The Chorus started in 1963 under the baton of Tom Duncan as the Holy Trinity Augmented Choir, drawing on town and university, both students and staff, for its membership. In 1977, in conjunction with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and under the leadership of John Tunnell, it was renamed 'The St Andrews Chorus'. We have enjoyed the expertise of many excellent conductors and accompanists over the years and we welcomed Michael Downes as Musical Director in 2009. The Chorus was reconstituted in 1995 more formally as a Choral Society and we are proud that we are a true 'town and gown' choir.
As part of our 40th Anniversary celebrations in 2017 we asked Paul Mealor to become our first Honorary Patron. Paul is perhaps best known for a performance of his Motet, Ubi Caritas, at the Royal Wedding Ceremony of His Royal Highness Prince William and Catherine Middleton (now TRH The Prince & Princess of Wales) at Westminster Abbey. Another St Andrews connection, with both William and Kate being alumni of the University. The Chorus have performed four of Paul Mealor's works.: Stabat Mater, Cruxificus, A Welsh Prayer, and In Paradisum which was written for and premiered by the Chorus on 26th November 2022..
St Andrews Chorus has been a registered Scottish charity since 13 October 1995 (SC025432) and our principal charitable objective is to promote the knowledge and appreciation of choral music by giving regular performances of choral works. We also sponsor a number of Choral Scholars from the student members through financial support for vocal training.
ST ANDREWS CHORUS - Who are we?
REHEARSALS
Rehearsals for our Spring 2025 concert will commence on Thursday 23rd January 2025 at 7.00pm in the Laidlaw Music Centre. We will be preparing for our Spring Concert which will be performed at Holy Trinity Church in St Andrews on Saturday 5th April 2025. We will be singing Handel's Requiem. During term time we rehearse every Thursday from 7.00pm to 9.15pm in the McPherson Recital Room within the Laidlaw Music Centre.
If you love to sing and can hold a tune, you are most welcome to join us and participate in the musical and social activities of the Chorus. It is not necessary to be able to sight read music, though it obviously helps! We don’t hold auditions and all the music is provided along with helpful advice for practising between rehearsals.
We welcome anyone who wants to come along to a rehearsal to see what we do and decide whether it’s for them before they make a commitment. Just contact us if you would like to come along to a rehearsal and try us out. Please come along early, especially for the first rehearsal, so we can sort out your music and where you will be sitting.
