About the Choir

Cheltenham Choral Society is a friendly, amateur choir with a long-standing reputation for providing a top quality experience for both audiences and singers.We are looking for new members in all sections SATB. You should have some previous choral singing experience and the ability to sing in tune, but there are no auditions, and sightreading is not essential.

We practise for various performances throughout the year. Generally a concert in the Autumn; a Christmas show with local youth choirs; one around Easter and a summer lunchtime performance.

Pieces we've performed recently

Handel's Messiah (over 70 times!)

Vivaldi - Gloria RV588 and RV589!

Haydn - Little Organ Mass

Faure - Requiem

Rossini - Petite Messe Solenelle

Schubert - Mass in G

Bach - St John's Passion (alongside the English Touring Opera)

Sumsion - They that go down to the sea in ships

Mozart - Laudamus Te

Music from the Late Queen's Coronation at her Platinum Jubilee

Chorus from Giulio Cesare (alongside English Touring Opera)

See our 'What's On' page for future performances

Places we have sung recently

Pittville Pump Room

Cheltenham Town Hall

All Saints Church

Church of St Philip and St James, Leckhampton

Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham

Gloucester Cathedral

Tewkesbury Abbey

The Remembrance Sunday Service on Cheltenham Promenade

The History of CCS

Cheltenham Choral Society (CCS) was founded in 1938 by Morgan Islwyn Jones, who remained the principal conductor until 1973, developing an ambitious repertoire which included Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius and the Verdi Requiem. Roger Smith then took over the conductor’s role until 1988, extending the classical repertoire and introducing more contemporary choral works.

Ian Higginson became Musical Director and Conductor in 1989 and worked with us for 30 years. Under his direction we performed many familiar classical works such as Haydn’s Creation, Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man, and The Peacemakers as well as many of his own compositions.

Alexander Thacker, only our fourth conductor in the long history of CCS, joined us shortly before the Covid pandemic. Alex directed our Autumn and Christmas 2019 performances, before leading us through the challenges of virtual rehearsals and recordings.

As things have got back to normal we have enjoyed two Tapestry of Christmas Music concerts with St Mary's C of E Primary School Choir and the young choirs of the Beauregard Academy; we performed alongside the ETO (English Touring Opera) for Bach’s St John Passion, (2022) and celebrated the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee in Gloucester Cathedral. Last November we performed Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle and Schubert's Mass in G and for the first time ever, we led the hymn singing alongside Cheltenham Silver Band at the Remembrance Sunday service on the Promenade. We are delighted to confirm our participation again this November.

During these difficult times, the choir have continued to come together to enjoy and share our passion for singing. We believe that singing together engenders a sense of well-being and community, and one of our goals is to promote musical awareness in young people by providing opportunities for them to sing in public and to demonstrate our own enjoyment. The society has performed Handel's Messiah over 75 times since 1938, sometimes joined by world-famous soprano and President of the Society, Dame Felicity Lott.

Beryl Neal - 1934-2025 - My life and music

Beryl was a member of CCS for 28 years, serving on the committee as Librarian, Chairperson and then as Vice-President

Download a printable version here

I cannot remember a time when I have not been involved in singing.

I started school the month World War2 began and school life had to be flexible. Singing in the shelters and in class started my interest in music.

When I was in the Junior School the Headmistress told my parents that she considered I had a voice that needed training for future development.

I started lessons with Edna Austin Coe [she was an international soloist) at the age of 10. I still have the note book in which she recorded each weeks exercises. Each week I had a length of string tied in a loose knot round my diaphragm it was noted how much it moved while doing breathing exercises.

I was entered for the girls solo group at the Stratford and East London Fesitval. I sang Good Morking Mr Sunshine by Healy Hutchinson. I was thrilled to win as were my teacher and my parents. This was in March 1947 a great adventure. After about 2 years Edna Coe Considered I had the basic strategy and there was a need to develop my piano playing for a few years.

I love singing Messiah I remember the years I sang at Ipswich Choral Society singing each year at Great St. Mary's Bury St. Edmunds. Thelmund Ball Played the organ and the soloists were Isobel Bailey, Gladys Rpley, Eric Green and Gordon Clinton. I have sung all the soprano and alto solos given in recitals and churches.

During 1940's the Co-op started singing groups for children. These were held at varying places I went to Clifford Road School. We all joined to gether for concerts with conductor Mr Dixon [well known in Suffolk] These were held at the Co-op Hall in town. in difficult days and it was a great opportunity for young people to meet and sing

My next singing teacher was Felix Osborne. He was organist at a local church and taught singing and piano. I spent many rewarding years as he developed my repertoire eg. Handel arias, works by Grieg, Brahms, Hugo Wolf. Mozart, Schubert, Dvorak and many more..Dvorak Biblical songs were sung many times and have remained a great favourite.

I made a record, in those days a vinyl disc played with a slopping needle. It was kept for many years by Mum and Dad in Ipswich I took Advanced Level singing. exam gaining excellent in November 1951

Felix and I gave many recitals at local churches on Sunday evenings.

One Saturday near Christmas we were going to a Suffolk village near Woodbridge. It was very difficult to find. We stopped to ask the way to the church. We both came from Ipswich but could not understand a word of the Suffolk dialect.

We arrived and were taken to have tea with the vicar and his wife. We walked to the church] no lights] we looked across the fields and saw little lights coming across the fields. There was no light in the church but as the lights came into the church it filled with light. At the end of the evening the lights all went out and it was dark again. and the lights went back across the fields. I have used this experince many times in talks and school. A memory never forgotten.

I entered each year in the Suffolk music competitions, mostly in the Old English section. It was during this time I was awarded a three year scholarship to Ipswich Choral Society. The first work I sang was Verdi Requiem.

When I was about to leave school Mr Osborne wanted me to stop with him another year and then go to Paris for a year. This was in the early 1950's a nd my parents thought going to Teacher Training was a much safer option. I went to Gipsy Hill Training College In Kingston but continued to have lessons and give recitals in Ipswich and district.

While at college I learnt music and methods which would be helpful in teaching Infants. All Infant teachers at this time 52-54 were required to play the piano, a number of songs and hymns. There were rows of practice rooms to be used by students.

My first teaching post was at Sidcup in Kent.I enjoyed music in school and took part in plays at Christmas, singing with the children.

During my time in Sidcup I trained a Baptist church choir and a junior choir attached to the church

I went for singing lessons to Blackheath Conservatoire my teacher was

Susan Minty a well known soloist.

I had many adventures getting to lessons.,including a train strike, I even borrowed a cycle! Miss Minty was endeavouring to raise my pitch to what it had been in the past. I had been for several years singing alto in the church choir. My repertoire was greatly increased which was very useful in years to come.A concert of students was given to the public each year. I have always enjoyed giving performances, Miss Minty was very impressed and said a plan was needed for the future. I sang Spring by Handel.

It was at this time Terry and I were planning to get married. We were applying for teaching posts away from London. Terry gained a post at Queen Elizabeth Wakefield and we were going to live in Ossett Spa. Miss Minty talked to me very seriously about Yorkshire Choirs and solo singing. If I continued solo singing I would have to travel and it would take a lot of time. I had been appointed to a teaching post in Wakefield. In the end I was encouraged to join Leeds Philharmonic. A group travelled by car train and bus to Leeds, and I went with them. I still taught singing and music at schools including Wakefield Girl's High School. My years singng with Leeds Philharmonic were wonderful I joined in 1957when the chorus master was Herbert Bardgett. He was a great fan of tonic sol fa. Sir Malcolm Sargent was our conductor. The first concert I sang was Te Deum Brucknor and Honegger King David. The soprano soloist was Joan Sutherland and Richard Attenborough the narrator.

The many wonderful concerts included Sargent's 70th birthday concert. This was sung in Leeds and the Royal Albert Hall with Huddersfield and Royal Choral Societies. We sang Elgar Music Makers and Brittens setting of the National Anthem We had not practiced together but Sargent was magnificent. [ Terry listened on the radio at home - no TV then and said he knew from the first note it was all going to be good].

We went again to The Royal Albert Hall to sing a memorial concert when Sir Malcolm died. Again the three choirs were conducted by Sir George Solti. The rehearsal in Leeds was a unique experience. People were allowed to come into the Town Hall to watch and listen. We travelled down to London on a horrible winters day, train broke down and we arrived late. We were all wondering what reception we would get. One of my friends was at school with Solt's wife Valerie Pitts. She met us at the door 'he is just sorry you have had such an awful journey.' We quickly took our places, he was off before we had got our music out! What an experience and a tribute to a great conductor. We sang Verdi Requiem. Donald Hunt later became conductor, with many other visiting conductors. We enjoyed working with the BBC for performances of Dvoraks Requiem in Manchester - some one forgot to stop town hall clock which struck 8 during the performance. We performed and recorded works by Neilson with the biggest cymbals you could find.

We had very large manuscript scores. There was a large number in the choir from Leeds and Halifax we all had great difficulty in holding and turning pages. So many memorable concerts: Britten's War Requiem in Leeds and York Minster. Also in York Vaughan Williams Toward the Unknown Region and Mozart Mass in C minor.

On moving to Ledbury I did not join a choir due to school commitments and difficulty of not driving. I did continue my own practices for my solo singing. I gave a recital in Glebe Infant School Newent and two in Ledbury Church.

After a few years I Joined Worcester Festival Choral Society. Donald Hunt had just arrived as chorus master. The first concert was Verdi Requiem with Maureen Guy and John Mitchinson [I had taught their son and sung Messiah behind John just after he had won the Kathleen Ferrier award] We sang many varied concerts in Worcester Cathedral. We sang in the Albert Hall: Elgar Apostles, Kingdom, and Gerontius with Charles Groves. We visited Kings Lynn Festival. We had all looked forward to the visit. Local families entertained us, which was much appreciated due to the friendly atmosphere, but with very heavy rain.

We sang in the Guild Hall, conducted by Veron Handley. Janet Baker was one of the soloists. I enjoyed singing in the Three Choir Festival as part of the Worcester section in Worcester and Gloucester. This gave enjoyment and experience of singing great works and with visiting conductors, and orchestras. We gave a first performance of African Santus by David Fanshaw who came to Worcester for the rehearsals. This was an exhilarating experience and one which I shall remember especially his setting of The Lords Prayer.

I returned to my own college premises in 1975 for Surrey Music Summer School 'Art of solo singing' given by Ruth Packer and Geoffrey Shaw.

In 1977 I became Head Teacher of Cleeve View Infant School in Cheltenham - I now had the opportunity to develop whole school singing, also to develop music in the school's curriculum. HMI visited on one occasion when we were illustrating music in all aspects of school life The staff were very amused when Mr Barret HMI sat in on my lesson ' music and maths.' He later referred to this in a letter on my retirementEvery year we produced a Nativity play, the whole school taking part. I wrote a new play each year and always contributed to the carols. We enjoyed producing plays in St. Peter's Church and in the chapel at Francis Close Hall, which was a part of the University. This was a wonderful experience for the pupils and parents. The community of St. Peters support was great.

We moved to Cheltenham 1991 when Terry retired. I was busy taking courses for the authority and University and I was unable to continue singing at Worcester. Repairs were also being done at the Cathedral and rehearsals were being held the otherside of Worcester. During the following years I also worked for the Open University, as tutor and later as an External Examiner. This sent me on visits to many areas of the country. I was also course leader at the University of Gloucestershire for classroom assistants. Both these post gave me acess to a large number of schools in Gloucestershire and to many parts of the country and schools.The importance of music in schools was evident and more important. The lack of such experiences for the pupils at this time was clear.

When I retired from my post as Head Teacher 1997 | joined Cheltenham Choral Society, conductor lan Higginson My first memory was of standing waiting for an audition. The first work was Verdi Requiem in the Town Hall At this stage all concerts were in the Town Hall. This was soon to change as the cost of concerts increased greatly especially the cost of Town Hall. The hunt was on for other venues, which was very difficult. Churches soon found concerts could increase their finances. Space and facilities also parking. had to be considered,My first committee post was as librarian, building up a network of places to hire music. In 2003 l was made Chairman, a post I held for 13 years. I also continued as librarian for several years. At the time of writing I am a Vice President. Dame Felicity Lott was President 1993-2023. It has been a privilege to have her in this role. She has always been most supportive. We have always been thrilled when she has sung with us and especially memorable were her visits for Messiah. A large number of works have been sung including new works by lan Higginson, Karl Jenkins and Rutter. It has always been uplifting singing the great works of the masters. I have sung over 60 performances of Messiah and looked forward every year to the next.

It is wonderful to look back on so many years of varied musical experiences. The opportunities to meet and sing with singers in varying parts of the country and experience the joy of singing. It has been a privilege to sing wonderful works of past composers and of to day, conductors and soloists. The many friendships made and enjoyed have been greatly valued and appreciated. I have always tried to relay the inner meaning of the words and music to audiences so that they become involved in the perfornance.This has been a wonderful experience.