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
OriginManchester, England
Founded1858 (166 years ago)
FounderSir Charles Hallé
GenreClassical
ChoirmasterMatthew Hamilton
Chief conductorKahchun Wong
Concert hallBridgewater Hall, Manchester
Associated groupsThe Hallé
Websitewww.halle.co.uk/halle-choir/

Recent Hallé Choir Directors have included James Burton, Frances Cooke and Madeleine Venner.[4] The current Hallé Choir Director is Matthew Hamilton.[5]

Conductors

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Notable recordings

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Since 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:

Award Winning Hallé Choir Recordings
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

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  1. ^ a b "About us". Hallé Choir. Archived from the original on 18 July 2013. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  2. ^ Beale, Robert (2007). Charles Hallé: A Musical Life. Ashgate. ISBN 978-0-7546-6137-5.
  3. ^ Kennedy, Michael (1982). The Halle, 1858-1983 (1. publ. ed.). Manchester University Press. p. 96. ISBN 978-0-7190-0921-1.
  4. ^ "Hallé Choir Director". Hallé Choir. Archived from the original on 11 February 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  5. ^ "Hallé Orchestra - Matthew Hamilton".
  6. ^ "about". matthew hamilton. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  7. ^ "Founding Conductor | SGCO". Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  8. ^ "James Burton (Counter-tenor, Choral Conductor) - Short Biography". www.bach-cantatas.com. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  9. ^ "Labels". Chandos Records. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  10. ^ a b "The Hymn of Jesus; Sea Drift & Cynara Album". Hallé Orchestra. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  11. ^ "Colin Matthews No Man's Land Album". Hallé Orchestra. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  12. ^ "Vaughan Williams A Sea Symphony Album". Hallé Orchestra. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  13. ^ "For the Fallen Album". Hallé Orchestra. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  14. ^ "Choral". www.gramophone.co.uk. 6 October 2009. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  15. ^ "Opera". www.gramophone.co.uk. 1 September 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  16. ^ "Choral". www.gramophone.co.uk. 12 August 2011. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  17. ^ "Choral". www.gramophone.co.uk. 27 August 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  18. ^ "The Winners 2013 | Classical-Music.com". www.classical-music.com. Retrieved 14 July 2019.