The Hallé Choir is a large symphonic chorus of around 170 singers based in Manchester, England.[1] It was founded as Manchester Choral Society[2] alongside the Hallé Orchestra in 1858 by Sir Charles Hallé.[3] The choir gives around ten concerts a year with The Hallé at The Bridgewater Hall and other venues across the UK. Appearing with international conductors and soloists in concert and recordings, the choir performs a repertoire of major choral and operatic works ranging from mainstream pieces to more esoteric pieces and commissions.[1]
Hallé Choir | |
---|---|
Choir | |
Origin | Manchester, England |
Founded | 1858 (166 years ago) |
Founder | Sir Charles Hallé |
Genre | Classical |
Choirmaster | Matthew Hamilton |
Chief conductor | Kahchun Wong |
Concert hall | Bridgewater Hall, Manchester |
Associated groups | The Hallé |
Website | www |
Recent Hallé Choir Directors have included James Burton, Frances Cooke and Madeleine Venner.[4] The current Hallé Choir Director is Matthew Hamilton.[5]
Conductors
edit- 2015 to present - Matthew Hamilton[6]
- 2012 to 2015 - Madeline Venner[7]
- 2002 to 2009 - James Burton[8]
Notable recordings
editSince the launch of the Hallé record label in 2003[9] the choir has appeared on a number of recordings including Holst's Hymn of Jesus (Hallé, 2013),[10] Delius' Sea Drift (Hallé, 2013),[10] Matthews' Aftertones (Hallé, 2014),[11] Vaughan-Williams' A Sea Symphony (Hallé, 2015)[12] and Elgar's Spirit of England (Hallé, 2017).[13] The Hallé have also won a number of awards for recordings featuring the Hallé Choir:
Year of Recording | Composer | Work | Orchestra | Conductor | Label | Awards |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2009 | Elgar | The Dream of Gerontius | Hallé | Mark Elder | Hallé | Gramophone Award Best Choral Recording[14] |
2010 | Wagner | Götterdämmerung | Hallé | Mark Elder | Hallé | Gramophone Award Best Opera Recording[15] |
2011 | Elgar | The Kingdom | Hallé | Mark Elder | Hallé | Gramophone Award Best Choral Recording[16] |
2013 | Elgar | The Apostles | Hallé | Mark Elder | Hallé | Gramophone Award Best Choral Recording[17]
BBC Music Magazine Choral Award BBC Music Magazine Recording of the Year[18] |
References
edit- ^ a b "About us". Hallé Choir. Archived from the original on 18 July 2013. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
- ^ Beale, Robert (2007). Charles Hallé: A Musical Life. Ashgate. ISBN 978-0-7546-6137-5.
- ^ Kennedy, Michael (1982). The Halle, 1858-1983 (1. publ. ed.). Manchester University Press. p. 96. ISBN 978-0-7190-0921-1.
- ^ "Hallé Choir Director". Hallé Choir. Archived from the original on 11 February 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
- ^ "Hallé Orchestra - Matthew Hamilton".
- ^ "about". matthew hamilton. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
- ^ "Founding Conductor | SGCO". Retrieved 14 July 2019.
- ^ "James Burton (Counter-tenor, Choral Conductor) - Short Biography". www.bach-cantatas.com. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
- ^ "Labels". Chandos Records. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
- ^ a b "The Hymn of Jesus; Sea Drift & Cynara Album". Hallé Orchestra. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
- ^ "Colin Matthews No Man's Land Album". Hallé Orchestra. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
- ^ "Vaughan Williams A Sea Symphony Album". Hallé Orchestra. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
- ^ "For the Fallen Album". Hallé Orchestra. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
- ^ "Choral". www.gramophone.co.uk. 6 October 2009. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
- ^ "Opera". www.gramophone.co.uk. 1 September 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
- ^ "Choral". www.gramophone.co.uk. 12 August 2011. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
- ^ "Choral". www.gramophone.co.uk. 27 August 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
- ^ "The Winners 2013 | Classical-Music.com". www.classical-music.com. Retrieved 14 July 2019.