Perth Choral Society
Concerts and Events
Sunday 6th December 2026 7.30pm at
Perth Concert Hall
Perth Choral Society presents...
Handel's Messiah
Michelle Sheridan-Grant, Soprano
Heather Ireson, Contralto
Liam Bonthrone, Tenor
Phil Gault, Bass
Peter Rutterford, Conductor
Perth Choral Society are presenting the Christmas perennial favourite Handel's Messiah.
The work is Handel's greatest choral masterpiece and this performance features four professional soloists, the orchestra of the City of Perth Sinfonia all conducted by our Director of Music Peter Rutterford.
Come and enjoy this glorious work to inspire and invigorate you in the build up to Christmas - Great choruses and arias including: For unto us a child is born, I know that my redeemer livest, The trumpet will sound and the ever popular Hallelujah Chorus.
Tickets available from Choir members and Perth Concert Hall:
£22 plus booking fee. Disabled and students £8- carers/U18 free
Sunday 16th December 2026 7.30pm at
Perth Concert Hall
The band of HM Royal Marines Scotland and Perth Choral Society present...
A Christmas Spectacular
Once again, the Band of HM Royal Marines Scotland and Perth Choral Society are combining to bring you all the festive fun of Christmas with a concert full of wonderful melodies, famous choruses, carols, soloists and of course the world-famous Corps of Drums.
Do join us for this concert which will be a highlight in the build-up to Christmas.
And as usual, the concert is being held in aid is SSAFA - the armed forces charity.
Tickets available from Choir members and Perth Concert Hall
A review of our December 2025 concert...
A packed Perth Concert Hall was rewarded with brilliant performances by Perth Choral Society and the City of Perth Sinfonia under the inspiring leadership of conductor Peter Rutterford.
The super startling start of Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms awakened the audience’s interest immediately. Then the Awake Psaltery and Harp movement moved into a joyous, syncopated Allegro. The Bernstein stipulated boy treble in the second movement was most ably taken by Theo Miranda, of NYCOS, with exactly the right voice, evoking innocence - the emotional tune at its heart taken from a dropped chorus from West Side Story. The warlike interruption was most effectively started by the men of Perth Choral Society. Finally, an anguished start with mourning trumpet from the City of Perth Sinfonia was countered by the Choir with calming warmth. A plangent solo cello, Jeremy Fletcher, led to the Chorus in a song of hope, gently ending this excellent performance.
If anything Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana was even better. Under Peter Rutterford’s clearly telegraphed direction it was a performance of colourful vigour. The energy and precision of the percussion department contributed a highlight throughout. Superb, too, was the diction of Perth Choral Society. After the ubiquitous opening O Fortuna, the men, rhythmically well-drilled, complained of their ill-fortune, followed by a calming interlude, then the first appearance of bass soloist Jerome Knox, who throughout put expression into the Latin, later acting drunk and furious. Perth Choral gave verve to the lighter, more dance-like movements. At the end of the first part an alto of the choir had fainted, but happily was seen again at the final curtain.
After the angry bass (and boisterous drinking, joined by the ‘monks’ of the choir), David Douglas, tenor, appeared, in white dinner jacket with a feathered shoulder cape, as the Roasted Swan mourning his fate. Radiant soprano Emily Mitchell led the boys and girls of Craigclowan Choir and NYCOS Boys (Perth) in the love-music sections. Becoming more explicit, a final repeat of O Fortuna, slightly more monumental, ended what had been a most rewarding, exciting performance, applauded to the rafters by the full hall.
Ian Stuart Hunter
