# Huddersfield Choral Society

Huddersfield Choral Society is a choir based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1836, and is recognised as one of Britain's leading choirs. Over the years the choir has performed most of the major works in the choral repertoire, and has had numerous works commissioned for it, including works by Ralph Vaughan Williams and William Walton. The choir has made numerous recordings and broadcasts. Two of its albums made an appearance in the UK Albums Chart. These were The Hymns Album (1986, #8) and The Carols Album (1986, #29).
The choir performs regularly with the leading orchestras in the north of England, including the Orchestra of Opera North, The Hallé, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Manchester Camerata and the Northern Sinfonia. The choir performs with many leading conductors, known by the choir as their 'family' of conductors instead of having one Principal Conductor. Martyn Brabbins is Music Director of the society and other notable conductors to work with the choir regularly include: Vasily Petrenko, Bramwell Tovey and Jane Glover (a former Principal Conductor and former Principal Guest Conductor of the choir).
In August 2016 Huddersfield Choral Society appointed Gregory Batsleer as Choral Director. The team is completed by Associate Choral Director Fanny Cook, Accompanist and Assistant Chorusmaster Daniel Gordon, deputy Accompanist Malcolm Hinchcliffe and Musical Director of the youth choirs Alison North.
The choir remains an amateur choir, with membership open to all via a brief audition while maintaining its performing commitments.
The Huddersfield Choral Society was in partnership with the University of Huddersfield; however, this relationship ended in 2012 for funding reasons.

## Discography

| Year of recording | Work / Album | Artists | Record label |
| 1946 | Messiah, G.F.Handel | Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Malcolm Sargent (conductor) | Columbia |
| 1986 | The Hymns Album | Owain Arwel Hughes (conductor) | EMI |
| 1986 | The Carols Album | Owain Arwel Hughes (conductor) | EMI |
| 1993 | A Christmas Celebration | Sellers Engineering Band, Brian Kay (conductor) | Chandos Brass |
| 1994 | The Wreckers (world premiere recording) | BBC Philharmonic, Odaline de la Martinez (conductor) | Conifer Records Limited |
| 2000 | A Christmas Fantasy | Black Dyke Mills Band, John Foster (conductor) | Chandos Brass |
| 2002 | Symphony No. 3 'The Muses', Cyril Scott | BBC Philharmonic, Martyn Brabbins (conductor) | Chandos |
| 2003 | Works for Chorus and Orchestra, Sir Arnold Bax | BBC Philharmonic, Martyn Brabbins (conductor) | Chandos |
| 2006 | Messiah, G.F.Handel arr. W.A.Mozart | Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Charles Mackerras (conductor) | Signum Classics |
| 2006 | The Hymns Album | Darius Battiwalla (organ), Joseph Cullen (conductor) | Signum Classics |
| 2007 | The Carols Album | Darius Battiwalla (organ), Joseph Cullen (conductor) | Signum Classics |
| 2009 | The Crucifixion, Stainer | Darius Battiwalla (organ), Joseph Cullen (conductor) | Signum Classics |
| 2010 | Messiah, G.F.Handel | Northern Sinfonia, Jane Glover (conductor) | Signum Classics |
| 2016 | Anthem: Great British Hymns & Choral Works | Thomas Trotter (organ), Aidan Oliver (conductor) | Signum Classics |