About Us

A Short History of the Society

Tewkesbury Choral Society can claim to be one of the oldest choral societies in the south west, according to a report in ‘Music South West’ (spring 1993). However, the exact date of its foundation is unclear.

A ticket for a concert in Bushley Shrubberies by the Philharmonic Society is dated 1833 but an entry in the Tewkesbury Register shows that this should read 1883! Another ticket for a concert in the Town Hall by Tewkesbury Choral Society is dated 1844. Despite this, for many years 1868 was regarded by many as the foundation year of the Society.

Concerts have been given under a variety of names, Tewkesbury Choral Society in 1884, The Philharmonic Society from 1882 to 1916, Tewkesbury Choral and Orchestral Society from 1916 to 1946 (except between 1922 and 1924 when they sang as the Free Church Choral Society). In 1946 the Society officially became the Tewkesbury and District Choral Society, but at the beginning of 2015 we decided to revert to Tewkesbury Choral Society. We also then adopted a new logo reflecting our close partnership with the Abbey.

The history of the Society was researched and written by Brenda Perkins in 1999 and is reproduced here with her kind permission with minimal editing. It includes a list of our performances from 1888 to 1999.

Concerts from 2000 onwards