Kantos Chamber Choir & Ellie Slorach
Biography Kantos Chamber Choir & Ellie Slorach
Kantos
is a trailblazing vocal ensemble, performing at the cutting edge of the creative scene. We produce vocal performances, shaped by the music and stories we believe in.
We think voices are a powerful gateway to our past, present and future, unveiling countless emotions, identities, and experiences. The doors to our performances are always open to everyone, whether you’re a veteran concertgoer or seeking something new.
Whether you join us in a factory space or a spiritual place, the concert hall or a nightclub, we’ll always deliver raw, stunning performances as the most ground-breaking, dynamic and creative vocal artists in the North.
Performing music by everyone from 11th Century visionary saints to genre-bending, experimental rock stars, Kantos prides itself on championing contemporary and well-known choral music. Commissioning new music and co-curating projects is integral to Kantos; recent UK and international artist collaborations include Stevens & Pound, Julian Azkoul, Anna Disley-Simpson, Kristina Arakelyan, Kerry Andrew, Nathan Dearden, Camden Reeves, Michael Betteridge, Charlie Perry, Shruthi Rajasekar, David Scott (ARGH KiD) and Dr Sherry Ashworth. We are proud to be Artistic Partners with Manchester Camerata, ‘Britain’s most adventurous orchestra’.
Our distinctive approach to storytelling extends beyond the stage and into the recording studio. Released on Delphian Records in June 2025, our debut concept album In Your Dreams is an ambitious reimagining of the choral album as a single, immersive dreamscape, described as ‘wonderfully communicative, sensuous in places, and quick-witted’ (BBC Radio 3 Record Review) and representing ‘everything one hopes for in contemporary choral artistry - a willingness to push boundaries whilst maintaining the highest musical standards.’ (The Yorkshire Times). Our latest concept album, The Witch Trials, will be released on Delphian in October 2026.
As well as our own releases, Kantos has contributed to a diverse range of recording projects, from collaborations with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra for Decca and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra for a Radio 3 production of Anthony Burgess’ Oedipus, to recording new works by leading contemporary composers including Nathan James Dearden and Rebecca Dale.
Alongside our season performances and tours across the UK, recent collaborations include performing as the chorus in the Pulitzer Prize-winning opera Angel’s Bone for its UK premiere with English National Opera, Factory International, and BBC Philharmonic; touring with Gary Numan & Skaparis Orchestra in the Royal Albert Hall, Bridgewater Hall and O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire; and touring to Rome and Assisi with BBC Radio 4 for live religious broadcasts.
Kantos is deeply committed to nurturing the next generation of choral singers. Through its Professional Experience Scheme, delivered in partnership with the Royal Northern College of Music, the choir provides emerging musicians with valuable opportunities to rehearse and perform alongside experienced professionals. Kantos also works closely with a range of leading educational and youth music organisations, including the RLPO Youth Company, the University of Manchester, the Greater Manchester Music Hub, and Chetham's School of Music, helping to create pathways for young people to develop their musical skills and engage with high-quality choral performance.
Ellie Slorach
Conductor Ellie Slorach is the Founder and Artistic Director of Kantos Chamber Choir, Engagement Conductor of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and Associate Conductor of Royal Northern Sinfonia. She specializes in large scale multi-media, cross-genre projects including orchestral, operatic, choral, and dance performances.
In the 2025/26 season, Ellie makes her Irish debut. First in September where she conducts the RTÉ Orchestra, later in the autumn where she visits the National Symphony Orchestra Ireland, and again in February where she conducts the Chamber Choir Ireland. Another debut of the autumn is with the London Sinfonietta and the EXAUDI Vocal Ensemble in a world premiere by Omri Kochavi celebrating forgotten female gardeners. She will also make her debut with Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra in a new work for Indian instruments and orchestra played live to silent film. She also debuts with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in a programme of film music with a second visit later in the season and with the Ulster Orchestra in March 2026.
Continuing her strong relationship with all BBC Orchestras, she conducts a Halloween themed programme as part of the Friday Night is Music Night series with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, a concert which will also be televised. She will rejoin BBC NOW for additional concerts later in the season, and she will also make a welcome return to the BBC Concert Orchestra in June.
She returns to the Northern Chamber Orchestra in a choral programme with Manchester Chamber Choir later in 2025 and she will conduct a string of festive concerts with orchestra, chorus, and soloists, throughout December including projects with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Sinfonia Smith Square and the Royal Northern Sinfonia. Further engagements with the RNS in the autumn include live-music-to-film concerts of How to Train your Dragon and a series of concerts in the North. In the spring, Ellie undertakes an extensive tour with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. She will also conduct the Dunedin Consort on a choral tour throughout Scotland and has been re-invited to lead a choral residential project with them in May. She later returns to Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège, where she previously held the position as Assistant Conductor, for a series of concerts.
001-33.jpg
Last season solidified Ellie’s strong presence in the North of England, seeing performances with the Orchestra of Opera North, the BBC Philharmonic, and Manchester Camerata, as well as regular performances with the Royal Northern Sinfonia and with her choral ensemble Kantos.
A highlight of last season was conducting the RSNO in the first concert performances of Jonathan Dove’s new opera Uprising in Saffron Walden, Glasgow, and Edinburgh in collaboration with Glyndebourne. She also returned to Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège for performances collaborating with hip-hop and break-dancers. She premiered new works in London and Bradford with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the BBC Concert Orchestra respectively as part of the PRS Foundation New Music Biennial. Ellie finished her 2024/25 season debuting in the Royal Albert Hall at the BBC Proms with Sinfonia Smith Square.
Equally at home in the choral repertoire, Ellie performed with Huddersfield Choral Society, where she holds the position of Associate Choral Director. She debuted with the Sansara Choir, Dunedin Consort, and the Estonian National Male Choir, and with the National Youth Choir, performing in Stoller Hall, Manchester. In June and July, Ellie conducted a Royal Opera House production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute in collaboration with United Learning, performing in Manchester, Cambridge, and London’s Royal Festival Hall.
Highlights of previous seasons included her debut at the BBC Proms at The Glasshouse Gateshead with the Royal Northern Sinfonia as well as debuts with Matthew Bourne’s ballet production of Edward Scissorhands at Sadler’s Wells. Ellie also filmed a multi-media concert with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and she was selected to film with the BBC Concert Orchestra and BBC Singers for the new season of the acclaimed BBC 10 Pieces. Previous seasons have also included productions with Northern Opera Group, including Händel’s Silla in 2022, and the world premiere production of Lliam Paterson’s Sherlock Holmes and The Sign of Four at the Leeds Opera Festival in 2024. She was Co-Musical Director for the Royal Opera House’s production of Lost & Found at St Pancras International Station in 2022, and in 2023, she was Assistant Conductor for Opera Holland Park’s production of Verdi’s Rigoletto.
In 2015, Ellie founded Kantos Chamber Choir – a trailblazing vocal ensemble that is at the cutting edge of choral singing in the UK. She devises unique, innovative, sell-out performances in venues ranging from concert halls to nightclubs. Last season, they recorded the album In Your Dreams – a collection of pieces related to sleep. Kantos has an artistic partnership with Manchester Camerata.
Ellie studied Conducting at the Royal Northern College of Music and was awarded Associate Membership (ARNCM) in 2023. She previously studied Music at the University of Manchester.
