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About the Choir

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Kingston Orpheus Choir comprises approximately fifty-five members who rehearse at 8.00pm on Wednesday evenings at the church of St John the Evangelist, Springfield Road, Kingston-upon-Thames. We welcome new members without audition, whether soprano, alto, tenor or bass.

The choir was formed in 1944 by George Anderson, who continued as conductor until his final concert on 2 May 1981 at Kingston Parish Church. The choir was held in such esteem that his farewell concert was attended by Princess Alexandra. Susan Higgins succeeded George as Musical Director in 1982, and was the first woman to become the conductor of a Kingston musical society. The choir's new Musical Director is young professional conductor Ben Palmer, who was appointed in September 2007.

The choir gives three concerts each year, usually in December, April and July. In recent years the choir has continued to perform major choral works such as Handel Messiah, Fauré Requiem, Stainer The Crucifixion, and works by JS Bach, Elgar and Gounod. We occasionally put on joint performances with other local choirs, enabling us to tackle some of the larger works in the choral repertoire.

We are supported by the Royal Borough of Kingston and are members of Making Music, the National Federation of Music Socities.