What is Huddersfield Choral Society (HCS)?

Huddersfield Choral Society (HCS) is a UK choir founded in 1836 and based in Huddersfield, where it is described as the North's Premier Independent Choir. It has developed an international reputation as one of the UK's leading choral societies. If you want to know what the organisation is, what it performs, and how to see it live, the essentials are below.

Background and reputation

HCS was founded in 1836, which gives it a history spanning well over a century of continuous choral singing. Its own description places it among the UK's leading choral societies, with a reputation that extends internationally rather than being purely local.

The choir's motto, quoted in its season materials, is "to uphold and renew a proud tradition" — a line that shapes how it presents its programming, pairing established choral repertoire with new generations of performers.

What HCS performs

HCS's schedule is built around its own concert season, held at Huddersfield Town Hall. Within that season, several types of performance recur:

• Annual Messiah — Handel's Messiah is described as HCS's signature piece and is performed every year, widely treated as a marker of the start of Christmas.
• Large-scale oratorios — for example Mendelssohn's Elijah, presented as a work that speaks directly to the choir's tradition.
• Seasonal and lighter programmes — such as a Christmas concert featuring a brass band and HCS's own Youth Choirs.
• Mixed repertoire evenings — for example a spring concert pairing Duruflé's Requiem with Imogen Holst's Three Psalms.

Beyond Huddersfield, the choir performs at other major UK venues and abroad, regularly broadcasts for BBC radio and television, and has a long history of pioneering recordings.

The 2026/2027 season at a glance

The season brochure for 2026/2027 is available, and the announced dates give a concrete picture of how a year with HCS is structured:

The Messiah performance in December 2026 is conducted by Charlotte Corderoy, named Critics' Circle Conductor of the Year in 2025.

How to attend or follow HCS

• Single tickets — booking is open for the announced concerts; each event has its own booking page.
• Season tickets — a season ticket covers the annual Messiah plus the spring and autumn concerts, gives priority for seats across all HCS concerts, and is described as representing a saving compared with buying individual tickets. Season tickets for 26/27 are listed as going on sale on 30 October 2026.
• Newsletter — HCS runs a newsletter sign-up for updates.
• Subscriptions — the site includes a "Become a Subscriber" option and a checkout page; specific prices and terms are not stated in the available material, so check those pages directly for current details.

Who HCS is for

HCS suits listeners who want large-scale choral works performed in a traditional town-hall setting, and particularly anyone interested in hearing Messiah as an annual live event. The Christmas concert is presented as a good first introduction for people who have never experienced the choir. If your interest is in the organisation's history, broadcasts, or recordings rather than a specific concert, the "About Us" and "Choral Notes" sections of the site are the places to start.