Bradford Festival Choral Society Wins National Award For Programming Innovation

One of Yorkshire’s oldest choirs has been recognised on the national stage for its trailblazing approach to repertoire. Bradford Festival Choral Society (BFCS), founded in 1856, has won the inaugural Making Music UK Diverse Programming Award, announced on 24 September by the UK’s membership body for over 4,000 choirs, orchestras and music groups.

The award celebrates BFCS’s authentic and ambitious programming, including the Northern premiere of Reena Esmail’s This Love Between Us with the Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra, South Asian soloists, sitar and tabla — a collaboration audiences described as “a revelation.”

Thomas Leech, Musical Director of BFCS, said: “This award celebrates our commitment to programming music that reflects the richness of today’s world, but for us it’s also about who gets to hear it. We want our concerts to be open and welcoming to everyone.”

Alongside its artistic innovation, the choir is committed to broadening access to classical music across Bradford, partnering with local organisations to welcome refugees, asylum seekers and young people into its audiences.

📅 Upcoming performance
Handel’s Messiah at St George’s Hall, Bradford
Saturday 15 November, 7pm
Ticket link