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Come and sing with us!
With over 100 members, this is the largest musical group in the University. It is made up of students and staff from the University of Aberdeen and of members from outwith the University community.
We sing a wide-ranging repertoire comprising both accompanied and unaccompanied compositions. There are 3 main concerts each season: our popular annual carol concert in December; and 2 major works, usually performed in November and March of each year. Additionally, Choral Society is often invited to participate in concerts with other orchestras and choirs throughout the year. Our performances are held in a variety of locations, including the Music Hall on Union Street, the cathedrals of St Machars and St Andrews, and other cathedrals in Aberdeen city.
The Choral Society meets in in Johnston Hall, near Kings College in Old Aberdeen (see King's campus map, item 37), on Wednesday evenings during term time. Rehearsals begin promptly at 7.30 pm and continue until around 9.45 pm. There is a tea/coffee break halfway through the evening during which announcements about forthcoming music events in and around Aberdeen are made.
Our musical director is Paul Mealor, FRSA (professor in composition and founder and director of the Aberdeen Music Prize), and we also invite guest conductors to lead us from time to time, for certain concerts. Our repertoire is as broad as it has ever been, with works ranging from the 16th century through to works of our own time.
The Choral Society is open to everyone.
History and Background
The Society was instituted in 1875 with Herr Karl Wilhelm Meid as its first conductor. A committee was formed with representatives from the faculties of Arts, Medicine, Divinity and Science. In 1887 with over 100 singing members, a new conductor Mr John Kirby was appointed, and five years later, on arrival in Aberdeen, the historian and celebrated Bach musicologist C S Terry took his place. In 1893 an Orchestra was formed with its own conductor, William Adlington.
At its foundation, the Choral Society consisted only of men, and the repertoire appears to have been very limited, always comprising Gaudeamus and some other well known tunes. Under Terry, however, women were admitted, and it is from this time that the Society really flourished.
Terry was a close personal friend of Elgar and the two men kept up their acquaintance through the Three Choirs Festival. Elgar was a frequent visitor to Aberdeen - particularly to visit the festival of choirs, which Terry set up in the early years of this century.
Many first Scottish performances of works were given by the Society and the standards reached were very high. Between the two wars, Willan Swainson developed the repertoire further and after 1945 both he and Reginald Barrett Ayres - Swainson's successor as Reader and Lecturer in Music - were able to strengthen the Society's performances with help from Music Students.