Two concerts in big year for Halifax Choral Society

Halifax Choral Society, Victoria Theatre, Halifax (01422 351158)

Halifax Choral Society returns to the Victoria Theatre with two very special concerts. On November 25 it celebrates Handel’s Messiah with the North of England Classical Concert. This is a record-breaking commemoration of 200 years of consecutive Messiah performances by the Society. Then Black Dyke Band will be joining the choir on December 2 for its popular Carols and Brass Concert. Compered and conducted by Musical Directors John Pryce-Jones and Nicholas Childs, this seasonal favourite will also feature Bradshaw Primary School choir as their special guests.This year is the choir’s bicentenary. When the idea of a permanent large choir was first suggested in 1817 by founder William Priestley he could hardly have foreseen that the Society would still be going strong into a third millennium. Nor could he have envisaged it surviving to become the world’s oldest amateur choral society with an unbroken record of performance. Throughout its long history the Society has worked with first class orchestras including the Hallé, Northern Philharmonic; many of the BBC’s orchestras, the Orchestra of Opera North, Northern Sinfonia and the North of England Concert Orchestra and of course Black Dyke.