"Canterbury Choral Society is one of those substantial choruses in Britain that can tackle the biggest works in the repertory with absolute confidence". This was the opening of the review in the online classical music magazine "Music and Vision" following the performance of Elgar’s The Apostles in January this year which marked a major departure for the choir, singing together with The Philharmonia Orchestra, and recording the concert live for future commercial production on CD. The Society performs four major concerts in Canterbury Cathedral every year, hosts Family Carols at Christmas, and takes great pride that Canterbury Festival has invited it to perform a major concert each year since the Festival’s launch in 1984.

On four occasions the Society has performed in cities in northern France, including Verdi’s Requiem in 1990 for the City of Boulogne as the opening concert of the ‘Britain in Boulogne’ arts festival, and, following the 1997 Canterbury Festival performance of Mahler’s Eighth Symphony, repeat performances in the Royal Albert Hall and two in Lille as part of the Lille Festival. The 1999 concert of Berlioz’ Grande Messe des Morts with the Royal Choral Society and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra was also followed by a performance in the Royal Albert Hall.

In the 2000 Canterbury Festival, in addition to the closing concert, Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony, they gave one of the first performances of Around the Curve of the World, a work specially written for the millennium by Francis Grier. For their 50th Anniversary Concert in 2001 they performed Bach’s Mass in B Minor, accompanied by the London Handel Orchestra. In 2002 they gave an inspired performance of Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis before representatives of many European cities.

Whilst aiming for a standard of professionalism in its concerts, Canterbury Choral Society remains in essence an amateur choir open to all who apply and pass a simple audition. In tonight’s concert you will hear the fulfilment of weeks of hard work and learning by people from many walks of life, some, when they joined, having little idea of how much could be achieved. Members may briefly reflect on these achievements after concerts, but a shock awaits them the following Tuesday when they begin rehearsals for their next performance. The first rehearsal is open to anyone from our audience and elsewhere who might like to consider joining us, or who is curious about how we rehearse and sound in the earliest stages of learning.