About Us
A short history of the Royal Choral Society
The Royal Choral Society began its illustrious life as the Royal Albert Hall Choral Society – formed for the opening of the Royal Albert Hall in 1871. Its inaugural concert was held at the Royal Albert Hall on 8 May 1872. The choir’s name was shortened to the Royal Choral Society (with permission from Queen Victoria) shortly afterwards.
The choir’s history encompasses some of the greatest names in music. Former Royal Choral Society conductors include Charles Gounod and Malcolm Sargent – the latter, described as ‘the finest British choral conductor of his generation’, had a 40-year association with the choir, and Verdi and Dvorák both conducted the choir in premières of their own works.
Our Music Director, Richard Cooke, took over the baton from his distinguished predecessors in 1995. An experienced singer himself, he understands the capabilities of choral singers and is able to bring out the full potential of individual voices.
Today, the choir enjoys maintaining a balance between performances of traditional repertoire and the opportunities to take part in unusual events including performing in Horse Guards Parade at the annual Beating Retreat. Other unique events include singing at the launch of Cunard’s Queen Mary 2, participating in the 25th anniversary of the Falklands conflict and adding our voices to events marking the 100th anniversary of the First World War. Away from the concert platform, the choir has recorded a number of CDs including the bestselling ‘100 Years of the Last Night of the Proms’, as well as providing the vocals for the Sky Sports ‘idents’ vocals and for Channel 5’s documentary Royal Marines: Mission Afghanistan.
The Royal Choral Society is a registered charity (No 298389)
A longer history of the choir can be found here.