We are a mixed voice adult choir, with some 70 amateur singers from many different walks of life who are all passionate about singing. We sing a classical repertoire, from William Byrd to today’s composers, performing four concerts over the season, including our very popular Christmas Festivities; we are usually accompanied by the Bury Camerata and/or our super pianist or organist. There are also occasional other concerts and events such as Come and Sing! and compact concerts, a one hour concert “out of town” on a Sunday afternoon, and charity sing-outs.
Our professional Director of Music is Royal Conservatory of Madrid trained Juan Ortuño, assisted by our professional accompanists, pianist Jonathan Ellis and organist, Elin Rees. Our concerts are varied with a wide repertoire of primarily choral music, old and new.
Singing is for everyone. It is a cultural, collective activity and fosters well-being. We are open to all sections of the community, welcome new singers, young and not so young, and encourage our audiences and the wider population across the borough and wider district to enjoy and become involved in choral music.
The Society has a long connection with the civic authority of Bury and since 1902 The Mayor of Bury has been a Patron (and usually attends our concerts!). BCS has a long line of distinguished Chief Patrons and we are delighted that since March 2018 Sir Mark Elder CH CBE has been our new Chief Patron.
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Regretfully the continuing coronavirus pandemic means that choir members cannot get together to rehearse or perform and all concerts for the current season have either been cancelled or postponed indefinitely.
Rarely in the long history of the choir have we suspended all rehearsals and cancelled concerts but, as we all know, the coronavirus pandemic has required the cessation of all gatherings and closure of venues; this is in accordance with the Government’s initial advice and now statutory regulations.
We do hope you enjoyed our Virtual Concert, Glorious Rhythm, which we hope we may yet perform some time in the future. In the meantime you can still see and hear the Virtual Concert HERE. Though all concerts for the season are now cancelled we hope, subject to the lessening or ending of the pandemic, Government regulations, safety assessment and sufficient rehearsal time to perform a concert in the early Summer which will reflect the crisis we have been through, the sterling work of so many and the tragic loss of loved ones, friends and colleagues. This concert will, it is hoped, feature Faure’s Requiem, Peter Skellern’s Rest in Peace and Rise in Glory, and Handel’s Foundling Hospital Anthem.
The choir continues to “get together” on Zoom on a Tuesday evening to rehearse short items and to raise our voices. We were delighted to be invited by Bury Council, during its year as Town of Culture, to record a few carols as part of a webcast and a few of the choir also sang carols at one of the town’s elderly persons homes.
Our newsletter will have all the latest updates; just submit your email address and request to sign up via the link above. After 182 years we have no intention of being silent let alone disappearing! We will be back, live, as soon as we can.
In the meantime, do have a look at our at our Bury Choral Society’s Facebook page. Our virtual concert will also be posted there but for the present there is a daily link to a great piece of music – not all choral and some not classical, but all good.
Our last concert – Mozart’s Requiem at St Vincent and Paul Church, Norden,
on Sunday, 15th March – a Just an Hour concert
Chief Patron - Sir Mark Elder CH CBE
Our Chief Patron is Sir Mark Elder CH CBE. Sir Mark is the Music Director of the Halle Orchestra, Principal Artist of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and conducts many of the world’s leading orchestras as well as conducting in the major opera houses.
We are delighted and honoured that Sir Mark agreed to be our new Chief Patron in March 2019; he is the third Knight of the Realm to be Patron of the Society following in the footsteps of former Patrons, Sir Malcolm Sargent and Sir Charles Groves.
Music!
Each day since the pandemic commenced and the choir has been unable to get together in person, wonderful music has been posted on the Society's Facebook page, performed not only by world class professionals but also amateur choirs and singers which brings home to each of us how important music is in our lives. But it is second best to live music in which we participate, either performing or listening. If you would like to hear this daily posting you don't need to have signed up to Facebook - you can link to HERE
Until concerts re-commence here is another Virtual Concert with a brief selection from the daily postings – a real mixture with glorious voices:
Alleluya A New Voice is Come on Hand - a new carol by Wishart
Ella Fitzgerald - Gershwin, The Man I Love
Brahms, German Requiem - How Lovely are Thy Dwellings Fair
Bach, St Matthew's Passion, Final Chorus
Fidelio, Prisoners' chorus – from Beethoven’s only opera
Juan Ortuno
Spanish conductor Juan Ortuño is enjoying an exciting career in the UK, where he is principal conductor of the Sheffield Symphony Orchestra and the Gorton Philharmonic Orchestra.
Jonathan Ellis began learning the piano at the age of three.
Jonathan Ellis
Jonathan Ellis
Jonathan Ellis began learning the piano at the age of three.
Elin Rees is the Organist at Bury Parish Church, a freelance accompanist, and piano and organ soloist.
Schubert: Magnificat in C, part 3
Juan Ortuño conducting Bury Choral Society, the Bury Camerata, organist Elin Rees and soloists Alicia Hill, Laura Wood, Joseph Buckmaster and Peter Lidbetter
Leeming: Cotton Mills (2013)
World premier performance of Zakiya Leeming's "Cotton Mills", specially commissioned by Bury Choral Society in celebration of its 175th season. Words by C. Richard Miles. Performed at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, on 12th May 2013. Conducted by Sinead Hayes.
Mozart: Requiem, Requiem Aeternam
Juan Ortuño conducting Bury Choral Society, the Bury Camerata, organist Elin Rees, and soloist Alicia Hill
Mozart: Requiem, Lacrimosa
Juan Ortuño conducting Bury Choral Society and the Bury Camerata
Mozart: Piano Concerto no: 26, 3rd movement
Soloist Jonathan Ellis, with Juan Ortuño conducting the Bury Camerata
Vivaldi: Gloria, opening
Juan Ortuño conducting Bury Choral Society, the Bury Camerata and organist Elin Rees
Maurice Duruflé: Ubi Caritas - One of four motets (composed 1960)
From the choir’s concert, November 2019
Louis Vierne: Messe Solennelle (1901)
From the choir’s concert, November 2019
Gabriel Fauré: Cantique de Jean Racine (1865)
From the choir’s concert, November 2019
Just An Hour – A Compact Concert
The music was a partial repeat of the concert performed by the choir earlier in the week at All Saints Church, Stand – Entente Cordiale, a mixture of French and British music – with half of the choir taking part for this short concert…
Of Kings & Queens
Performed: 16th March 2019 Following the 20th Century English music of Bury Choral Society's concert commemorating the ending of the First World War and the joyful bagatelle of the Christmas Festivities, the choir demonstrated their versatility with a concert of...
Christmas Festivities 2018
Amidst all the tawdry tat which bedevils so much of the Christmas season there are one or two gems to be found. One such was at Bury’s United Reformed Church, where the Bury Choral Society gave their Christmas concert. And what a gem it was! There were too many to...
The Great War: Armistice
For their first concert of the season at Bury Parish Church, Bury Choral Society chose to mark the centenary of the signing of the armistice of the Great War with a very carefully and appropriately assembled programme. Music was interspersed with poetry, narrative and...
Bury Choral Society, c/o 166 Tottington Road, Bury, Lancashire. BL8 1RU.
