About Benson Choral Society

We are a friendly and thriving choir of over 100 singers, based in Wallingford in South Oxfordshire. Our long-standing musical director of 45 years, Christopher Walker, recently retired and we are currently recruiting a new conductor to join us and our accomplished accompanist Anita D'Attellis. This process is challenging in the current environment but we hope to have new conductor by January 2021. We are fortunate that Richard Laing, our guest conductor for our most recent concert in March 2020, will continue with us in the short-term.

Although we are a non-auditioned choir, Chris challenged and encouraged us with a blend of high musical standards, boundless energy and disarming humour. He enabled us to achieve the often ambitious plans which we set ourselves and we owe our present success to him. While the standard classics of the choral repertoire remain at our core, with recent performances of the great works by Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Verdi and Elgar, we always enjoy the challenges of less well-known music. Concerts in recent years have highlighted both the new - Sunrise Mass by Ola Gjeilo, Mirror of Perfection  by Richard Blackford - and the unusual - Rio Grande by Constant Lambert, Misa Criola by Ramirez and Dona Nobis Pacem by Vaughan Williams. As we enter a new era for the choir we  are looking forward to working with a new musical director to take us to the next stage in our development. 

We rehearse on Tuesday evenings from 7.30 - 9.30 pm in St Mary's Church, Market Place, Wallingford, OX10 0EG, with a refreshment break at half time.

New members will always be welcome once we are able to return and can come and try us without obligation.

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