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Derby Choral Union is one of the UK’s longest standing choral societies having been formed in 1866. The choir was established to perform choral music of the highest quality, a tradition it strives to maintain to this day. The repertoire includes traditional choral works as well as music by 20th-century and more contemporary composers. Derby Choral Union is a registered charity and an independent choral society. It promotes concerts in Derby, England, and the surrounding district, and has over 100 active members. The choir's Patron since 1993 is the internationally known soprano Dame Emma Kirkby; she was given the Award of the Queen's Medal for Music The Queen's Medal for Music in June 2011 – only the sixth person to have received this award. Former patrons have included Sir Charles Groves. Richard Dacey has been the Musical Director since 2003; previous musical directors have included Sir John Pritchard, Sir Henry Coward, Harold Gray and Raymond Thorpe. The choir performs mainly in Derby Cathedral and in recent years has also performed in Leicester (with the Leicester Philharmonic Choir) and at Merton College, Oxford as well as overseas. The choir performs with professional soloists and orchestras and mixes new music with its extensive repertoire of traditional works.〔 The Choir commissioned a new work from Will Todd ("Song of Creation", 2000) to celebrate the Millennium. To maintain standards at the highest level, all new singers are auditioned; to encourage younger members, choral scholarships are offered for singers aged 25 years or younger. Reviews of most concerts are published in the music section of the ''Derby Telegraph'', some of which can be seen on the choir's website. == Early years == In 18th-century England, Derby was no more than a reasonably-prosperous market town with a few pioneer industries established. The new idea of public concerts was first recorded on 3 September 1788 with a programme consisting mainly of music by Handel. It seems probable that the choir formed for this event remained in existence until the next known public concert held on 5 September 1793. But by the 1860s, the face of Derby was changing rapidly with the Midland Railway and other industries bringing prosperity to the town. In 1866, the New Market Hall – as a new artistic venture – was completed and officially opened on Tuesday 29 May 1866. The official ceremony took place in the morning and was followed by a performance of Handel's ''Messiah''. The orchestra consisted of players from Nottingham, Birmingham, Leicester and Burton, as well as from Derby and district; the choir too was drawn from far afield but a local group also took part. At the performance, the combined strength of the choir and orchestra was 500. The local singers were "fired by their success" (according to page 4 of), and suggested the founding of a regular choral society. A meeting was held, at the invitation of the then Mayor, on 22 June 1866. This preliminary meeting decided to start the Derby Choral Union. A second meeting was called a week later, "for the purpose of receiving the names and entrance fees of any Vocalists who may wish to enrol themselves as Members of the (Choral ) Union". The first rehearsal of the new society was held on 21 September 1866, with an arrangement to hold weekly practices in the Old Assembly Rooms, Full Street. By this time the society had about 120 members. The ''Derby Mercury'', dated 26 September 1866, recorded that: "We trust that the gentlemen of the Town will come forward liberally with subscriptions in aid of the society’s funds; for, although the Choral Union is to a certain extent self-supporting, it must be borne in mind that unless a goodly number of honorary members are enrolled the committee will not be justified in incurring the heavy expenses inevitable on a Grand Oratorio performance." On 1 February 1867, the choir gave an "open rehearsal" of Handel's oratorio ''Judas Maccabaeus'' at the Corn Exchange. A second "open rehearsal", this time of Haydn's ''Creation'', was given on 3 May 1867 to round off the first season's activities. In the interim, the choir had recruited many more members and the orchestra included, in addition to local players, "several members of Mr. Charles Halle's celebrated band". A total of 230 singers and players took part. The ''Derby Mercury'' of 8 May 1867 recorded this as an "unqualified triumph". After remarking that Derby could no longer be called an "unmusical town", it goes on: "not only was the largest hall in the town (the Corn Exchange) crowded to excess but we are informed that scores were turned away from the doors for whom the managers were unable to find room." Within a few years some of the novelty of the Choral Union had worn off. Less than capacity audiences were reported and the reviews in the press became more critical: a good sign that for the first time musical standards were being used to judge performances.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Derby Choral Union」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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