Malmesbury Abbey Concert, October 15 2022
Swindon Choral Society presented a delightful concert in Malmesbury Abbey on Saturday Evening. Robin Nelson, their former conductor, deputised for Elinor Cooper who was unwell. He did a marvellous job, but it was a pity Elinor was not able to hear the choir, because the standard of performance reflected a high level of preparation.

The programme opened with Bruckner’s Locus Iste, sung a cappella. The voices were well balanced despite the relatively low number of Tenors and Bass, and the whole choir worked as a team. This continued with the popular Panis Angelicus where diction was clear and the accompaniment by the excellent Organist Simon Hogan, very sensitive.

For me the highlight from the three Soloists: Elizabeth Britton Soprano, Michael Burgess Tenor and Patrick Osborne Bass, was in the trio section of the Benedictus in Schubert’s Mass in G. Their lovely voices were well matched and the singing lyrical.

Swindon Choral Society produced a high standard of music throughout the evening. The Soprano section produced a beautiful sound soaring over the higher notes, ably supported by the strong lower voices.

Should you require details of upcoming concerts, or wish to join this vibrant choir, please visit their website www.swindonchoral.org.uk

Mirian Sirrelle

New Musical Director: Elinor Cooper
With the retirement of our long-serving and much-loved Musical Direct Robin Nelson, we are delighted to announce the appointment of Elinor Cooper to succeed him following his final concert on October 23rd this year.

Elinor is a conductor, singer and classical music writer based in the South-West. She has a first class BA in Music from the University of Bristol and an MMus in choral conducting from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, where she studied with Adrian Partington, Sarah Tenant-Flowers, Andrea Brown and Greg Hallam.

For two years, Elinor worked as a writer for BBC Music Magazine, and now combines freelance journalism with her musical career. During her time with the organisation, Elinor interviewed renowned artists such as Kiri Te Kanawa, Tara Erraught and Sakari Oramo, and contributed to numerous features and articles.

As a singer, Elinor has worked with international conductors and artists, both in performance and masterclasses. Highlights include consecutive BBC Proms with Vasily Petrenko, Bob Chilcott and Daniel Barenboim, and masterclasses with Ian Bostridge, Mary King and Sarah Connolly.

Elinor is currently Musical Director of Bristol University Singers, Collegium Singers, UWE Singers, chamber choir Spiro Singers and assistant conductor for Bristol Youth Choir. She teaches singing at Wycliffe School, Stroud and from her home in Bristol.

Praise from Venice
Over the weekend of October 12/13 2019, the choir sang two concerts in Venice, in the Pietà and Miracoli churches. Subsequently we received an email from someone who walked into the Miracoli concert, from which the following quotation is taken: It was the highlight of our week. Your music lifted our souls; I wish now I lived nearer to Swindon! Your wonderful choir is such a force for good in our wracked, confused country. Thank you!

Santa Maria dei Miracoli

Christmas at Christ Church: Britten St Nicolas

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About Us
We are a society of about one hundred and ten amateur singers who stage, on average, four choral concerts in and around Swindon each year, and in our 90 year history have performed most of the major choral repertoire, as well as a number of specially-commissioned works.

Atlantic Odyssey 2019
Our 2013 world premier of Atlantic Odyssey, played to a full house, was filmed and recorded live, and a clip of the start of the performance may be seen at Vimeo

BIG Concert
The March 2018 concert in Marlborough College Chapel was a rare chance to tackle JS Bach's glorious St Matthew Passion. Combining with Bracknell Choral Society and their conductor Greg Hallam who also conducted the final performance, we thrilled to the sound of the six professional soloists accompanied by the double orchestra Musica Poetica, as well as singing many of the chorales unaccompanied. The double choir Thundered and Lightninged with gusto and demanded the release of Barabbas with an appropriate crescendo of sound. The undoubted highlight, however, was the heart-stopping bass/cor anglais aria Make me clean. With the chorus taking up fully one third of the Chapel seating, the other two thirds were sold out to a packed audience. This was one that none of us will ever forget.

Fundraising
Like all amateur organisations, we work hard at fundraising and our efforts will be boosted when you use our EasyFundraising link for your online shopping. A very big Thank You to all who do so!

Past performances include the Passions of Bach, Requiems from Mozart to Rutter by way of Howard Goodall's Eternal Light, Britten's War Requiem, and many familiar oratorios, notably, A Child Of Our Time and The Dream of Gerontius, and most recently the first half of The Christmas Oratorio. The Armed Man, by Karl Jenkins has also featured. For a complete list of our concerts, please visit our Concerts pages.

We enjoy performing with professional orchestras and soloists. We have worked with The London Mozart Players (under Jane Glover), the Bournemouth Sinfonietta, the West Forest Sinfonia, the Chameleon Arts Orchestra and, very recently, the Reading Symphony Orchestra.

The Society also incorporates the Swindon Chorale, an increasingly active and dedicated group providing sacred and secular music by request for weddings, funerals, fund-raising concerts for ourselves and others, together with other events.