Royal Choral Society jobs and careers

About Royal Choral Society

The Royal Choral Society is one of the world’s oldest and most respected symphonic choirs. The 150-strong choir regularly performs in the great music venues in London and beyond, including regular appearances at its spiritual home, the Royal Albert Hall: these include an annual performance of Handel’s Messiah on Good Friday (every year since 1876, barring performances cancelled during the Blitz 1940/1 and Covid 2020/1) and an annual series of sell-out Christmas carol concerts. Formed initially for the opening of the Royal Albert Hall in 1871, its inaugural concert was held at the Royal Albert Hall on 8th May 1872. The choir’s name was shortened to The Royal Choral Society (with permission from Queen Victoria) shortly afterwards. The choir’s history encompasses some of the greatest names in music. Former Royal Choral Society conductors include Charles Gounod and Malcolm Sargent – the latter, described as ‘the finest British choral conductor of his generation’, had a 40-year association with the choir, and Verdi and Dvorák both conducted the choir in premières of their own works. Our Music Director, Richard Cooke, took over the baton from his distinguished predecessors in 1995. An experienced singer himself, he understands the capabilities of choral singers and is able to bring out the full potential of individual voices. Today, the RCS enjoys maintaining a balance between performances of traditional choral repertoire in UK concert halls and taking up opportunities to perform in unusual and contrasting events such as Beating Retreat on Horse Guards parade, BBC Proms in the Park in Hyde Park, singing at the launch of the cruise liner Queen Mary 2, as well as enjoying tours to the USA, Germany, Slovakia, France and Malta to name a few. Patron HM The King President HRH The Duke of Kent Chairman Peter Dart The Royal Choral Society is a registered charity (No 298389)