Our Story

Cappella Novocastriensis was founded in 1960 by Dr Frederick Hudson to specialise in singing music for worship.   It has about 40 members, and often sings unaccompanied. In 2020 a new working name Cappella Newcastle was adopted for the choir

Cappella sings in churches throughout the North East, as well as giving several major concerts each year, and periodically gives performances of early music with Newcastle Baroque playing on period instruments, or renaissance sackbut and cornett ensembles such as QuintEssential.  Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 has been performed on two occasions in Durham Cathedral. In 1999, with the aid of the Lottery Fund, the City of Newcastle, the Sir James Knott Trust and individual subscriptions, a chamber organ was commissioned from Neil Richerby of Lammermuir Pipeorgans.

The choir has also appeared on Tyne Tees Television’s With Voices Raised, and has produced two CDs of Christmas music, which have been featured on BBC Radio 3’s The Choir, and Classic FM’s The Full Works.