A short history of the choir

Cardiff Polyphonic Choir, now in its 48^th year, has a proud history. The Choir has been an ambassador for Welsh music, touring the USA on nine occasions. Its tours of Italy, Brittany, Austria, Germany, Canada, Belgium, Holland, Denmark and Prague have helped to earn the choir’s international reputation. At home, too, the Choir’s reputation is strong.

It has performed in all the major London musical venues. It has worked with many of the great orchestras of our time – the Philharmonia, the London Symphony Orchestra, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the London Baroque, the London Mozart Players and the Hallé.

And it has sung under the baton of Sir Colin Davis, Carl Davis, Sir Charles Groves, Richard Hickox, Sir Roger Norrington, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Sir Andrew Davis, Jane Glover, Tadaaki Otaka, Paavo Berglund, James Loughran and John Alldis.

2009, 2010 and 2011 have been exciting action packed years! These have included tours to Bruges and to Rovigo in Italy; 7 very well supported  concerts in support of local charities, and a performance in the Welsh Proms of Arwel Hughes's Dewi Sant. A group from the Choir sang Holst's First Choral Symphony in the 2009 BBC Proms in the Royal Albert Hall  with the BBC National Chorus of Wales and the BBC Symphony Chorus.

2010 started with a very well received performance of Rachmaninov's Vespers  in St Martin in the Fields in London [we have been invited back to sing this piece in February 2012], a Verdi Requiem with the BBC National Chorus of Wales, and we gave a debut concert in St George's Brandon Hill, Bristol in the Autumn with a performance of Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle.

2011 brought a Radio 3 live broadcast of Berlioz's Roméo et Juliette - St David's Hall, Cardiff with BBC National Orchestra for Wales and BBC National Chorus of Wales; a performance of Vaughan Williams's Mass in G Minor;  a sell out Rachmaninov Vespers in Budleigh Salterton as part of their Music Festival. The year ended with the Choir giving a performance of Messiah in St David's Hall, Cardiff with Florilegium. And then for fun we sang a carol on The One Show live on BBC1 on 23rd December!