Stourbridge Choral

& Orchestral Society

History

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The origin of the Society is to be found in the popular "Penny Singing Classes" in the town of Stourbridge during  late Victorian times.   A committee decided that an amalgamation of similar bodies would be mutually advantageous and on 18th January 1884 the "People's Choral Concert Society" was formed.    The first concert was given on the 23rd February of that year.


In the following years concerts were staged making use of the newly-built Town Hall and in 1900, for the 70th concert, the name was changed to the "Stourbridge Concert Society".   Over the subsequent years despite many difficulties when finance became even more of a problem than usual and it seemed the Society might founder, regular concerts were performed.


Matters improved in the 1930s when Frank Edwards became conductor. The concerts became significant events in the social calendar and the Society enjoyed a specially successful period after the austerity of the Second World War.    In the post-war year years amateur music flourished and expanded.    New associations were formed catering for different interests and appealing to different audiences and in 1985 the name of the Society was again changed to the present one in order to represent more clearly the repertoire.


Conductors 1884 - 2001

1886 - 1926 George Halford
1931 - 1965 Frank Edwards
1966 - 1975 John Griswold
1976 - 1990 Anthony Cyphus
1990 - 1992 Mike Smith
1992 - 2000 Anthony Bridgewater
2000 - 2003 Robert Cracknell and Andrea Perrett
2003 - 2006 Bob Thomas
2006 - Graeme Martin

Choral Directors

1992 - 1994 Michael Kent-Davies
1994 - 1997 Elaine Johnson
1997 - 2005 Oliver Linton
2005 - Jim Pearman


Our Repertoire in the past few years has included the following:-

 

Composer

Item

Date

J. S. Bach

Pastoral Symphony & Chorale

30-Nov-96

Bizet

Jeux d'Enfants

30-Nov-96

Mozart

Toy Symphony

30-Nov-96

Mozart

Symphony No. 39

15-Mar-97

Mendelssohn

Hear My Prayer

15-Mar-97

Saint-Saens

The Carnival of the Animals

17-May-97

Parry

I was Glad

17-May-97

Alwyn

Suite of Scottish Dances

17-May-97

Rutter

The Sprig of Thyme

17-May-97

Beethoven

Overture Corialan

06-Dec-97

Beethoven

Romance in G Major

06-Dec-97

Mozart

Requiem

06-Dec-97

Mendelssohn

Overture The Hebrides

16-May-98

Mendelssohn

Piano Concerto No. 1

16-May-98

Schubert

Magnificat in C

16-May-98

Haydn

Symphony No. 101 - Clock

16-May-98

Mozart

Overture Cosi Fan Tutti

05-Dec-98

Mozart

Aria Ch'io mi Scodi di Te

05-Dec-98

Chaminade

Concertino for Flute & Orchestra

05-Dec-98

Haydn

Harmoniemesse

05-Dec-98

Michael Hurd

Dance Diversions

10-Dec-99

Haydn

Symphony No. 83 The Hen

10-Dec-99

Handel

Messiah (Pt. 1)

10-Dec-99

Rossini

Overture The Silken Ladder

15-May-99

Schubert

Symphony No 8 The Unfinished

15-May-99

Mozart

Extracts from Vesperae Solennes

15-May-99

Rachmaninov

Piano Concerto No. 2

15-May-99

J. S. Bach

St. John Passion

08-Apr-00

Beethoven Overture Corianus 31-Mar-01
Schumann Cello Concerto in A Minor 31-Mar-01
Beethoven Mass in C 31-Mar-01