About us
Founded in 1903 as The London Choral Society, The London Chorus has been practising and performing a challenging and varied repertoire and continually developing its tradition of excellence for over a century.
About us
The London Chorus was founded as the London Choral Society in 1903 to perform Edward Elgar‘s The Dream of Gerontius at a time when there was no major choir in central London. The choir established its tradition of innovation right from the start, giving many first performances in its early years. Indeed it continues to do so, performing a challenging and varied repertoire and continually developing its tradition of excellence.
In recent years the choir has promoted the first London performances of works by Samuel Barber, Frank Martin, Richard Blackford, Paul Patterson, Ronald Corp and others, as well as performing a wide variety of works ranging from plainsong, through the mainstream choral repertoire, to that of the present day, classical and lighter music.
The choir, founded by Arthur Fagge, has enjoyed the expertise of leading musical directors including Sir Simon Rattle, Dame Jane Glover, and currently Ronald Corp OBE.
The choir’s repertoire is extensive and diverse. It has performed works by all the major and lesser-known composers and performed at all London’s top venues including the Royal Albert Hall, the Royal Festival Hall and the Barbican. Over its 120 year history the choir has taken part in a number of performances at the BBC Proms.
The London Chorus was privileged to be chosen for the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Paralympics and the Centenary Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance in 2018 in the Royal Albert Hall.
The choir has been on many foreign tours including to Poland, South Africa, and Italy, and has justly been referred to as “London’s most versatile choir”.
Musical director – Ronald Corp OBE
Ronald Corp OBE is Musical Director of The London Chorus, New London Children’s Choir and Highgate Choral Society. He is also Artistic Director of New London Orchestra and New London Children’s Choir, both of which he founded, respectively, in 1988 and 1991.
Among his extensive discography as a conductor are award-winning Hyperion discs of British Light Music Classics (1996 to 2002) with New London Orchestra and an acclaimed recording of Rutland Boughton’s opera, The Queen of Cornwall (2010).
Patron – HRH The Duke of Gloucester
HRH The Duke of Gloucester carries out a significant number of public duties and undertakes hundreds of official engagements in the UK and overseas each year. The Duke is associated with over 150 charities and organisations. His patronages reflect his professional and personal interests, which include international humanitarian issues, heritage and the built environment and military veterans.
The London Chorus is deeply grateful to the Duke of Gloucester for his support of the choir.
Vice Patrons
The London Chorus is exceptionally fortunate to have two leading international singers as our vice-patrons.
Roderick Williams is one of this country’s most sought after baritones on the concert platform and in recital, encompassing a repertoire from the baroque to world premieres. In 2016 he won the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Singer of the year award.
Praised by Opera for her “dramatic wit and vocal control”, British soprano Mary Bevan is internationally renowned in baroque, classical and contemporary repertoire, and appears regularly with leading conductors, orchestras and ensembles around the world. She is a winner of the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Young Artist award and UK Critics’ Circle Award for Exceptional Young Talent in music and was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s birthday honours list in 2019.
