Choir & Orchestra

Castle Choir and Orchestra (CCO) offers opportunities to perform music at all levels whilst also offering a welcoming community for musicians. Our non-auditioned choir and orchestra have weekly rehearsals (biscuits provided!) where we develop repertoire for termly concerts, performing at a high level whilst remaining accessible to musicians of any and all abilities. We also have two auditioned quartets - Floreat Flutes and the Castellum Quartet (for strings) - which allow musicians to play high-level chamber repertoire and host their own concerts.

Additionally, we contribute to outreach initiatives, including the Primary School Concert that offered local primary school students a day in Durham Castle making music and then performing to their parents. Beyond music, we offer a welcoming social community for all musicians at Castle, with socials and other events throughout the year allowing Castlemen to build friendships and engage in college life.

We pride ourselves on balancing being a welcoming and accessible music society with producing high quality classical and contemporary ensemble music. From playing or singing in a friendly environment, amazing concerts, outreach initiatives, and great socials, CCO is a great place to be, and our success was recognised when we won Castle Society of the Year for 2023/4. If any of that sounds like your cup of tea, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the email addresses or social media accounts listed and come along! We look forward to meeting you in September.