The Society Today
Boat trip in Ghent, Belgium
The members of the HCS all have at least two interests - the enjoyment of singing, and the performance of choral works for local audiences!
The repertoire is varied with an average of three concerts per year. Winter concerts usually consist of classical music with Christmas carols; in Spring we often perform sacred music around Eastertime; and the summer concerts generally tend to feature a lighter programme, such as opera choruses or songs from the shows.
Over the years, we have performed the works of composers ranging alphabetically from Bach to Vivaldi by way of Cherubini, Elgar, Orff, Lehar, Poulenc, and Rutter. Our conductor is still Peter J Williams, who was in on the founding of the Society in 1980. Sometimes we concentrate on one major work, on other occasions, several are enjoyed.
The Choir also arranges regular social events such as Christmas parties, wine and cheese evenings, and summer river boat trips.
The HCS has an impressive list of overseas tours, including Germany, Belgium, Holland, Czech Republic, Austria and Hillingdon's twin town in France, Mantes la Jolie, where we went for the Three Choir Festival in 2003. We have most recently returned from a tour in Belgium in 2010.
A recent Society boat trip
The Society is a Registered Charity and, although largely self-supporting, it does benefit from grants from the Hillingdon Arts Association through the Uxbridge Guild of Arts. An elected committee carries out the day-to-day business of the Society.