About Us
The Perth Symphonic Chorus celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2022. It is an auditioned choir that has been singing together since 1997 when the Chorus was formed under the leadership of Dr Margaret Pride OAM.
Our performance repertoire is extensive and diverse, ranging from Mahler's mammoth Eighth Symphony to famous oratorios such as Haydn's Creation, Handel's Messiah, the Requiems of Mozart, Faure, Verdi and Duruflé, the cantatas, motets and masses of Bach, smaller choral orchestral works such as Lauridsen's Lux Aeterna and of course Christmas carols and the lighter easy listening choral pieces of composers such as Rutter, Copland and Britten.
2004 was our first international tour for a performance of Mendelssohn's Elijah in Carnegie Hall, New York. Since then, the choir has travelled both within Australia and overseas to Vienna, Salzburg, Prague, Budapest, New York, Canada and Singapore as invited performers. Our performance of Messiah was selected as the December concert to celebrate the Perth Concert Hall's 40th anniversary and as the featured choir for the 2013 ABC Messiah live broadcast on Christmas Day.
The choir serves as a valuable and inclusive community body, with many choir members originating from overseas. The choir serves as a strong example of diversity, teamwork and integrated multiculturalism at play. The community outreach is considerable and the choir’s events have raised significant funds for worthy organisations such as the Salvation Army.
On occasions, a chamber choir is recruited from within the ranks of the choir. The Perth Chamber Choir is a small group made up of Perth Symphonic Chorus choristers of PSC who present more complex works at our concerts. Participation in this group is limited according to the balance of voices available. The Music Director will select singers according to repertoire requirements.
In May 2022, James Pratt was appointed as Music Director when Margaret Pride stepped down from the role. This marks the beginning of a new and exciting phase in the evolution of the Perth Symphonic Chorus.
WHAT WE STAND FOR
Our purpose is to enrich the musical lives of our choristers and to enhance our community’s awareness, appreciation, and esteem of choral music through performance, outreach, and education.
Our vision is that our performances bring joy to the hearts of our singers and audiences and we give our audiences musical memories that last a lifetime.
We value purity of sound, tone and spirit. We are enthusiastic and passionate people, who together, are committed to achieving sustained, highly skilled performances. We are dedicated to our art.
We embrace and celebrate the rich and diverse cultures, ages, backgrounds and experiences of our chorus members, audiences and community. We work together with a common purpose – every choir member makes a valuable contribution. We all pitch in to make the choir successful. We enrich our community through performances and outreach initiatives. We contribute to the musical landscape in Perth and beyond through accessible performances and participation in community events.