International Staff Songsters
The International Staff Songsters (ISS) is the principal choir of the Salvation Army. Based in London, United Kingdom, the group performs Christian choral music in concerts, worship services and television and radio broadcasts, and has recorded more than 50 albums since its inauguration. Members of the choir are Christians who are also members of their local Salvation Army church. The ISS regularly visits Salvation Army centres in the United Kingdom and has undertaken several international tours, including the USA, Canada, France, Switzerland, Estonia, Australia, New Zealand, Kenya, South Africa, Argentina and Uruguay. Members are volunteers, with profits  from recordings and performances used to support the work of the Salvation Army. The ISS has performed in diverse locations; from notable venues across the UK, including the Royal Albert Hall, O2 Arena, Llandaff Cathedral, Gloucester Cathedral and Symphony Hall, to squatter camps, prisons and hostels. The ISS regularly performs on the long-running BBC Radio 4 shows "The Daily Service" and "Sunday Worship", and has also featured on the BBC Television programme, "Songs of Praise". History and discography. The ISS was originally formed by the Salvation Army's founder, General William Booth, in March 1897 and was composed of  employees of the organisation's International Headquarters (IHQ) in London. The chief of the accounts department, Herbert Jackson, was appointed the first leader of the group. By 1912, it was reported that the choir had travelled 25,000 miles and sung to audiences totalling more than 1,000,000 people. The ISS also attracted the attention of high-profile music critics, including George Bernard Shaw. After being disbanded in the 1930s, the group was re-formed in March 1980 by General Arnold Brown, who appointed Norman Bearcroft as the founding leader of the relaunched group, with membership no longer confined to headquarters employees . The group has had a further four leaders and released a number of recordings, including some collaborations with notable brass bands, including the International Staff Band, Household Troops Band and Cory Band. Most of the group's recordings are produced and distributed by SP&S, an independent Christian music label founded in 1917, although compilation albums featuring the music of the ISS have also been produced by Metro and Hallmark Records. In 1988, the ISS performed much of the soundtrack of the Anglia Television series "Marching as to War" with Roy Castle. The ISS is a perennial performer at the Royal  Albert Hall for "Celebrating Christmas with the Salvation Army", which is broadcast annually on BBC Radio London and most other Local BBC Radio stations across the UK. In 2020, the 40th anniversary of the current ISS was marked by a concert with the London Mozart Players hosted by Welsh broadcaster Aled Jones and a special feature on BBC One's "Songs of Praise" in which JB Gill interviewed current members. In October 2021, the ISS took part in a special service on BBC Radio 4 to commemorate World Mental Health Day. Associated groups. Founded in 1891, the International Staff Band  (ISB) is the premier brass band of the Salvation Army. Also based in London, the ISB regularly performs with the ISS at Salvation Army events in the UK. The ISS has served as a model for the establishment of other 'Staff Songsters' which fulfil a similar function to the ISS and represent the Salvation Army in various countries, territories and cities around the world: