Oxford Harmonic Choir was formed in 1921 as the Iffley Glee Club, and by 1924 had gained a distinguished conductor in Reginald Jacques and moved into Oxford city, giving concerts in the Town Hall as Oxford Harmonic Society. Early concerts involved a variety of musicians, including on occasion some notable visiting orchestras such as the New Queen’s Hall Orchestra under Sir Henry Wood, the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Sir Malcolm Sargent and in several concerts the London Symphony Orchestra. Distinguished soloists who have sung with us include Isobel Baillie, Lynne Dawson, Ann Mackay, Linda Hibberd, Peter Pears, Ian Partridge, James Bowman, Philip Langridge and John Mark Ainsley. For more information, see: OHS, 1921–71: the first fifty years and the two editions of the Blue Book (1998, 2nd ed. 2012), a compilation of facts, documents and stories.
A New History of the choir by Joanna Parker covers the years 1921 to 1980. © Joanna Parker.
Appendix 1: Office Holders
Appendix 2: What the conductors did next
Appendix 3: Concert listing 1921-
Appendix 4: Index of works performed
Since 1990 the choir has been directed by Robert Secret, prize-winning conductor and the founder of Stowe Opera. Our accompanist is David Langdon, who trained at the Royal College of Music and the Royal School of Church Music. Further details about both Robert and David can be found on the Our Musicians page.
Collaborations with other choirs include more than two decades of concert performances with the Bonn Philharmonic Choir, the latest of these being a performance of Britten’s War Requiem in 2008.
You can read more about OHC’s past on our Wikipedia page:
