For charities
A choir that can fill a hired church and still sit quietly through the appeal

How we work with charity event teams

You send the date, the church, the expected attendance, and the rough shape of the evening. We come back within 48 hours with a written quote, a recommended number of singers, and a draft running order you can put in front of a committee. Most charity carol concerts land at a full choir of eight singers (from £2,000) or a twelve-voice chorus (from £3,000) where the church is large and the ticket allocation is ambitious. A small choir of four (from £1,150) does the job in a chapel or a smaller parish church. Every figure sits on the pricing page, and none of them change in December.

A carol concert asks two different things of a choir on the same night. For the congregational carols the singers lead from the front and hold the line against several hundred people, most of whom know the first verse well and the third verse not at all. For the choir-only items they perform to an audience that has stopped singing and is listening. We rehearse both, and we programme them so the evening alternates rather than front-loading one and then the other.

Accompaniment depends on the building. Where the church has a working organ we bring an organist (from £250), which is what congregational singing wants underneath it. Where there is no organ, or no one available to play it, the choir sings the whole concert a cappella and still leads the carols. If your evening has mulled wine or a reception either side of the music, there is a package with background piano between the choir’s sets.

On timing: our December church dates go by mid‑September, and the churches themselves are usually booked before that. Charities tend to fix the venue first, which is sensible. Send us the date the moment the church confirms it.

What your audience and donors receive

Carols they already know, sung well enough that they sing louder. The repertoire covers all the traditional carols, with descants where a big last verse is wanted, and we arrange popular Christmas songs a cappella for the points in the programme that want something lighter than a hymn. If your cause suggests a particular piece, we will arrange it for the ensemble you have booked.

The choir works to your running order rather than its own. When a patron or celebrity reader is at the lectern the singers are seated and still, with no shuffling of copies while someone speaks. The appeal is the moment that most often gets mishandled: you can have quiet singing underneath it, or silence and the collection plates. Decide at the planning stage and it goes on the running sheet with everything else.

Dress is concert black unless you ask for something else. The choir arrives an hour before doors open, walks the building with the organist, and rehearses the joins — the second where a reading finishes and the next carol has to start. That is the thing that falls apart in an under-rehearsed concert, and it is what your audience notices.

Booking and invoicing

The legal entity on every invoice is Alma Consort Ltd, the operating company behind the London Choral Service. Standard payment terms are 30 days net from the invoice date. We invoice against a PO and put your buyer reference, project code, or cost-centre number on the invoice if you tell us at the booking stage — that is what your finance team needs to clear it without coming back to you. BACS to a UK business account is the usual route. Alma Consort Ltd carries £5m public liability cover, and we email the certificate the same day a church or hall asks for it.

For a charity, the useful part is that the number does not move. Quoted prices include all taxes, fees, and travel within Greater London, and we charge the same in December as in June. The only Christmas premium applies to 24 and 25 December, and it is confirmed in the written quote before you commit. A standard Christmas booking runs up to an hour and a half including breaks, or the length of a church service; if you want the choir for longer than that, the additional fee is quoted upfront rather than appearing later.

If cash flow needs the cost split across two financial periods, we can issue a deposit invoice (typically 30 percent) at confirmation with the balance invoiced after the concert. A single invoice the working day after the event is equally fine. Where the carol concert is an annual fixture, a master service agreement goes on file once and each subsequent year is booked against it without further paperwork.

Frequently asked questions

Can a choir lead congregational carols and perform its own pieces in the same concert?

Yes, and most charity carol concerts are built that way. The singers lead the carols the audience stands up for, then perform three or four choir-only items while everyone listens. Our repertoire covers all the traditional carols alongside a cappella arrangements of popular Christmas songs. We set the alternation with you when the running order is drafted.

How does the choir fit around celebrity readers and the appeal in a carol concert?

We work to your running order. The choir sits still through readings and keeps clear of the lectern while a patron or celebrity reader is speaking. For the appeal or retiring collection you can have quiet singing underneath it or silence. Tell us which at the planning stage and it goes on the running sheet.

What happens on the day in a church we have hired for a carol concert?

The choir arrives an hour before doors open, rehearses in the building with the organist, and works through the joins between readings and carols. We introduce ourselves to whoever the church has on duty, usually a verger or churchwarden, and keep to their access and finishing times. Nothing needs to be amplified.

What drives the cost of a charity carol concert choir?

Mostly the number of singers: a small choir of four costs from £1,150 and a twelve-voice chorus from £3,000, with the sizes in between on our pricing page. An organist starts at £250. Length matters too, since a standard Christmas booking runs up to an hour and a half including breaks, or the length of a church service.

How far ahead should a charity book singers for a December carol concert?

Fix the church first, then send us the date. Our December church dates are usually gone by mid‑September, and the churches themselves go earlier than that. If the concert is an annual fixture we can hold a master service agreement on file and rebook each year from a single email.

Send us a brief

Tell us the basics and we’ll come back within 48 hours. For a quicker conversation, head to the contact page or call Luca on 07356 042468.

Or visit the contact page, or call Luca on 07356 042468.