The de Merc Chamber Choir is a Registered Charity (number 1095387) and is affiliated to Making Music (the National Federation of Music Societies) which represents and supports amateur vocal and instrumental music groups throughout the United Kingdom. Supported by Harlow Council.

We are a small amateur adult  choir of around 16 mixed voices specialising in performing exciting and unusual unaccompanied choral music to a very high standard.

The choir is based in Harlow, Essex and gives concerts both locally and further afield in a wide variety of venues -- singing a cappella gives us freedom to perform just about anywhere.  In 2004, we visited Sweden on our first foreign tour linking with Stockholm Cantus whose aims are very similar to ours.

We were founded in 1973 in Harlow by Derek Harrison and Michael Frith, both of whom still live locally and are highly-respected active musicians.  Two other fine choral conductors -- Richard Latham and Fergus Black -- then successively ran the choir to great acclaim.  Under the late Adrian Jolliffe, the choir  evolved into a specialist a cappella  group with a very broad, innovative and mainly secular  repertoire  which is challenging,interesting, and entertaining  to singers and audience alike.  

Our  repertoire is constantly expanding under our current Musical Director, Phil Cowling. and does  not exclude religious pieces.  We are also interested in  unusual and neglected works and  have included specially reprinted music by Stanford, Stainer, and Rubbra and the entire set of seventeen Madrigals of 1599 by Bennet and contemporary works from New Zealand and Sweden.

We are equally at home singing classical music in a tiny village church, light jazz in a concert hall, easy listening at a garden party, or party pieces after a formal dinner, caroling in the local pub, and of course, glorious traditional music for weddings.

Choir members and their friends and families also enjoy a very active social life.  We do rather like good food and real ale which we can especially indulge on concert weekends away together.

“de Merc” is the name of the Norman Barons who  settled in the Harlow area at the end of the 11th century following the Conquest. The name survives as “Mark” as in the Markhall ward and secondary school in Harlow.

Sadly, Mark Hall itself was burnt down but the remaining gardens and outhouses form the present  Museum of Harlow  where the choir also performs.