About the choir
Patrons Peter Frankl Gilly Sonin "An impressive sight and formidable sound". So wrote The Independent about HCS in 2003 and it is a fitting tribute to one of London's oldest, most respected and friendliest choirs. Founded in 1878, HCS has grown from modest beginnings into a vibrant and dynamic choir of over 200 singers. Under the direction of its renowned Artistic Director Ronald Corp and in partnership with the outstanding New London Orchestra and professional soloists, the choir now regularly commands sell-out performances and critical acclaim for the high standard of its concerts and its enterprise in championing new commissions and rarely-performed works. The choir's repertoire embraces music of every age from Tallis, Monteverdi, Bach and Handel, through the great British choral composers Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Walton, Britten and Tippett, to new works. In recent years, the choir has also achieved distinction for tackling rarely-performed works to great success such as Zoltán Kodály's Psalmus Hungaricus and Paul Patterson's Stabat Mater. Another notable achievement was its staging of Berlioz's monumental Grande Messe des Morts to a packed St Paul's Cathedral in November 2003, the only London performance in his bicentenary year. This was an event which, amongst many highs, drew widespread acclaim and praise for the choir's ambition and confidence for putting on an expensive and rarely-performed work for the enjoyment of London's concert-goers which few other choirs could contemplate. Recent commissions have included Cantica and Magnificat by Brian Chapple, The Moving Image by Julian Philips and a number of works by Ronald Corp including And All The Trumpets Sounded, Adonai Echad and Missa San Marco. The choir commissioned A Hundred Spirits Whisper from Julian Knight for first performance in the Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall on 18 May 2008. In addition, HCS has established a programme of biennial foreign tours where it has been privileged to sing in Notre Dame Paris, Brussels Cathedral, St Mark's Venice and St Vitus Cathedral Prague. The 2008-09 season celebrated the choir's 130th birthday with a performance of Elgar's great oratorio The Apostles at The Barbican in April before a tour to Estonia and Finland in May. In May 2011 the choir will tour Budapest. Despite its busy schedule, HCS remains true to its founding principles. Since 1878, it has consistently aimed to give local people the opportunity to take part in first-rate, hi
Rt Hon Lord Healey of Riddlesden
Rt Hon Lord Jenkin of Roding
Lynne Featherstone MP
