The Choir

The Edinburgh Singers was formed in 1952, and throughout its history has offered the city a rich variety of music, from simple folk songs and Christmas carols, to major works such as Bach's B Minor Mass and Mendelssohn's Elijah. An enthusiastic group of all ages, the choir strives for the highest quality of performance and has collaborated with Scottish Opera for Celtic Connections and Dundee Symphony Orchestra in Beethoven's 9th Symphony, and performed on the BBC's Songs of Praise and Radio 4 Sunday Worship.

Under Musical Director John Gormley, who joined us in 2009, the choir has extended the range of its repertoire both historically and stylistically. Christmas concerts have included Renaissance and medieval pieces, and we have performed major works by C20th composers such as Walton and Leighton, in addition to more familiar Bach, Haydn and Handel. It is a measure of the quality of the choir that it not only relishes these challenges as a chorus, but also provides soloists from within the choir for all but the largest oratorios.

In 2012 The Edinburgh Singers celebrated its 60th Anniversary with a number of special events. On 1 March we performed a selection from our spring programme at the National Gallery of Scotland, a truly inspiring place to sing. In June we joined celebrations for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee by singing at the Usher Hall prior to a concert by the Academy of Ancient Music. Our summer concert on 23 June featured Byrd and Vivaldi, and we toured to Rome with our spring and summer repertoires during July. We performed Fauré's Requiem and Langlais' Messe Solennelle in Greyfriar's Kirk on 3 November, and we rounded off with a special Christmas Concert featuring Bach's Magnificat and a selection of traditional carols on 15 December. Join us at a spectacular concert on 25 May, featuring Mozart's Solemn Vespers and Haydn's Nelson Mass!

  •                                                                                     A Charity Registered in Scotland, No. SC040010

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