The
BBC Singers bill themselves as Britain's only full-time, fully professional choir. The ensemble was founded at the same time the British Broadcasting Corporation created its
Symphony Orchestra, and for the same purpose: to be available for broadcast work of a wide range of musical repertory. Since the group's inception, the
BBC Singers have excelled in the performance of works ranging from the Renaissance to the present day.
The
BBC Singers were originally formed in 1924 as the Wireless Chorus, under the direction of the BBC's first chorus master,
Stanford Robinson. The ensemble's first broadcast was on September 28, 1924, in a performance of
Mendelssohn's oratorio, Elijah. From 1929 until 1994 the group sang for the Daily Service broadcast. Other broadcasts included premieres of new choral music and revivals of great British music from the Renaissance through the age of
Purcell. The choir has sung world premieres of such notable works as
Britten's A Boy Was Born and Hymn to St. Cecilia,
Poulenc's Figure humaine,
Henze's Orpheus Behind the Wire, and
Magnus Lindberg's Untitled, a piece thought to be too difficult to perform. Over the years, the ensemble assumed various sizes and names -- including the Wireless Singers, the Variety Chorus, and the BBC Chorus -- but in 1972 the name
BBC Singers was affixed permanently.
The group has always had its own chief conductor. Following
Robinson were Leslie Woodgate (1934-1961), Peter Gellhorn (1961-1972),
John Poole (1972-1989),
Stephen Cleobury (1995-2007), and
David Hill (2007-2017). In 2017, the
BBC Singers announced the hiring of
Sofi Jeannin as the ensemble's first female chief conductor. With conductor
Stephen Cleobury, the
Singers made numerous recordings, including the works of
Charles Ives and
Richard Strauss, and became the first choir to sing an a cappella selection as a part of one of the traditional Proms Concerts. Along with its chief conductors, the group has worked with guest conductors including
Stravinsky,
Milhaud,
Beecham,
Bo Holten,
Jukka-Pekka Saraste, and
Pierre Boulez.
The
BBC Singers have commissioned a large number of works by such composers as
Britten,
Sir Peter Maxwell-Davies, and
Iannis Xenakis, among many others. In 2002, the
Singers named
Edward Cowie as the ensemble's first associate composer.
Cowie was followed by
Judith Bingham -- a former member of the
Singers -- (2004-2010),
Gabriel Jackson (2010-2013), and
Judith Weir (2015-).
The
Singers began touring abroad in the 1940s, going as far as Japan and Mexico in the 2000s. While touring, the group has worked with distinguished conductors such as
Herbert von Karajan and
Wilhelm Furtwängler. The choir is also heard at festivals in the United Kingdom and Europe, as well as special events, such as the funeral for Diana, Princess of Wales.
The
BBC Singers continue to make distinguished recordings, appearing on the Signum, Naxos, and Chandos labels, among others. In 2019, the
Singers can be heard on
G.F. Handel: Messiah, on Resonus, as well as
Enrique Granados' opera
Goyescas, on Harmonia Mundi.