THE CULWICK CHORAL SOCIETY
At first glance the Orpheus Choral Society performing in the Ancient Concert Rooms on December 7th 1898, would seem to have nothing to do with the present Culwick Choral Society performing in St Andrew’s Church on May 17th 2024 and in Santiago de Compostela on September 21st 2024. However, that concert that took place over 125 years ago was the first performance given by a choir of just under 100 voices, under the directorship of its founder, Dr James Culwick, that has continued in existence as part of the Dublin musical scene right up to the present day.
Current members of the Culwick Choral Society rehearse in Wesley House on Leeson Park, within yards of where Dr Culwick lived for part of his married life in No 28 and into which home his daughter, Florence, was born.
After his death, his daughter Florence took over the reins as director of her father’s Orpheus choir and it became Miss Culwick’s Choral Society. Today, bearing their name, the Culwick Choral Society is the longest running choral society in Dublin, apart from the University of Dublin Trinity Choral Society. Our present director, David Leigh, directs both these venerable societies.
James Culwick was an activist with a mission to communicate his own passion for music, particularly indigenous Irish music, to as wide and varied an audience as possible. He was a founder member of the Feis Ceoil and to this day the Culwick Cup, presented to the Feis by the Culwick Choral Society is awarded annually to the winning chamber choir.
Today the choir continues the tradition of undertaking major classical works as well as showcasing contemporary works by Irish composers. There are traditionally two annual concerts, at Christmas and in May, the first comprising seasonal works and the second, works of more substantial nature , ranging from the classics of Handel, Mozart, Bach, Haydn, Beethoven and Brahms, to works by David Fanshawe, Roxanna Panufnik, Jonathan Dove and Seán Doherty.
Culwick choristers have enjoyed many trips to choral festivals in Ireland and abroad, among the most recent being to Rome, Prague and Barcelona. This year, we are bringing a selection of our classical favourites, as well as more modern Irish works, to sing in Santiago de Compostela, to celebrate the completion of 125 of continuous choral singing by the Culwick Choral Society.