BCS History
The Brussels Choral Society, an amateur
symphony chorus, was founded in 1979 by
Derek Thompson. Since then it has grown in
numbers and stature to become a familiar part
of Brussels’ concert season, performing to
professional standards with internationally
known soloists and orchestras. The chorus is
made up of more than 120 members who live in
or around Brussels. As befits the capital of
Europe, the singers come from over 20 different countries.
Although based in Brussels, where it gives most of its concerts, its growing
reputation has enabled the choir to perform throughout Belgium in the main concert
halls of Antwerp, Ghent, Leuven, Charleroi and Liege, and internationally including
Moscow, Budapest, London, Lille and Rotterdam. The choir has taken part in music
festivals, notably the Brussels Summer Festival, the Flanders Festival, and at
Guildford, Cambridge and the Festival of World Music at Kerkrade.
The choir performs a wide range of works from Bach and Monteverdi to Stravinsky,
Bernstein, Walton, Szymanowski and Pärt, laying particular emphasis on the great
symphonic choral repertoire of the 19th and 20th centuries, not forgetting Handel,
Mozart and Haydn. It has sung with leading orchestras such as the Belgian National
Orchestra, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Liège, the Koninklijk Filharmonisch
Orkest van Vlaanderen, the Vlaams Radio Orkest, the Royal Symphonic Band of the
Belgian Guides, The South West German Radio Orchestra, the London Philharmonic
Orchestra and the Philharmonia Orchestra, under such notable conductors as Yoel
Levi, Sylvain Cambreling, Ronald Zollman, Yuri Simonov, Patrick Davin, Michel
Tilkin, Hilary Davan Wetton, Karl Anton Rickenbacher, Marc Soustrot, Norbert
Nozy and János Ács.
Among the Brussels Choral Society's more prestigious engagements have been
Christmas concerts in 2001 and 2002 with Barbara Hendricks, concerts of opera
excerpts with the world-renowned Belgian bass-baritone José Van Dam, and a
memorable gala evening featuring Dvorák's Requiem, Opus 89 with the Belgian
National Orchestra under the baton of Yuri Simonov. The choir has performed on
three occasions in concert performances of operas in Rotterdam's De Doelen concert
hall, Bellini’s Norma, Gounod’s Faust and Puccini’s Tosca with the Vlaams Radio
Orkest and Koor. János Ács conducted Mendelssohn’s Paulus at the choir’s 25th
anniversary concert in Brussels. Eric Delson, the choir’s musical director, has also
taken up the baton in concerts featuring the music of Brahms, Schubert, Vaughan
Williams and Pärt.
The Brussels Choral Society was invited to perform at the wedding of Prince
Laurent of Belgium and Princess Claire in St. Michael’s Cathedral in Brussels in
2003, and was subsequently honoured by the royal patronage of Princess Claire.
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| Lines composed upon the departure of Mr. Tom Cunningham Esq. By a friend and admirer. Constructed in most admirable triplets by Mr. Derek Roberts, after the fashion of Messrs. Blake, Shelley and sundry poetasters Click here to read |