About the University of Essex Choir

The University of Essex Choir was founded in 1977 and numbers about 150 singers.  Its membership is drawn from staff and students of the University and from the local community.  The University is an international community with a relatively high proportion of overseas students and many of the students in the choir are from overseas.

Since 1981 the Music Director has been Richard Cooke. Under his inspirational leadership the choir has sung many of the major classical works, including in recent years :

Mendelssohn's Elijah (in the original German) Bach B minor Mass Vaughan Williams Sea Symphony Beethoven Missa Solemnis Britten Spring Symphony and St Nicolas Rachmaninov The Bells Brahms Ein Deutsches Requiem Prokofiev Alexander Nevsky Elgar The Kingdom

Most of the choir's "summer" concerts are given in the world- famous Snape Maltings Concert Hall, near Aldeburgh. Occasionally the choir performs in the Charter Hall, Colchester, where it gave the Inaugural Concert, including Mozart's Requiem, to mark the opening of the hall in December 1991.

Following its performance of The Apostles at Norwich Cathedral, the choir was invited to perform Elgar's Dream of Gerontius, on May 18 1996, as part of the Cathedral's 900th Anniversary celebrations. The choir has also performed in St Edmundsbury Cathedral and in Chelmsford Cathedral.

In performance the choir is joined by excellent professional musicians, both orchestra and soloists. The latter are often singers in their early career, and many have gone on to become well-known nationally and internationally.  The concerts attract audiences of up to 700, and are generally recognised as some of the best choral concerts in the area, winning well deserved critical acclaim. 

In some recent performances the choir has been joined by members of the Royal Choral Society and Canterbury Choral Society, both of which are conducted by Richard Cooke. Members of the University of Essex Choir have also had the opportunity to sing with the Royal Choral Society in the Royal Albert Hall and elsewhere.  In 1997 all three choirs combined to give performances of Mahler's Eighth Symphony in Canterbury Cathedral, the Royal Albert Hall and the Palais de Congrès Concert Hall in Lille, France.

You can listen online to two short excerpts from recent performances by the Choir: Tui Nati Vulnerati from Dvorak's Stabat Mater and Dies Irae from Verdi's Requiem.

The Choir is a Registered Charity: No 285079

Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ, United Kingdom.
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Comments or  queries? Email: choir-webmaster; non-Essex users should add @essex.ac.uk to create full e-mail address Last updated on January 30, 2012