About the Choir

Imperial College Chamber Choir is the flagship choir of Imperial College London, based in South Kensington, London.

Formed in 1997 as a select group within Imperial College Choir, it became an independent society in 2011 and has since grown into one of London’s leading student ensembles. The choir is made up of 31 undergraduate and postgraduate singers and is directed by Patrick Allies (conductor since 2023). Its work spans regular concerts, services, broadcasts, and recordings at Imperial’s South Kensington campus and further afield.

Each term, the choir presents at least one major concert. Recent highlights include Howells’ Requiem, Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, and Buxtehude’s Membra Jesu Nostri with musicians from the Royal College of Music, as well as Handel’s Solomon in collaboration with Oxford’s Baroque Players and Somerville College Choir. The choir released its debut album, Perihelion, in 2023, and recorded a second CD in 2025 for release in the coming academic year. Since 2014, ICCC has also sung regular evensong at Holy Trinity Church, Prince Consort Road, and in 2024 made its first appearance on BBC Radio 3’s Choral Evensong.

Rehearsals take place on Tuesday evenings, typically followed by a visit to the Union Bar. Alongside its musical endeavours, the choir also enjoys a lively social activity, with events such as curry nights, Christmas dinners, game nights, and numerous events for choir alumni. Beyond the choir’s South Kensington base, our annual activities include an introductory weekend away in the first term, a UK tour at Easter, and a week-long summer tour abroad. Recent tours have taken the choir to Italy (2022), Spain (2023), Estonia and Finland (2024), and most recently Switzerland (2025).

The choir was established by Therees Hibbard (now associate Professor of Choral Music at St. Olaf College, Minnesota), and has since been led by a distinguished line of conductors: Jessica Gillingwater (2007–2011), Will Glendinning (2011–2018), Jack Apperley (2018–2023), and now Patrick Allies.