For the members of the Culwick Choral Society it is a very big deal that since 1898, their choir has an unbroken record of choral performances, mainly in Dublin, but also in other venues in Ireland and further afield.

So often when the name of the choir is mentioned, the response from those not in the know is “The what?” ‘Culwick’ was the family name of the man who founded the choir in 1898. Dr James C Culwick– an Englishman who made his home in Ireland and who was a very eminent musician of his time.

He was a co-founder of the Feis Ceoil in 1897, and the establishment of a mixed, secular choir the following year was a very new and unique idea. On Dr Culwick’s death in 1907, the choir was taken over by his daughter Florence, who brought the choir to a very high standard of excellence, albeit for a number of years as a ladies’ choir (‘Miss Culwick’s Ladies’).

At the time of her own untimely death she had restored the choir to its original character as a mixed choir ‘of 100 voices’– which it remains to this day. And it was in her honour that the Committee of the time decided on the formal name of the choir as ‘The Culwick Choral Society’.

Florence Culwick paved the way for a succession of illustrious musical directors, of whom the present, Bernie Sherlock, is the tenth.

The Culwick has adapted to the changing choral scene over the decades, and now concentrates mainly on performance of the great choral works of the classical composers, ancient and modern– never, as one reviewer expressed it, shirking a challenge.

Particularly so in the case of Handel’s Messiah, which the Culwick, has performed annually since 1990 in St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin, raising more than €130,000 in support of designated Irish charities, and these performances are now a firmly-established Dublin Christmas tradition.

In 2005, the choir was awarded the prestigious Santa Cecilia Trophy by the Vocal Heritage Society of Ireland and in 2006 was honoured to be chosen as the Ryder Cup Choir performing at the opening and closing ceremonies of the memorable Ryder Cup Golf Classic in the K Club.

The 110th anniversary of a choir is a unique occasion: our Spring concert on 26th April in the National Concert Hall will be the high point of our celebration, and we feel that the two choral works being performed give eloquent expression to our sentiments in this significant year: the reflective beauty of Fauré’s Requiem and the infectious jubilance of Poulenc’s Gloria! The celebration will be extended by a performance of the same two works in St. Fin Barre’s Cathedral, Cork, on 17th May.

What are our hopes for the future? We hope to continue attracting audiences and giving them the pleasure of excellent performances; we hope especially to attract new generations of singers who will keep the flame of one of Dublin’s most enduring choral societies alive for the next 110 years! See our website (www.culwick.org) for details of how to join.