About Lewisham Choral Society
A large and lively community-based classical music choir, with over a hundred singers from all ages and backgrounds, Lewisham Choral Society traces its origins back to 1950 and still holds most of its concerts within the London Borough of Lewisham.
Our aim is simply to be the best amateur choir in South London. Under the direction of Dan Ludford-Thomas and his deputy Andrew Dutson, LCS performs a wide range of music, from the sixteenth century to the twenty-first, performing regularly with professional soloists and musicians.
Repertoire has ranged from the 40-part motet Spem in Alium by Thomas Tallis and Monteverdi's Vespers of 1610 to the London premiere of Naji Hakim's Gloria, Paul Patterson's Magnificat and David Fanshawe's African Sanctus.
Concerts have included Faure's Requiem with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Bach's monumental Mass in B minor, and large-scale oratoria such as Verdi's Requiem, Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle, and Orff's Carmina Burana.
LCS also enjoys singing more intimate, and often challenging contemporary and 20th century works by composers such as Jonathan Dove, Cecilia McDowall, Arvo Part, Philip Glass, Samuel Barber and Eric Whitacre.
2008-09 season included performances of Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius, Dvorak's Mass in D, Howells' Requiem and the premiere of Happiness a new work for choir and instrumental ensemble by Robert Percy commissioned with the support of the Society for the Promotion of New Music (SPNM). The year ended with Stefan Reid conducting his final concert with LCS: a celebration of music with an American theme including John Rutter's Feel the Spirit, Gerswin's Rhapsody in Blue and John Adams' Harmonium.
LCS members take part regularly in other arts events in London. These have ranged from ENO's St John Passion, Flashmob - the Opera for Radio 3, Jonathan Dove's Tobias and the Angel at the Young Vic, and the Young Vic production of Kurt Weil's Street Scene, which won the Evening Standard Best Musical Award, 2008.
During the past year, members of LCS visited Lewisham's twin town of Antony, Paris, where they gave a joint performance of Faure's Cantique de Jean Racine with the Choeur d'Antony at the Conservatoire Darius Milhaud. With the support of the Lewisham and Antony Twinning offices, further joint concerts and visits are being arranged.
LCS is proud to be supported by the London Borough of Lewisham and to be a member of Making Music
