History

Beginnings

The Leeds Festival Chorus first came into existence because of a royal occasion…

1870s

The second Leeds Music Festival took place in 1874…

1880s

The 1880s started with a row about who should conduct…

The Sullivan Years

Sir Arthur Sullivan had a long association with the Chorus from 1880…

Dvorak in Leeds

Dvorak came to the Festival in 1886 to conduct the work he had written for it…

1890s

Elgar appears on the scene…

1900 - 1914

The Leeds Music Festival in the first years of the 20th century gave the first performances of many works that have stayed in the repertoire…

A souvenir of 1901

A souvenir of the 1901 Festival…

Hats in 1901

Really huge hats were the thing in 1901…

The Festival resumes

The Leeds Festival resumes after the Great War…

Belshazzar and the 1930s

A commission for the 1931 Leeds Festival became its biggest hit…

The Post-war years

The Festival resumes after a break necessitated by World War II…

The 1960s: Television arrives

The Festival continues into the 1960s and is televised for the first time…

1970s

The Chorus is streamlined and the Leeds Festival is no longer every three years…

The last Festival

The 1980s bring the end of the Leeds Music Festival and the Chorus starts its independent existence…

1990s

The Chorus continues to commission new works, as well as revisiting the old favourites…

The new millennium

The Chorus continues into the new millennium…

<p>Simon and the Chorus during Light Night 2013</p>

2010

The Chorus expands its activities…

2020

How we went online during Lockdown, then became live again…

Timeline

Beginnings

1870s

1880s

The Sullivan Years

Dvorak in Leeds

1890s

1900 - 1914

A souvenir of 1901

Hats in 1901

The Festival resumes

Belshazzar and the 1930s

The Post-war years

The 1960s: Television arrives

1970s

The last Festival

1990s

The new millennium

2010

2020