An institution which has played an important role in the lives of the people of Perth for more than a century is celebrating a milestone.
Perth Choral Society is marking its 125th anniversary with a performance of Handel’s Messiah at Perth Concert Hall on Sunday.
The concert, which starts at 7.30pm, has an added draw as it will feature former Perth man Donald Maxwell, the renowned baritone.
A past member of the society himself, Donald was also the guest speaker at a celebratory dinner held recently by the society in the Huntingtower Hotel.
Choral singing has a long and proud tradition in Perth with records showing that a group of singers met weekly in the Guild Hall from the early 1840s and in 1861 the Perth Choral Union was founded.
The Perth Choral Society was founded in 1890 by Stephen Richardson, organist at St Ninian’s Cathedral in Perth.
The society’s first concert under the baton of Mr Richardson was The Messiah, so it was thought only fitting that the choral perform this work in their 125th anniversary year.
Membership of Perth Choral Society is around the 100 mark and has been for many years.
Claire Sawyer of the society said that it was still a “thriving and vibrant” organisation.
“It is testament to the strength of the choir and the pleasure everyone derives from singing,” she said of the 125th anniversary.
The society performs two main concerts each year, in November/December and March/April, singing major sacred and secular choral works.
In recent years the present society conductor, Peter Rutterford, introduced the group to the Band of HM Royal Marine Scotland which has blossomed into a close association.
Although the society’s history stretches back 125 years there are a number of gaps in the knowledge of how it evolved and the group would be delighted if anyone had any memorabilia they would be willing to share.