Cranbrook & District Choral Society

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The Cranbrook and District Choral Society had its origins in the Cranbrook Women's Institute Choir. In the 1950s the choir performed regularly in the East Sussex and West Kent Music Festivals in Tunbridge Wells and frequently won prizes. Men were later invited to join and the new mixed Cranbrook choir appeared for the first time in 1957 and continued to compete successfully in festivals.

In 1960, Dr Julian Tower, who was singing in the choir, took over as conductor. By 1962 the "Cranbrook Choral Society" was giving concerts in local churches as well as joining other Kent choirs in mass performances of larger works. In 1968 it performed Handel's `Messiah' and won four Festival cups. The following year the choir of 70 singers gave a performance of Bach's Christmas Oratorio. This was its first major work with professional soloists and a professionally-based orchestra and set the tradition for the concerts which the Society has continued to perform regularly ever since. 

After a brief interregnum Julian took up the baton again but finally retired in 1985, although continuing as a choir member until he moved to the Lake District, after guiding the choir through such memorable performances as the Bach St Matthew and St John Passions, Brahms's German Requiem and Handel's oratorio `Saul'. He retired as President in 1999 after occupying the office for over 20 years. 

He was succeeded by Peter Currie, and, in December 1987, by the present conductor, Malcolm Riley who has led the choir to scale some of the greatest heights in the choral repertoire, including greatly-acclaimed performances of Vaughan Williams's `Sea Symphony', Elgar's `The Dream of Gerontius', Verdi's `Requiem'. Bach's `B Minor Mass' and the St Matthew Passion, both sung in German. 

Many now famous singers appeared with the choir at St Dunstan's when they were still students, among them Susan Bullock, Malcolm George and Thomas Allen. Another was Philip Langridge who in the 1960s had been head chorister at St Dunstan's 

The society is proud to have its own orchestra of professional musicians, the Cranbrook Sinfonia, whose leader is Priscilla Palmer.