In 1978 Francine Merry founded the Chester Summer Music Festival and was its Artistic Director until 1985. She subsequently founded the Chester Festival  Chorus, which she conducted in all the Festivals until 1985. The London Choral Society appointed Francine Merry as Chorus-Master in 1983 and she prepared the chorus for conductors such as Sir Simon Rattle, Sir Charles Mackerras, Jane Glover, and many others. ​

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She worked regularly with the Philharmonia Chorus and was a member of staff of the opera department at the  London Royal Schools’ Vocal Faculty, based at the Royal College of Music. She has also been invited on occasions to work with the London Symphony Chorus and the London Philharmonic Chorus. 



For the ‘98/99 season the Royal Opera House (Teatro Real), Madrid invited her to be chorus-master for Aida, Carmen, and Hans Werner Henze's The Bassarids, the latter performed in the presence of the composer. She was subsequently appointed chorusmaster of the new Coro de la Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid.  Works prepared by Francine Merry for the Teatro Real include Ernani, Simon Boccanegra, Carmen, Faust, La Favorite, Don Carlos, Parsifal, Trovatore, Forza del Destino, Otello, Magic Flute, Margarita la Tornera, La Vida Breve, Manon, Rigoletto, Don Quijote (Cristobal Haffter) [world premiere], Lucia di Lammermoor, Falstaff, Madame Butterfly, L'Enfant et les Sortileges, as well as Beethoven's 9th Symphony, Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius, Verdi's Requiem, Penderecki's Seven Gates of Jerusalem and Credo (both works conducted by the composer), and many other works. ​

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At the beginning of the 2002/3 season the Chorus was officially appointed as the resident chorus at the Teatro Real, holding the title of Coro Titular del Teatro Real. That season the chorus participated in the world premiere staging of the opera Merlin by Albeniz which was recorded as a DVD by the BBC. A new recording of Albeniz’ opera Henry Clifford was also issued in which the chorus of the OSM received much critical acclaim. 

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Francine Merry was appointed Chorus Master of English National Opera in London in 2004 and has prepared the chorus for many productions including Billy Budd, Carmen, Death in Venice, Lucia di Lammermoor, Cav and Pag, Philip Glass’ Satyagraha, Boris Godunov, John Adams’ Dr. Atomic, the award-winning production of Peter Grimes, a revival of Anthony Minghella’s production of Madam Butterfly, Saariaho's L'Amour de Loin, Ligeti's Le Grand Macabre and a complete staging of Handel's Messiah.​
In 2010 Francine Merry was invited as guest chorus master with the Netherlands Radio Choir in a concert performance of Donizetti's Caterina Cornaro in Amsterdam's Concertgebouw.

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In the 2010/11 season at ENO she prepared the chorus for the important UK premiere of A Dog’s Heart by Alexander Raskotov, and worked with Terry Gilliam and ENO’s Music Director Ed Gardner on Berlioz’ Damnation of Faust. In her final season at ENO in 2011/12 she was involved in a new production of John Adams’ The Death of Klinghoffer, and the British premieres of Weinberg’s The Passenger and Detlev Glanert’s Caligula.​