# Worcester Festival Choral Society

Worcester Festival Choral Society (WFCS) is an independent, SATB (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) choir of around 150 amateur singers that presents classical choral concerts at Worcester Cathedral, Worcester. The conductor is Samuel Hudson (Worcester Cathedral’s Director of Music) and the accompanist is Nicholas Freestone (Worcester Cathedral’s Assistant Director of Music). The Chairman is Susan White. The President is The Lord Bishop of Worcester and Senior Vice President is The Dean of Worcester.

## Choir

Worcester Festival Choral Society was founded in 1861 and has performed classical choral music in the City of Worcester ever since. Initially staging its concerts in Worcester’s former Music Hall (later known as the Public Hall; now demolished), most of the Society’s concerts since 1930 have taken place in Worcester Cathedral. To date the Society performed more than 350 concerts. It has also staged several choral premieres, been recorded, performed in other UK cities and hosted conductors such as Sir Edward Elgar.
The Society’s current concert orchestra is the Meridian Sinfonia, which has played at WFCS concerts since 2013. Each concert is also supported by professional soloists.

## Directors of Music

| Conductor | Years |
| William Done | 1861 - 1868 & 1888-1889 |
| Hugh Blair | 1889 - 1897 |
| Ivor Atkins | 1897 - 1950 |
| David Willcocks | 1950 - 1957 |
| Douglas Guest | 1957 - 1963 |
| Christopher Robinson | 1963 - 1974 |
| Donald Hunt | 1975 - 1997 |
| Adrian Lucas | 1997 - 2012 |
| Peter Nardone | 2012 - 2018 |
| Christopher Allsop | 2018 - 2019 |
| Samuel Hudson | 2019 - |

## History

Worcester Festival Choral Society was first established in 1861. Its aims were to cultivate choral music, and to provide singers to the Three Choirs Festival Chorus. These aims are still part of its objectives today.
The Society had close links with composer Sir Edward Elgar in the 1890s. At that time Elgar, who lived in Worcester, was a musician and not yet famous for composing music. Worcester Festival Choral Society had its own informal orchestral Band, and in the 1890s violinist Elgar became its leader. Several other musician members of his family also played in the WFCS Band.As Elgar’s reputation grew, WFCS performed several of his choral works at its concerts, conducted by the composer. Elgar also wrote two choral works that were given their world premiere by Worcester Festival Choral Society, which he also conducted: The Black Knight (1892) and Scenes from the Bavarian Highlands (1895) [3]. Two WFCS conductors of that era were also close friends of Edward Elgar, and have music dedicated to them: his cantata The Black Knight was dedicated to Hugh Blair; and the Third Pomp and Circumstance March (1904) was dedicated to Ivor Atkins. [4]. Other composers and conductors to have guest-conducted Worcester Festival Choral Society concerts over its history include Hubert Parry, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Walford Davies, Charles Villiers Stanford, Vernon Handley, Jonathan Willcocks and Sir Adrian Boult.
Worcester Festival Choral Society presents choral works written for SATB chorus, orchestra and soloists. Amongst the more traditional works performed are requiems, masses and oratorios by composers such as Mozart, Bach, Verdi, Haydn, Handel and Brahms. The choir also performs many late 19th/early 20th century choral pieces by composers such as Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Poulenc, Fauré and Britten; and later works by living composers including Morten Lauridsen, Jonathan Willcocks and Jonathan Dove.
In addition to its own concerts, Worcester Festival Choral Society’s appearances around the UK have included the King's Lynn festival and two Elgar Festivals at the Royal Albert Hall in the 1970s; Elgar concerts at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall with the BBC Singers and Chorus in the early 1990s; and a performance of Britten's War Requiem at Symphony Hall with the CBSO and City of Birmingham Chorus in 2004. Many of its singers also took part in a Three Choirs Festival 300th anniversary performance that was given to The Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace in 2015. The following year, one of WFCS’s past Directors of Music, Sir David Willcocks, died. As a tribute, Worcester Festival Choral Society joined Worcester Cathedral Choir to create a music CD featuring many of the Christmas carol arrangements for which David Willcocks was famous, and it briefly entered the UK’s classical music charts.
The Society has commissioned two pieces from its conductors: A Song of Celebration composed by Dr Donald Hunt in 1995 (marking English Music Year); and Creation Canticles, by Adrian Lucas, in 2004.
For its 150th season in 2011, the Worcester Festival Choral Society performed Belshazzar’s Feast by Walton held a black tie dinner in Worcester’s Guildhall, which the four living Directors of Music (Sir David Willcocks, Dr Christopher Robinson, Dr Donald Hunt and Adrian Lucas) attended.

## Performances
### Premieres

| Date | Composer | Composition | Details |
| 18 April 1893 | Edward Elgar | The Black Knight | World Premiere conducted by the composer |
| 21 April 1896 | Edward Elgar | Scenes from the Bavarian Highlands | World Premiere conducted by the composer |
| 22 March 1980 | Edwin Roxburgh | The Rock | World Premiere attended by the composer |
| 14 Oct 1995 | Donald Hunt | A song of celebration | World Premiere conducted by the composer |
| 27 March 2004 | Adrian Lucas | Creation Canticles | World Premiere conducted by the composer |

### Music conducted or attended by the composer

| Date | Composer | Composition | Details |
| 14 April 1891 | Hubert Parry | Judith | Conducted by the composer with Edward Elgar leading the orchestra |
| 4 May 1897 | Edward Elgar | Imperial March & Scenes from the Saga of King Olaf | Conducted by the composer |
| 3 May 1900 | Samuel Coleridge-Taylor | Hiawatha's Wedding Feast & The death of Minnehaha | Conducted by the composer |
| 14 Jan 1901 | Edward Elgar | Serenade for Strings | Conducted by the composer |
| 6 Feb 1902 | Henry Walford Davies | Three Jovial Huntsmen | Conducted by the composer |
| 24 Feb 1903 | Edward Elgar | Coronation Ode | Conducted by the composer |
| 9 Nov 1904 | Edward Elgar | Caractacus | Conducted by the composer |
| 6 Dec 1905 | Henry Walford Davies | Everyman | Conducted by the composer |
| 6 Dec 1905 | Hugh Blair | Trafalgar | Conducted by the composer |
| 28 Nov 1906 | Ivor Atkins | Hymn of Faith | Conducted by the composer |
| 19 Feb 1908 | Charles Villiers Stanford | Songs of the Sea | Conducted by the composer |
| 1 Apr 1913 | Edward Elgar | Serenade for Strings | Conducted by the composer |
| 15 March 1917 | Edward Elgar | For the Fallen | Helping to lead the WW1 memorial service in Worcester Cathedral in aid of the Worcester Red Cross War Depot Fund. Conducted by the composer. |
| 13 March 1928 | Edward Elgar | Dream of Gerontius | Performing Elgar's great choral work for the first time. Attended by the composer |
| 25 July 1981 | David Fanshawe | African_Sanctus | Performing at the King's Lynn Arts Festival attended by the composer |
| 10 March 1993 | Jonathan Willcocks | Voices of Time | Conducted by the composer. Fauré Requiem was also conducted by Sir David Willcocks |
| 15 November 2014 | Jonathan Dove | There was a Child | Attended by the composer. |
| 18 November 2017 | Jonathan Dove | For an Unknown Soldier | Attended by the composer. |
| 16 March 2024 | Richard Blackford | Mirror of Perfection | Attended by the composer. |

### Other event-related performances

| Date | Composer | Composition | Details |
| 26 March 1947 | Edward Elgar | The Apostles | Celebrating 50 years of Sir Ivor Atkins as Organist and Choirmaster |
| 5 June 1953 | George_Frideric_Handel's | Coronation Anthem | To honour the coronation of the Queen |
| 14 March 1970 | Edward Elgar | The Music Makers | The 'So Called' Centenary concert conducted by Sir Adrian Boult$^{:102}$ |
| 5 May 1978 | Edward Elgar | The Music Makers | Participation in the Royal Albert Hall Concert with Sir Charles Groves, Yehudi Menuhin, Paul Tortelier and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra |
| 16 June 1980 | Edward Elgar | The Apostles | Elgar Foundation Concert at the Royal Albert Hall Concert |
| 2 June 1981 | Edward Elgar | The Music Makers | On the unveiling of the Elgar Statue in Worcester with the CBSO |
| 24 July 1981 | Edward Elgar | Dream of Gerontius | Performing at the King's Lynn festival conducted by Vernon Handley |
| 13 Nov 2004 | Benjamin Britten | War Requiem | Singing with the CBSO chorus and orchestra at Symphony Hall Birmingham. Conducted by Adrian Lucas |
| 2 April 2011 | William Walton | Belshazzar’s Feast | 150th Anniversary celebration attended by 4 living conductors |
| 19 Nov 2011 | Edward Elgar | The Dream of Gerontius | 150th Anniversary of the Worcester Festival Choral Society |
| 24 Nov 2015 | George_Frideric_Handel | Zadok the Priest | Selected members singing at Buckingham Palace with other members of the Three Choirs Festival Chorus, to celebrate the festival's tricentennial |