Jervaulx Singers Set for Welsh Debut with Swansea Bach Choir at Margam Abbey

A rising force in the UK’s choral scene is heading to Wales this spring, as the acclaimed Jervaulx Singers prepare to make their Welsh debut alongside the Swansea Bach Choir at Margam Abbey, Port Talbot, in early March.

Founded in 2021 and based in North Yorkshire, the professional ensemble has quickly built a national reputation. Their recent Christmas album earned multiple broadcasts on BBC Radio 3, where Breakfast presenter Tom McKinney praised them as “a top-quality choir”. The recording also secured a place in Gramophone Magazine’s Christmas Listening List, further cementing their growing profile. Their performances and recordings are available across YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music.

The visit to Wales forms part of the choir’s ambitious 2025–26 season, which focuses on collaboration with amateur choirs across the UK. Each partnership culminates in a joint performance featuring two major contemporary works: Footsteps by Owain Park and Everyone Sang by baritone-composer Roderick Williams.

Park’s Footsteps follows the emotional journey of a solitary traveller repeatedly displaced before finding peace under the guidance of the stars. Known for its vivid musical colours and dramatic pacing, the piece has become a favourite with audiences. Williams’ Everyone Sang offers a contrasting structure, weaving together three separate texts and melodies that gradually build into a powerful, layered finale.

The programme was most recently performed for York Concerts at the University of York with two local choirs. The next staging brings the project to Swansea, where Jervaulx Singers will join forces with the Swansea Bach Choir on Saturday 7 March 2026 at 4pm, set against the atmospheric backdrop of Margam Abbey. The collaboration also carries a personal connection: Jervaulx Singers’ director has known Swansea Bach Choir’s conductor, Greg Hallam, for many years, having worked together on a workplace choir since student days.

The Welsh weekend continues with a second performance in Cardiff. On Sunday 8 March at 2pm, the choir will appear at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama’s Dora Stoutzker Hall, presenting a live rendition of their debut album Les Chansons des Roses. The programme blends choral works, solo songs and staged opera scenes, all themed around roses and the natural world.

With two contrasting concerts and a commitment to working closely with local singers, the Jervaulx Singers’ first Welsh tour promises to be a highlight of the spring arts calendar.