The Zemel Choir, established by Dudley Cohen in 1955, is proud of its international reputation as one of the world’s finest mixed voice Jewish choirs. Our wide-ranging repertoire embraces all the traditional Jewish cultures: Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Yiddish and Israeli. We regularly perform in major venues throughout the U.K. and overseas, and besides singing well known favourites, are particularly proud to present new music, often specially commissioned, from contemporary composers.

 In November 2005 the Choir celebrated its Golden Anniversary with a concert at St. John’s, Smith Square

TV and Radio appearances include the 1986 live television and radio broadcast of Kaddish at Terezin from Canterbury Cathedral, the Expressions of Reconciliation and Hope service in York Minster in 1990, the special edition of Radio 4’s Sunday Worship in January 2001, when we were chosen to represent the British Jewish community as part of the Holocaust Day commemoration and most recently in January 2005 participating in BBC1’s Songs of Praise, The Holocaust Remembered.

 Over the years we have made many recordings, the most recent of which – The English Tradition of Jewish Choral Music conducted by Robert Max with cantor Moshe Haschel – was described by music critic Malcolm Miller as “a fascinating and beautifully performed selection of synagogue music from the 19^th and 20^th centuries”.

 We have travelled extensively to the U.S.A., Canada, Israel, and Eastern and Western Europe, and in 1993 participated in the Polish Holocaust Memorial ceremonies in Warsaw and Treblinka to commemorate the 50^th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. At the 1996 Zimriyah Choral Festival in Jerusalem we were invited to sing at the opening ceremony concert, which was broadcast live on Israel Radio. In October 2001 we made a most successful tour of The Czech Republic and Hungary.

Last year included a tour to Belgium, France and Luxembourg, concerts in and around London and our ‘Celebrate with Song’ workshops and concert.  This year we will be making a recording in March followed by a second 'Celebrate with Song' and other concerts..

The Choir has maintained its reputation as a result of professional musical direction and a strong commitment to rehearsals by its members. We come together not only to sing, but also to be part of a warm and friendly social group. We are always happy to welcome new members, especially altos and tenors.

To find out more about us, phone our Membership Secretary, Doreen Havardi on 020-8868 8423.