Ipswich Choral Society

The Ipswich Choral Society is a friendly choir of around 80 members. It was formed in 1824 and is the second longest established choral society in the UK. The Society attracts a membership with a wide range of musical experiences and entertained the public with performances across a varied musical repertoire at Ipswich School, Snape Maltings Concert Hall, Ipswich Corn Exchange, Ipswich Music day, Aldeburgh Festival and charity concerts.

We rehearse on Tuesday nights at Northgate Arts Centre Sidegate Lane West, Ipswich, IP4 3DF and we usually present three main concerts each year, performing in local churches, the Ipswich Corn Exchange, Ipswich School and, occasionally, Snape Maltings. We regularly take part in community events, such as Ipswich Music Day and Remembrance Day service at the Cenotaph in Christchurch Park and accept invitations for additional concerts in aid of local charities.

Robin Walker, our Music Director, joined Ipswich Choral Society in 2015. Since joining the choir he has led them in a wide range of concerts, including Mendelssohn's Elijah and Mozart’s Requiem at Snape Maltings, Bernstein's Chichester Psalms, Handel's Messiah and Ipswich Remembers, marking the anniversary of the end of the Great War. Over the past twenty years Robin has built a career combining solo organ performance with accompaniment, conducting, teaching and much more. 

Ipswich Choral Society is pleased to have as its President the international conductor Cem Mansur, who has conducted the choir five times in the UK, most recently at Snape Maltings Concert Hall and twice in Turkey when members of the choir were invited to perform at the Istanbul International Music Festival and the Izmir Festival.

On a more regular basis, the Society's rehearsals are usually followed by a visit to The Woolpack, Tuddenham Road, Ipswich to continue the active social scene of the choir!

Ipswich Choral Society is a member of Ipswich Arts Association and Making Music, the national federation of music societies.