GAUDEAMUS

Gaudeamus is a chamber choir of about 28 voices, based in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex.  Since we were founded in 1988 we have grown from strength to strength and have developed a reputation as one of the elite choirs of Essex.  We sing a wide range of music, from the middle ages to the present day, unaccompanied and accompanied by piano, organ, or orchestra, but we are particularly noted for our unaccompanied a cappella singing, be that Byrd, Bach, Stanford, or Cole Porter.  You can hear some of our music here.  In our local area we perform at many churches including St Mary’s Prittlewell in Southend, Highlands Methodist Church, St Clement’s in Leigh-on-Sea, and Barling, and on a lighter note, outdoor concerts at Southend Bandstage.  Further afield we have gone on many well-received international concert tours.

For the latest news and more photos, please see our Facebook page.    

Lunchtime Concert Chelmsford Cathedral

Friday 9th October 2026 at 12 noon

Come and listen to us in the wonderful acoustic of the cathedral.  There is free entry and tea and coffee are served from 11.30am. 

Programme:

Fyer, fyer                                                      Thomas Morley           

April is in my mistress’ face                     Thomas Morley                                                           

It was a lover and his lass                         Thomas Morley

Four Quartets op.92                                   Johannes Brahms

    O schöne Nacht             O beautiful night

    Spätherbst                       Late autumn

    Abendlied                         Evening song

    Warum?                             Why?

Songbird                                                       Sarah Quartel

Slow motion time                                        Guy Hopper

Nocturnes                                                      Morton Lauridsen

    Soneto de la noche       Song of the night

    Sure on this shining night      

Belgium Concert Tour May 2026

Following a successful concert at St Alban the Martyr Church, Westcliff on Sea, we took our programme to Belgium!

Sing, Choirs Of Angels

Our Christmas concert in 2025 was on Sunday 14th December at St James The Less, Hadleigh.

That concert was in aid of Friends Of Hadleigh Church, and included traditional carols and

Christmas music, along with seasonal refreshments.

A Musical History Tour

A Musical History Tour, was on Saturday 27th September 2025 at 7:30pm at St Michael The Archangel, Woodham Walter.

That concert was in aid of the church building and we celebrated music from the thirteenth century to the present day.   The programme therefore included a wide selection of styles and eras such as Parson’s Ave Maria, the Magnificat from Howell’s Gloucester service, a Beatles arrangement, and a new arrangement by Ruth Brown of Sam Ryder’s Spaceman.

Music And Art Combine

Our Summer concert in 2024 was a really exciting venture with Leigh Art Trail on Thursday July 4th.

Beautiful art and music combined, exploring the themes and ideas of nature and the spiritual.

The music showcased our wide repertoire, including, amongst others,  Lux aurumque (Whitacre), Summertime (Gershwin), Fyer, Fyer  (Morley), As torrents in summer (Elgar), and Blow, Blow thou Winter Wind (Rutter).

Click here for more details on our future concerts.

“The choir had crisp, incisive diction, produced a range of vocal colour, and their faithful attention to dynamic markings was impressive.  You would need to go quite a long way to hear finer a cappella singing in Essex.”

— Essex Chronicle