The Choir's History
The origin of Kendal South Choir is linked to the beginning of the Mary Wakefield Westmorland Festival which originated in 1885 at Sedgwick, near Kendal. At first, the aim of the Festival was to bring in choirs from the rural area of Westmorland, but choirs from Kendal were eventually incorporated.
Three choirs were formed: Kendal South District (Conductor Mr W Granger), Kendal North West District and Kendal North East District. Members joined the choir nearest to where they lived, and Kendal South is the only town choir to retain its original name to this day. It now has members from all over the South Lakes and North Lancashire area.
The first records available show that the choir took part in competitive classes in 1912 in St. George’s Hall, Kendal, and sang in the Festival Chorus with the other Kendal choirs in 1914.
After a break, presumably due to the Great War, the choir next sang in competitive classes in April 1928, the only town choir to take part that year, and also in the Festival chorus. The conductor was Miss Cutriss.
Again it participated in the 1930 Festival and again in 1935 when it was conducted by Mr Ronald Somervell. Once more it was the only Kendal choir to take part in the competitive classes and the Festival Choral concert with the Halle Orchestra conducted by Sir Malcolm Sargent.
In the 1939 Festival the choir appeared with its recently appointed conductor, Mr Jim Noble. Jim had taken up the baton in 1936 and was to be with the choir for 54 years. He was a well known and influential figure in music circles in Kendal. A journalist with the Westmorland Gazette, music teacher, and an organist at Kendal Parish Church, he had many connections with other musical bodies and was a founder member of Westmorland Music Council. Thus began an unbroken record of participation in the Mary Wakefield Westmorland Festival which continues to this day.
Under the direction of Jim Noble the choir took part in other music festivals – Blackpool, Morecambe and Ulverston, and also performed a large number of concerts. Jim was a specialist in madrigal singing, and the much smaller choir of those days particularly excelled at singing unaccompanied early music.
In 1990 Jim Noble decided to retire due to ill health and in 1991 the baton was taken over by Paul White, a former choir member who was a member of the music department of Queen Katherine School, Kendal and director of Staveley Amateur Operatic Society. After a number of successful years, with the choir performing increasingly larger oratorio works, Paul White retired in 1997, due to pressure of work and family commitments.
A former choir member, Anna Ridding, took over the choir until a permanent replacement could be found, and in 1999 Hugh Davies was appointed to the post of Director of Music at Kendal Parish Church, and became Director of Music of Kendal South Choir. Under Hugh Davies's leadership numbers almost doubled to over 80 members, and the choir performed two main concerts a year, most of these with a professional orchestra. It performed many major choral works as well as concerts of sacred and secular music with a broad range of musical styles.
In April 2008 Hugh left the Parish Church and Kendal South Choir to take up a full-time position as an examiner to the Associated Board, mainly overseas.
The Choir was directed from 2008 until 2011 by Mark Swinton, Director of Music at Kendal Parish Church, under whom the Choir enjoyed singing works not often performed locally, such as "When Icicles Hang" by John Rutter, as well as choral classics such as Handel's "Dettingen Te Deum" and Vivaldi's "Gloria".
In October 2011 Mark took up a position at the Collegiate Church of St Mary, Warwick, and the Choir was delighted to welcome Kirkby Lonsdale-based harpsichordist and conductor Ian Thompson as their Director of Music.
Don Gillthorpe took over the baton in September 2016, and due to pressure of other work his place was taken for weekly rehearsals by Emma Richardson.
Geoffrey Field took over as Director of Music in January 2019, having been rehearsal accompanist since September 2017.
Three choirs were formed: Kendal South District (Conductor Mr W Granger), Kendal North West District and Kendal North East District. Members joined the choir nearest to where they lived, and Kendal South is the only town choir to retain its original name to this day. It now has members from all over the South Lakes and North Lancashire area.
The first records available show that the choir took part in competitive classes in 1912 in St. George’s Hall, Kendal, and sang in the Festival Chorus with the other Kendal choirs in 1914.
After a break, presumably due to the Great War, the choir next sang in competitive classes in April 1928, the only town choir to take part that year, and also in the Festival chorus. The conductor was Miss Cutriss.
Again it participated in the 1930 Festival and again in 1935 when it was conducted by Mr Ronald Somervell. Once more it was the only Kendal choir to take part in the competitive classes and the Festival Choral concert with the Halle Orchestra conducted by Sir Malcolm Sargent.
In the 1939 Festival the choir appeared with its recently appointed conductor, Mr Jim Noble. Jim had taken up the baton in 1936 and was to be with the choir for 54 years. He was a well known and influential figure in music circles in Kendal. A journalist with the Westmorland Gazette, music teacher, and an organist at Kendal Parish Church, he had many connections with other musical bodies and was a founder member of Westmorland Music Council. Thus began an unbroken record of participation in the Mary Wakefield Westmorland Festival which continues to this day.
Under the direction of Jim Noble the choir took part in other music festivals – Blackpool, Morecambe and Ulverston, and also performed a large number of concerts. Jim was a specialist in madrigal singing, and the much smaller choir of those days particularly excelled at singing unaccompanied early music.
In 1990 Jim Noble decided to retire due to ill health and in 1991 the baton was taken over by Paul White, a former choir member who was a member of the music department of Queen Katherine School, Kendal and director of Staveley Amateur Operatic Society. After a number of successful years, with the choir performing increasingly larger oratorio works, Paul White retired in 1997, due to pressure of work and family commitments.
A former choir member, Anna Ridding, took over the choir until a permanent replacement could be found, and in 1999 Hugh Davies was appointed to the post of Director of Music at Kendal Parish Church, and became Director of Music of Kendal South Choir. Under Hugh Davies's leadership numbers almost doubled to over 80 members, and the choir performed two main concerts a year, most of these with a professional orchestra. It performed many major choral works as well as concerts of sacred and secular music with a broad range of musical styles.
In April 2008 Hugh left the Parish Church and Kendal South Choir to take up a full-time position as an examiner to the Associated Board, mainly overseas.
The Choir was directed from 2008 until 2011 by Mark Swinton, Director of Music at Kendal Parish Church, under whom the Choir enjoyed singing works not often performed locally, such as "When Icicles Hang" by John Rutter, as well as choral classics such as Handel's "Dettingen Te Deum" and Vivaldi's "Gloria".
In October 2011 Mark took up a position at the Collegiate Church of St Mary, Warwick, and the Choir was delighted to welcome Kirkby Lonsdale-based harpsichordist and conductor Ian Thompson as their Director of Music.
Don Gillthorpe took over the baton in September 2016, and due to pressure of other work his place was taken for weekly rehearsals by Emma Richardson.
Geoffrey Field took over as Director of Music in January 2019, having been rehearsal accompanist since September 2017.