Founded in 1863 by the Fathers of the Oratory, The London Oratory School is one of England's oldest and most distinguished Catholic state-funded boys’ schools, and a place where music, and especially choral music thrives. The school maintains a special focus on Catholic liturgy, and all boys learn how to sing plainchant and hymnody. There are three separate boys’ choirs, numerous orchestras, and 800 individual instrumental music lessons take place each week.

The CHAMBER CHOIR is comprised of about sixty Senior School boys and Sixth Form Girls. The choir sings at major liturgical events through the year, gives charity concerts, makes recordings and undertakes foreign tours. Recent destinations have included Normandy, Prague, Vienna and New York. The choir prepares a large scale work with orchestra each term, recently Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, and John Rutter’s Feel the Spirit.

James Speakman – Conductor

JAMES SPEAKMAN grew up in Liverpool, and following an Organ Scholarship at Liverpool Cathedral, he read Music at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, as Organ Scholar. James is now Assistant Director of Music at The London Oratory School, where he balances his academic teaching with directing the Chamber Choir, and other school ensembles. A prize-winning Associate of the Royal College of Organists, James recently took up the position of Organist & Director of Music at St John’s Church, Notting Hill, where he oversees the organ and choral scholarship programme and runs a musicians-in-residence scheme. He has recently given recitals in Oxford, and at Westminster Abbey.

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