Huddersfield Choral Society is a choir based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1836, and is recognised as one of Britain's leading choirs. Over the years, the choir has performed most of the major works in the choral repertoire, and has had numerous works commissioned for it, including works by Ralph Vaughan Williams and William Walton. The choir has made numerous recordings and broadcasts. Three of its albums made an appearance in the UK Albums Chart. These were Elgar The Dream of Gerontius (2026, #2) The Hymns Album (1986, #8) and The Carols Album (1986, #29).
Members of the Huddersfield Choral Society have drawn parallels between the 2025 film The Choral and their ensemble, as the plot of the film revolves around a 1916 performance of Edward Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius, which the Society had also programmed during the First World War, to be conducted by Elgar himself.
Discography Year of recording Work / Album Artists Record label 1946 Messiah, G.F.Handel Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Malcolm Sargent (conductor) Columbia 1954 Messiah, G.F.Handel Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Malcolm Sargent (conductor) Columbia 1959 Messiah, G.F.Handel Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Malcolm Sargent (conductor) HMV 1986 The Hymns Album Owain Arwel Hughes (conductor) EMI 1986 The Carols Album Owain Arwel Hughes (conductor) EMI 1993 A Christmas Celebration Sellers Engineering Band, Brian Kay (conductor) Chandos Brass 1994 The Wreckers (world premiere recording) BBC Philharmonic, Odaline de la Martinez (conductor) Conifer Records Limited 2000 A Christmas Fantasy Black Dyke Mills Band, John Foster (conductor) Chandos Brass 2002 Symphony No. 3 'The Muses''', Cyril Scott | BBC Philharmonic, Martyn Brabbins (conductor) | Chandos |- | 2003 | Works for Chorus and Orchestra, Sir Arnold Bax | BBC Philharmonic, Martyn Brabbins (conductor) | Chandos |- | 2006 | Messiah, G.F.Handel arr. W.A.Mozart | Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Charles Mackerras (conductor) | Signum Classics |- | 2006 | The Hymns Album| Darius Battiwalla (organ), Joseph Cullen (conductor) | Signum Classics |- | 2007 | The Carols Album| Darius Battiwalla (organ), Joseph Cullen (conductor) | Signum Classics |- | 2009 | The Crucifixion, Stainer | Darius Battiwalla (organ), Joseph Cullen (conductor) | Signum Classics |- | 2010 | Messiah, G.F.Handel | Northern Sinfonia, Jane Glover (conductor) | Signum Classics
| 2016 | Anthem: Great British Hymns & Choral Works | Thomas Trotter (organ), Aidan Oliver (conductor) | Signum Classics |- | 2019 | Caractacus, Sir E. Elgar | Orchestra of Opera North, Martyn Brabbins (conductor), | Hyperion Records |- | 2026 | The Dream of Gerontius'', Sir E. Elgar Orchestra of Opera North, Martyn Brabbins (conductor), RNCM (choir) Hyperion Records
References
External links Huddersfield Choral Society Website The Hymns Album - Huddersfield Choral Society
The Dream of Gerontius CD - Huddersfield Choral Society
The Dream of Gerontius CD