All choirs in Rotterdam
From musical theatre and huge inclusive pop groups to Ukrainian singing, barbershop, opera, students, neighbourhood choirs and high-level classical music: Rotterdam has an exceptionally broad choir scene. Below is an extensive overview, organised by type of choir.
New in Rotterdam: The Merry Poppins Musical Choir
The Merry Poppins is a musical-theatre choir for women. We sing our own arrangements of musical classics such as Hair, Grease and Chicago, alongside newer favourites such as Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, KPop Demon Hunters and Hadestown.
A new Merry Poppins group could launch in Rotterdam in January 2027. No singing experience is required. The rehearsal day and location will be decided once there is enough interest.
Read more about The Merry Poppins
Interested? Sign up for a possible Rotterdam launch in January 2027.
For singers who enjoy acting, storytelling and the stage as much as singing. Rotterdam has both an ambitious musical-theatre choir and a flexible theatre-choir option for adults.
Musicalkoor Rotterdam
Mixed musical-theatre choir
Ambitious musical-theatre choir with challenging multi-part arrangements and a strong focus on performance. You first attend a rehearsal and then audition.
Koor in Reprise
Theatre choir / adults
A new choir format from Jeugdtheater Hofplein for adults who want to rediscover the Hofplein experience: singing together, exploring repertoire and building towards a season.
By far the largest corner of Rotterdam's choir scene: from hundreds of voices at De Doelen to small rock choirs, show choirs, a cappella groups and accessible neighbourhood choirs.
The Space Choir
Inclusive pop choir
One of Rotterdam's most striking new choir phenomena. Hundreds of singers, unexpected pop bangers and explicit room for all ages, backgrounds and experience levels.
Popkoor Prestige Rotterdam
Pop, rock & soul choir
Performance-oriented pop choir with live-band energy, modern pop, rock and soul. Easy to join, with plenty of attention to stagecraft.
PuurZangEnZo
Mixed pop choir, approx. 40 members
Six-part pop arrangements, choreography and themed performances, ranging from current hits to classics from the 1960s.
Popkoor That's It
Mixed pop choir
Pop choir in Hoogvliet singing current hits and classics. A well-established Rotterdam name and a regular presence at choir festivals.
Popkoor Xing-Rotterdam
Mixed pop choir
Energetic five-part pop from the 1980s to today, with specially written arrangements and choreography.
7th Street Pop & Rockkoor
Mixed pop & rock choir
A tougher-edged repertoire with an emphasis on English-language rock. Lots of original arrangements, performances from memory and home practice.
DKP Popkoor
Neighbourhood pop choir
Started around De Kleine Prins and has since opened more widely to the neighbourhood. An accessible pop-choir option in Prinsenland.
Popkoor Paper Moon
Mixed pop choir
Four- and five-part pop arrangements, from Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin to recent pop. Reading music is not required.
Popkoor VOX
Daytime pop choir
A good option if you prefer singing during the day: pop in Ommoord, without singing experience or music-reading being a requirement.
Popkoor 4-YOU
Mixed pop choir
Five-part pop choir singing music from the 1960s to the present, based in Ommoord.
RockKoor Rotterdam
Small rock choir
For singers who want more guitar from a choir: classic and modern rock in a relatively small group, backed by a professional band.
Koor Fortissimo
Mixed choir
Multi-part choir in Overschie with a broad light-music repertoire. Active at Rotterdam choir festivals and open to new voices.
Vocal Voices
Pop & musical theatre
A project choir of Vocaal Regionaal: singers from its other choirs join per project (festivals, Christmas and benefit concerts), so there is no fixed weekly rehearsal. Broad light repertoire, from Hair to Sister Act.
Zanggroep After Eight
Mixed, approx. 30 members
An exceptionally broad repertoire: classical, pop and world music in several languages. Reading music is not required.
Couleurs Vocales
Mixed vocal ensemble
Four- to six-part arrangements of musical theatre, jazz, country, pop and traditional African music, often a cappella.
Kaapse Koppen Koor
Katendrecht neighbourhood choir
A choir with strong ties to Katendrecht: light music, jazz, folk, romantic repertoire and Rotterdam or maritime songs.
Popkoor O Jee
Mixed pop choir
Warm, energetic group singing pop hits from the 1960s to today, with harmonies and choreography. A new conductor joined in 2026.
Skoop Vocals
Small a cappella group
Young vocal group with conservatoire roots, ranging from sensitive a cappella to close harmony and barbershop-style arrangements.
Het Vrij Hart Koor
Mixed choir
Three- to four-part pop, jazz and gospel, grown out of the Vrije School parent community. Active participant in Rotterdam choir festivals. Conductor Jaap Jan van Toor.
Talent aan de Maas
Intergenerational choir
An open Rotterdam-Zuid group (roughly ages 14-80, no attendance obligation) bringing together different generations and backgrounds through music. Led by vocal coach Meg Davis.
Major classical works, lesser-known gems and choirs that deliberately aim for musical depth. Rotterdam has both large oratorio ensembles and smaller classical societies.
Toonkunst Rotterdam - Grootkoor
Large classical choir, approx. 100 members
Baroque, Romantic, twentieth-century and contemporary music at a serious level. Rehearsals take place in the Prinsekerk in Blijdorp.
heNK, het Nieuwe Koor
Mixed classical choir
Enjoys exploring newer and less frequently performed classical music from different parts of the world. Musically adventurous and deliberately social.
Calandkoor
Mixed classical / broad-repertoire choir
Long-established Rotterdam society with a broad repertoire and musical ambition; also active in the municipal cultural register.
Canticum Novum
Christian mixed choir
Mixed choir singing largely sacred repertoire, based in Rozenburg (Rotterdam borough). Conductor Annemarie van Bragt, rehearsing at Muziektheater De Ontmoeting.
New in Rotterdam: The Merry Poppins Musical Choir
The Merry Poppins is a musical-theatre choir for women. We sing our own arrangements of musical classics such as Hair, Grease and Chicago, alongside newer favourites such as Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, KPop Demon Hunters and Hadestown.
A new Rotterdam group can launch in January 2027 if enough singers are interested. No singing experience is required. The rehearsal day and location will be decided once there is sufficient interest.
Read more about The Merry Poppins
Interested? Sign up for the possible Rotterdam launch in January 2027.
Smaller ensembles, generally requiring more musical independence. Rotterdam is remarkably well supplied for singers who enjoy detailed work on sound, intonation and more challenging repertoire.
Toonkunst Rotterdam - Kamerkoor
Chamber choir, approx. 25 experienced singers
The smaller and more musically demanding Toonkunst Rotterdam ensemble, aimed at experienced choral singers.
Kamerkoor Rotterdam
Mixed chamber choir
Active since 1972 with repertoire from the Renaissance to contemporary music. A well-established name in Rotterdam's classical choir scene.
Alexander Kamerkoor
Ambitious chamber choir
Mostly a cappella classical repertoire, from early music to contemporary works. You first try several rehearsals, followed by a voice test.
Corps d'Esprit
International chamber choir, approx. 32
Ambitious ensemble rehearsing in English. A strong option for international singers who want to sing classical music at a serious level.
Kamerkoor Voci Volanti
Mixed chamber choir
Choral music from early to modern, both a cappella and with instrumental partners. Small-scale and musically ambitious.
Kamerkoor Tabula Rasa
International young-adult chamber choir
Around 32 singers, many of them internationals and students, roughly ages 20-40. Rehearsals are in English and the choir has a distinctly young chamber-choir profile.
Vocaal Ensemble Tiramisu
Project ensemble, approx. 24
Advanced amateurs working in short, intensive project periods, mainly on late-Romantic, twentieth- and twenty-first-century repertoire.
Kamerkoor Carajillo
Small mixed chamber choir
Small ensemble in Ommoord with repertoire ranging from classical to contemporary. Members are expected to prepare independently.
Maasstedelijk Kamerkoor
Classical chamber choir
Part of the Maasstedelijke Koren: classical music from timeless works to modern compositions, with room for new members.
Maasstedelijk Senior Kamerkoor
Classical senior chamber choir
Classical chamber choir within the same organisation, specifically for older singers who want to stay musically active.
For singers who would happily dive straight into Verdi, Bizet or operetta. Rotterdam has both a large opera choir and a long-established operetta society.
Rotterdams Operakoor
Large mixed opera choir
More than a century old and still very active. Verdi, Bellini, Bizet and other opera choruses, with performances including at De Doelen.
Operettekoor Irene
Operetta choir
More than a century of Rotterdam operetta tradition, combining singing, theatrical presentation and the characteristic lighter classical repertoire.
From contemporary Black Gospel to mixed church choirs singing pop and gospel: Rotterdam has several active groups where faith, groove and ensemble singing meet.
BlackGospelChoir 4U
Black Gospel
Contemporary American Black Gospel alongside traditional gospel songs and spirituals, with members of different ages and backgrounds.
Intercession
Mixed Christian choir
Gospel is an important part of the repertoire, alongside pop, classical and multilingual music. Everyone from beginner to advanced is welcome.
Koor Hemelsbreed
Mixed church choir
Small choir in Ommoord singing concerts and church services. A warm, accessible option within Rotterdam's church-choir scene.
Christelijk Koor Joy
Mixed Christian choir
From classical and gospel to pop and musical theatre, arranged in several parts and regularly performed at services, concerts and care institutions.
This is where Rotterdam really feels like Rotterdam: English, Ukrainian, Turkish and French, music from all over the world, and choirs deliberately bringing different communities together.
R.I.C.H. - Rotterdam International Choir
International mixed choir
International choir with an open, English-speaking atmosphere. Much of the music is learned by ear, so reading music is not a strict requirement.
Rotterdam International Pop Choir
International pop choir
Rehearsals in English with a mix of cinematic pop, folk, soundtrack music and modern pop, aimed especially at Rotterdam's international community.
Open Choir Rotterdam
International project choir
Accessible project choir singing world music in several languages. No experience or music reading required; pay-what-you-can and strongly focused on connection.
Ensemble Vocal Les Fatales
French-speaking vocal ensemble
French chanson alongside secular Renaissance polyphony. One of Rotterdam's clearest French-speaking choir options.
Polonyna Ukrainian Choir
Ukrainian mixed choir
Authentic Ukrainian polyphony, folk music, classical choral works and modern arrangements. Both a cultural community and a serious choir.
Svitlo
Ukrainian women's pop/show choir
Born from Rotterdam's Ukrainian community: modern pop, Ukrainian identity and a distinctly performance-focused presentation.
Rotterdam Yurttan Sesler Korosu (RYSK)
Turkish choir
Around thirty singers performing folk music from different regions of Turkey. An active cultural voice in Rotterdam's choir landscape.
MultiCultiKoor Rotterdam Noord
Multicultural mixed choir
World music and songs in many languages, with an emphasis on meeting others and the cultural diversity of Rotterdam-Noord.
Strijdkoor Ondersteboven
Protest & world-music choir
For more than forty years, songs about peace, freedom, the environment, solidarity and social justice: international repertoire with a Rotterdam accent.
Vereniging Turks Klassieke Muziek Koor
Turkish classical choir
Listed as a separate organisation in Rotterdam's current cultural register and apparently distinct from RYSK. Practical details still need further research.
Close harmony, six-part pop and classical ensembles: Rotterdam has several strong options for singers who prefer an all-female vocal sound.
The Skyline Sisters
Women's barbershop choir, approx. 57
Four-part barbershop and close harmony at a serious level, with coaching, stage training and independent home study.
Vrouwenkoor Mixed Voices
Women's choir, approx. 25+
Six-part arrangements with a surprisingly broad repertoire: ballads, film, musical theatre, country, folk and music in several languages.
Encore Rotterdam
Small women's a cappella choir
Small female a cappella group in Schiebroek. A good option if you prefer a compact ensemble to a large choir.
Maasstedelijk Vocaal Vrouwenensemble
Classical women's ensemble
Adult women's ensemble within the Maasstedelijke Koren, singing classical music and regularly collaborating with the organisation's other ensembles.
The traditional men's-choir sound is still very much alive in Rotterdam, from high-level barbershop to the broad repertoire of a classic men's choir on the south side.
Mainport Barbershop Singers
Men's barbershop choir, approx. 40
Close harmony with ballads, uptempo barbershop and evergreens. Experience is not required; after an introduction there is a simple voice test.
Dockyard Mannenkoor
Traditional men's choir
Broad, recognisable men's-choir repertoire in Rotterdam-Zuid. You can first spend a period experiencing the atmosphere and singing without obligation.
Dutch sentimental songs, sea shanties, Rotterdam classics and golden oldies: the city's sociable sing-along tradition is well represented too.
Rotterdams Smartlappenkoor "Mag Geen Naam Hebben"
Dutch sentimental-song choir
Four-part Dutch-language repertoire with smartlappen, levenslied and, of course, Rotterdam songs.
Hoogvliets Smartlappenkoor Tranen met Tuiten
Mixed 50+ choir, approx. 65
Old favourites with a laugh and a tear, now supplemented with more modern sociable sing-along songs.
Gouwe Ouwe Koor Hoek van Holland
Golden-oldies choir
Hits from then and now, strongly connected to Hoek van Holland. In 2026 the choir celebrates its fifteenth anniversary.
Hoekse Tranentrekkers
Dutch sentimental songs / levenslied
Long-established social choir from Hoek van Holland, still listed in Rotterdam's recent cultural register.
Shantykoor Rotterdam
Shanty choir
Sailors' songs and shanties with the maritime city as a natural home base. Active at Rotterdam choir festivals.
Koor Nieuw Zuid
Social sing-along choir
Rotterdam-Zuid festival participant with easy-to-sing repertoire. Current rehearsal information still needs further confirmation.
Rotterdam has one very clear student option: international, close to Central Station and accessible without previous choir experience.
Erasmus Studentenkoor / Rotterdamsch Schoon
International student choir, approx. 40
All-voice student choir with young singers of many nationalities. No singing experience or music reading required; non-Erasmus students can join too.
From classical choir training from around age four to an international show choir combining singing, dance and music videos.
Maasstedelijk Kinderkoor
Children approx. 4-9 years
Classical vocal technique, posture, breath support and intonation taught through play, with enjoyment as the starting point.
Maasstedelijk Meisjeskoor
Girls' choir
Classical choir training within the Maasstedelijke Koren for girls progressing from the children's choir or joining directly.
Maasstedelijk Jongenskoor
Boys' choir
Classical vocal training for boys within the Maasstedelijke Koren, with performances and larger joint classical projects.
Rebel Kids Choir
International show choir, ages 7-10
Singing, dance, stage performance, original songs, K-pop and modern pop. Rehearsals are mainly in English and geared towards real stage and recording projects.
Kindercantorij Open Hof
Children's church choir
Active children's cantorij at Open Hof in Ommoord, performing in services and joint musical projects.
Fatima Kinderkoor
Children's choir
Young singing group performing both at school and elsewhere, and also appearing at Rotterdam choir festivals.
Not every choir requires a year-long membership or a voice test. Rotterdam has an impressive number of neighbourhood and daytime groups where meeting people matters at least as much as perfection.
Rotterdam in Koor
Network of senior choirs
Not one choir but an entire network of weekly singing groups for older adults across neighbourhoods including Feijenoord, Schiebroek, Ommoord, Kralingen, Charlois, Overschie, Blijdorp and Oude Westen.
Oecumenisch Seniorenkoor Open Hof
Senior church choir
Daytime singing in Ommoord, with a broad church repertoire and explicit room for new members.
Zing je Vrij
Drop-in singing group
Each session stands on its own: simple songs, mantras, world music and improvisation. No experience or music reading required.
Koortje Oude Noorden
Neighbourhood singing group
New weekly singing activity in Oude Noorden accompanied by accordion. More neighbourhood singing than a traditional concert choir.
Harmonius Koor
Neighbourhood choir
Weekly singing activity at the Pompgebouw. It is currently advertised, but the repertoire and joining conditions still need further research.
Ouderenkoor Pernis
Senior choir
Local singing society in Pernis also mentioned in current district information. It is sensible to ask directly for the latest rehearsal time and location.
Beyond gospel and oratorio, many choirs are directly connected to Rotterdam churches. This is probably the category most likely to grow as the research continues.
H.H. Laurentius en Elisabeth Cantorij
Cathedral cantorij
Choir of Rotterdam Cathedral, singing liturgical and classical church music. A serious but accessible church-choir option in the city.
RK Koor Open Hof
Roman Catholic church choir
One of the active choirs at Open Hof in Ommoord. The former Protestant Open Hof Cantorij ended in 2025; this Roman Catholic choir is a separate active group.
In Manus Tuas
Church vocal ensemble
A separate active singing group within Open Hof, alongside the Roman Catholic choir, senior choir and children's cantorij.
Oecumenisch Koor Together
Ecumenical choir
Active choir from Hoek van Holland, confirmed in recent municipal cultural records and local commemorative activities.
Christelijk Gemengd Koor "Delfshaven"
Mixed Christian choir
Rotterdam society founded in 1959 and still listed in the recent municipal cultural register. Current rehearsal details still need confirmation.
Zang- en Muziekgroep Rejoice
Church singing & music group
Singing and music group of the Baptist congregation in Pernis, mentioned in current local district information.
Nervous about walking into a choir rehearsal for the first time?
Completely normal. Choose a choir that suits your level and ask whether you can attend a rehearsal first. Many Rotterdam choirs are happy to welcome new voices. Would you like to build more confidence in your own voice first?
Explore singing lessons at SingWellNew in Rotterdam: The Merry Poppins Musical Choir
The Merry Poppins is a musical-theatre choir for women. We sing our own arrangements of musical classics such as Hair, Grease and Chicago, alongside newer favourites such as Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, KPop Demon Hunters and Hadestown.
A new Rotterdam group can launch in January 2027 if enough singers are interested. No singing experience is required. The rehearsal day and location will be decided once there is sufficient interest.
Read more about The Merry Poppins
Interested? Sign up for the possible Rotterdam launch in January 2027.