Welcome to the West Dorset Singers!

We are a friendly choral society in Bridport, West Dorset, with a strong tradition of performing the finest choral works from the Baroque to the modern day. Our new term begins on Tuesday 15th September 2026, with new members always welcome to attend.

This year's repertoire includes highlights of Handel's Messiah in our Christmas concert, and Haydn's Creation in May.

Our 2026/27 concert season...

Christmas Concert, including highlights of Handel's Messiah

Saturday 19th December 2026, 3pm • Bridport United Church

Join us for a festive afternoon of choral classics, with highlights from Handel's Messiah alongside other seasonal favourites!

Haydn's Creation

Saturday 8th May 2027 • St Swithun's Church

We'll be singing Haydn's wonderful oratorio The Creation, with professional ochestral and soloists

MD Vacancy

West Dorset Singers (WDS) are seeking an inspiring and accomplished Musical Director to lead one of Dorset’s largest and most established choral groups into the next exciting chapter of our musical journey.

For 60 years, WDS has been a welcoming, ambitious choir performing a wide range of choral repertoire—from Baroque masterpieces to contemporary works—based in the heart of Bridport. We bring choral music to life through concerts, collaborations with professional soloists and orchestras, community events, and private occasions such as weddings, funerals and other functions that celebrate the joy of singing.

Following the decision of our current Musical Director to step down after 15 successful years, we are looking for a leader who can inspire, motivate and develop singers of varied backgrounds and abilities.

An application pack can be downloaded below. To apply, please send your CV, a covering letter outlining your relevant experience and interest in the role, and the contact details of two referees to Sarah Stamford at secretary@westdorsetsingers.co.uk. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to interview and to direct part of a rehearsal with the choir as part of the selection process.

MD Application Pack download
MD advertisement download

Rehearsals

We rehearse on Tuesday evenings, between September and May. Rehearsals are at Bridport's United Church Hall, and start at 7:30pm. New members are always welcome to come along to a rehearsal and give us a try!

About Us

The choir was founded in 1966 and has since grown to become the largest choir in West Dorset. For over 60 years we were known as The New Elizabethan Singers, but in 2023 we decided to change our name to the West Dorset Singers.

We perform two or three concerts per year, usually at St Mary's Church or St Swithun's churches in Bridport - although we occasionally go 'on tour' to other nearby venues. Our repertoire is centred around the great choral cantatas, masses and oratorios. In recent years we have also enjoyed performing music by contemporary British composers such as Paul Carr, Karl Jenkins and Matthew Coleridge.

Many of our concerts feature an orchestra, drawing on some of the finest players from the local area, and over the years we've had the privilege of working with some wonderful professional soloists.

Our musical director, Matt Kingston, joined us in 2011. Matt is well known as a composer (he writes under his professional name, Matthew Coleridge), whose choral works have featured heavily on Classic FM. Our accompanist is Nick Brown.