The BBC National Chorus of Wales was formed in 1983. It has developed into one of the leading large mixed choruses in the United Kingdom.
While preserving its amateur status, the chorus works to the highest professional standards under its music director Adrian Partington and enjoys a close performing relationship with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.
Most of the chorus' concerts take place at St David's Hall in Cardiff, but it frequently performs at other venues in Wales such as the Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, the Nimbus Concert Hall near Monmouth, and St David's, St Asaph and Brecon Cathedrals.
Elsewhere in the UK, they perform at Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Exeter, Gloucester and Worcester Cathedrals as well as at the Royal Albert Hall in London for concerts at the BBC Proms. All performances are broadcast on national or regional radio or television.
The repertoire of the chorus is large and varied, extending from the Baroque period to the present day. It has given first performances of major works by Daniel Jones and Sir John Tavener, and in June 2004 performed a new work by John Hardy commissioned for the chorus' 20th anniversary.
The BBC National Chorus of Wales has made a number of CD recordings for the Chandos label including works by Franck, Rubbra, Tavener, Mendelssohn and Frank Bridge. Stanford's Song Of The Sea has been voted Gramophone record of the month, and Its recording of Dyson's Quo Vadis was runner-up in the choral category of the 2003 Gramophone Awards.
Since its inception, the chorus has performed with many leading guest conductors including Norrington, Gardiner, Marriner, Bruggen, Sir Colin Davis, Sir Andrew Davis, Elder and Slatkin, as well as BBC National Orchestra of Wales principal conductors Tadaaki Otaka, Mark Wigglesworth, Richard Hickox and Thierry Fischer.
In addition to its regular appearances with the orchestra, the chorus has appeared with several other leading British orchestras, including the Philharmonia, the City of London Sinfonia and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. They also joined the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in a performance of Prokofiev's Ivan the Terrible at the opening night of the 2003 BBC Proms.
The BBC National Chorus of Wales made its first appearance with an overseas orchestra in May 2004 when it travelled to Toulouse to perform Elgar's Dream of Gerontius with the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse under the baton of Richard Hickox.
Previous overseas visits have seen the chorus perform to great acclaim in Vienna, Amsterdam, Paris, Ghent, Lens, Tel Aviv and at the prestigious Savonlinna Opera Festival in Finland.
The 2005-2006 season provided the chorus with a feast of choral classics to enjoy: Haydn's Creation, Mahler's Second Symphony, Britten's War Requiem and the highlight of the season was another trip to the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall to perform Walton's Belshazzar's Feast.
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