- The Sheffield Bach Society was founded on 1 May 1950, by founding members the Bishop of Sheffield (Chairman), Professor Deas (Hon. Director) and Mrs Eileen M Denman (Hon Secretary and Treasurer).
- Mr Norman J Barnes MA, BMus (Oxon), FRCO, music master at King Edward VII School in Sheffield was asked to form and conduct a choir.
- Roger Bullivant was the choir’s first rehearsal accompanist until his appointment as Conductor in 1962, a post he held until 2000.
- Eileen Denman was Chair of the Society from 1979 until 1988, then Choir Secretary and finally Archivist until retiring in 1999.
- Both Roger Bullivant and Eileen Denman were awarded MBEs in recognition of their services to music, Roger in 1984 and Eileen in 1999.
- The Society organised its first event in the Victoria Hall, Sheffield on 28 November, 1950, with a concert by the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, while the choir’s first performance was in February 1951.
- In 1964 Dr Bullivant formed the Society’s own orchestra of professional musicians, the Sheffield Bach Players.
- The choir worked with the South Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra for some years, before forming the current successful collaboration with the National Festival Orchestra.
- Peter Collis was conductor from 2000 to 2008; he was succeeded by Dr Simon Lindley who conducted the choir until 2021.
- Professor George Nicholson took over as conductor following Dr Lindley’s illness, until 2023 when Philip Collin was appointed.
Notable events
- The choir performed at Blenheim Palace in May 1971 as part of the Sixth Churchill Memorial Concert.
- In 1985 the Society organised a six-week Bach Festival in Sheffield to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the births of both J S Bach and Handel, during which event the Stadtkantorei, from Sheffield’s twin city of Bochum in Germany, performed Bach’s Mass in B minor.
- In May 1987 the Sheffield Bach Choir and Players made a memorable return visit to perform in Bochum.
- In 1991, the Choir gave a special performance of Bach’s Mass in B minor conducted by Dr Simon Lindley at Leeds Town Hall, in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the consecration of Leeds Parish Church.
Works performed
- 1959 – Handel’s Israel in Egypt
- 1961 – Handel’s Messiah (for long now an annual feature)
- 1963 – Handel’s Judas Maccabaeus
- 1968 – Haydn’s Creation
- 1970 – Mendelssohn’s Elijah
- 1972 – Christopher Steel’s Jerusalem (Bach Society Commission)
- 1986 – Geoffrey Burgon’s Revelations
- 1987 – Christopher Steel’s Sinfonia Sacra (Bach Society Commission – revived in 2010)
- 1995 – African Sanctus and Carmina Burana (Joint Concert with Sheffield Oratorio Chorus)
- 2009 – Mendelssohn’s St Paul
- 2012 – Handel’s Solomon (Joint Concert with St Peter’s Singers)
- 2012 – Saint Saëns’ Christmas Oratorio
- 2013 – Charpentier’s Messe de Minuit sur des airs de Noël
- 2013 – Donald Hunt’s Hymnus Paschalis
- 2014 – John Rutter’s Feel the Spirit
Works by a large number of other composers have also been performed, by composers such as Bernstein, Brahms, Dyson, Mozart, Dvorak, Schubert, Monteverdi, Orff, Stravinsky, Bruckner, Vivaldi, Elgar, Britten, Vaughan Williams and Tippett. A particular feature of the Society’s work has been the performance of less familiar contemporary works, early examples being John Joubert’s The Martyrdom of St Alban and Anthony Hedges’ Epithalamion.
In addition to the concert programme there have been private events such as members´ meetings, receptions, talks, visits to musical events elsewhere and Society dinners. Friends and patrons are invited to the choir’s social events, including an annual Garden Party, and social dinner.
The choir continues to perform a full programme of concerts and to recruit new singers in all voices.
Sheffield Bach Society 