir.
In her words
“I am delighted and honoured to be President of Bakewell Choral Society. I much enjoy attending the varied programmes of both church and classical music that the Society presents throughout the year. It is wonderful to have such an active choir in our local community and since its formation in 1978 it has gone from strength to strength and long may it continue”.
Musical Director & Conductor -
Alan Eost
Bakewell Choral Society appointed Alan Eost as Musical Director and Conductor in January 2013. He has extensive experience as a performer, teacher, organist and choirmaster.
At 15, Alan became one of the youngest ever Associates of the Royal College of Music and, two years, later an Associate of the Royal College of Organists. He read Mathematics and Music at Cambridge gaining an M.A degree and, a year later, gained his Cert. Ed. from the London University Institute of Education
Alan taught Music at King Edward VII School, Sheffield, and then became Head of the Music Department at the school in 1980. Since 1987 he has worked as a freelance musician as a teacher and performer and taught piano at Sheffield University until 2006. He is a member of staff at the Sheffield Music School.
He has performed professionally as a pianist, organist and harpsichord player both as a soloist and an accompanist to singers including Elizabeth Watts and Margaret McDonald. He has worked with the City of Sheffield Girls’ Choir, the National Youth Choir and several Choral Societies in the North Midlands and North of England.
He has been Organist and Choirmaster of several Sheffield churches including a long association with St. John’s Church, Abbeydale. He has been the Conductor of Hallam Singers, the madrigal group Cantores, Endcliffe Orchestra, Doncaster Choral Society and continues as the well known Musical Director and Conductor of Sheffield Oratorio Chorus.
Other Choirs
On occasion we are supported by singers from various choirs across the county, including:
Sheffield Oratorio Chorus, Derbyshire Singers and Derby Bach Choir.