The Occam Singers trace their roots back to 1980, when an enthusiastic group of friends formed "a small ad hoc chamber group, to sing at weddings and charity events".  From these modest beginnings, the choir's reputation spread, and now the Occam Singers regularly promote full-scale concerts of choral music with professional orchestras, as well as continuing to enjoy giving smaller-scale performances.

The choir takes its name from the Surrey village of Ockham, where many of its earlier performances took place.  Ockham is the birthplace of the renowned mediaeval philosopher, William of Occam, best remembered for Occam's Razor, the philosophical principle which may be paraphrased as "don't overcomplicate" - a tenet which the choir endorses.

The choir deliberately avoids specialisation and enjoys singing a wide repertoire, from unaccompanied sixteenth century church music and madrigals, through familiar choral works such as Fauré's Requiem and masses by Haydn and Mozart, to twenty-first century pieces; to mark the millennium, the choir commissioned In Tenebris II from Nicholas O'Neill, which had its premiere performance in Guildford and which can be heard on the choir's CD recording released in December 2003.

Singers come from Guildford, London and further afield and have a wide range of musical backgrounds and "day jobs".  A hallmark of the choir is the importance placed on friendship and fun, although as the choir has developed, the early "kitchen test" has been replaced by a more conventional audition.

The choir rehearses in Guildford, and concerts are most often held in Holy Trinity Church, Guildford, although the choir has performed in a range of venues in Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire.  In 1990 its impressive London debut raised almost £7,000 for Medical Aid for Free Romania, and subsequent successful London concerts have been held at St John's Smith Square. Sometimes the choir ventures further afield - with Alderney having established itself as a favourite venue for many members.

From its inception, the choir has aimed to raise money for local and national charities, including The St John Ambulance, Guildford Breast Cancer Appeal, local hospices, The Rainbow Trust and many others. In recognition of the £15,000 raised at a concert in May 1997, the St Luke's Cancer Appeal placed a plaque outside one of its new examination rooms to record the contribution of The Occam Singers.  Since 1996, a Christmas concert has raised money every year for the Mayor of Guildford's Distress Fund.

Promoting concerts is an expensive business! Whilst much of the choir's fundraising success reflects the generosity of local and national sponsors, of its Friends organisation and of course of its concert audiences, the choir also enjoys raising its own income.  This is most often achieved through singing at weddings, an appropriate reflection of the choir's roots.