Wells Cathedral Oratorio Society (WCOS) was founded in 1896 and is one of the Southwest’s leading choral societies. It performs the great choral works with some of the UK’s finest soloists and professional orchestras in the glorious surroundings of ‘The Queen of English Cathedrals’.
Numbering around 100 voices, WCOS gives three concerts a year, which from January 2023 will be the direction of Alexander Hamilton, Acting Director of Music at Wells Cathedral.
In past years, the society has performed many of the major oratorios and choral concert works. For a complete list of previous concerts, please click here. For a complete list of past works performed, please click here.
WCOS hosts an annual Come and Sing day, to which any singers are welcome to learn and perform a work from scratch, in just a few hours.
Chorus rehearsals are on Monday evenings in the Cathedral from September to June and generally follow Wells Cathedral School's term times.
New singers are always welcome to apply to join the choir. Why not join us?
Wells Cathedral Nave, c.1890
Wells Cathedral Oratorio Society was founded in 1896.
In 1988 it registered as a charity, with the following charitable objectives:
To educate the public in the art and science of music and in particular the art and science of choral music by the presentation of choral concerts and other related activities.
Assist and further such charitable institutions and charitable purposes as the committee shall from time to time determine.
The Society has a close relationship with Wells Cathedral, but it is constitutionally independent of it.