We are very sad to announce the death of our wonderful Chairman, Anthony Forbes MBE. He had been chairman of the Royal Choral Society for over twenty-five years and had been involved with the choir since Sir Malcolm Sargent’s tenure as our conductor.

Although he had been ill for some time, he was recently able to enjoy his investiture with the MBE – which had been awarded for services to music.

The RCS has commissioned a Christmas carol dedicated to Anthony by renowned composer Roxanna Panufnik. Anthony knew about the commission and wrote to our Music Director Richard Cooke last week, saying that he thought ‘the whole idea is magical’. The carol will be premièred at our carol concert in the Royal Albert Hall this December.

Members past and present will remember Anthony’s warmth, generosity, friendship and advice, but above all his sense of humour. The sheer delight that he gained from his involvement with the choir was clear for all to see. We all miss him greatly and our thoughts are with his family.