Read About Our History..
Since singing is so good a thing.....
At 7.30pm most Mondays we meet at
Lutterworth Methodist Church
Singers welcome!
The History of Lutterworth Choral Society
Lutterworth and District Choral Society traces its history back to the late 19th century, with the formation of the Lutterworth Orchestral and Choral Society. As our 1996 centenary booklet proclaims, concerts in those days ‘were held in the Town Hall commencing at eight o’clock, carriages at 10’. The conductor was the Rector of St Mary’s parish church, Rev. M. F. Alderson, and he directed a choir of 38 with a dozen instrumentalists.
There is no record of what happened during the war but during the 1920s the organist at St Mary’s, George Haswell, took over the baton of what had by then become the Lutterworth Musical Society. The programmes included both secular and sacred music, with enthusiastic reviews and requests for encores. One reviewer noted on 25th January 1924, ‘Complete success attended the annual concert of the Lutterworth Musical Society, held at the Town Hall on Friday evening. The Society is in its twenty-
“Since singing is so good a thing I wish all men would learn to sing.”
a couplet from composer William Byrd
Happy Years...
Under the leadership of John Buck the society started performing popular concerts in St Mary’s church hall, the Methodist Church, and the then-Grammar School (now Lutterworth College). By the time of its tenth anniversary concert in 1956, Ken Harris had joined the Society as a singer, and it was not long before his conducting talents were spotted.
He took over the baton at the first Christmas concert with the Lutterworth Town Band – a tradition that lasted for many years. The annual Christmas concerts featured a mixture of carols for the festive season. Ken Harris was the longest-serving conductor to date (1957 to 1985) and subsequently became President of the society.
During his tenure he put on a series of celebrity concerts, including one featuring Owen Brannigan. ‘They were indeed happy years,’ reminisced Ken Harris.
Varied Music..
Conductors in more recent decades have included Michael Arnison, Marlene Sweetko, Anne de Graeve, Kathryn Cook, Robert Foreman and Alan Barraclough.
The Choir continues to perform a varied and extensive repertoire, combining ‘choral staples’ such as Handel’s Messiah and Haydn’s Creation, with songs by Rogers & Hammerstein and Andrew Lloyd Webber. In 2009 the choir joined forces with Market Harborough Choral Society to perform Carmina Burana by Carl Orff.
Recent performances have included Puccini’s Messa di Gloria and Mozart’s Requiem (2018), plus two new exciting works by Christopher Wood: Requiem (2017) and Holy Week (2019), Chilcott’s A Little Jazz Mass (2022) and Haydn’s Missa Brevis (2023) as well as traditional favourites at our charity Christmas concerts.
60 enthusiastic, committed members..
Lutterworth and District Choral Society continues to flourish, with some 60 enthusiastic, committed members. There is a regular flow of new voices, and a willingness to tackle new works. The Choir is always looking forwards and will carry on its tradition of bringing choral music to the people of south Leicestershire for years to come.