Choir tunes up fora year of celebration

Founded in 1817, the choir is believed to be the oldest choral society in the world with a continuous record of performance. The first concert of the society’s 200th year will be on Sunday, March 19 when the drama and excitement of Mendelssohn’s ‘Elijah’ will be brought to the Victoria Theatre, Halifax.

Joining the society’s spring concert will be Ipswich Choral Society, the North of England Classical Orchestra and four talented young soloists - Peter Harris, Paul Grant, Catrin Pryce-Jones and Emma Stannard. The conductor is the society’s celebrated musical director John Pryce-Jones.

During its 200-year history, the choir has performed the vast majority of the choral repertoire. While its members are all amateur singers from many walks of life, the choir is highly regarded for the quality of its singing, bringing top quality performance to a local audiences.

‘Elijah’ was commissioned for the Birmingham Music Festival of 1846, and it seems that members of the Halifax Choral Society took part, as the work was performed again in Halifax later that same year. It has rightly remained a very popular work ever since.

Tickets for the special concert range from £9 to £23. Tel: 01422 351158.