The MFC Story
2009 was Midland Festival Chorus' 35th year of giving unique and uplifting singing experiences.
It began as a one-off singing weekend back in October 1975 when a handful of singers in the north west Leicestershire village of Shepshed came together to rehearse and perform the Requiem by Fauré, under the musical direction of the village high school’s Head of Music, Malcolm Goldring. Such was its success that the formula was repeated the following year, doubling the size of the choir and attracting interest from throughout the county.
Before long, the choir, now 150 strong, had outgrown its original base and moved to Leicester’s De Montfort Hall. In time this, too, proved inadequate for its needs so, in 1983, the annual event was snatched up by the Arts Centre at the University of Warwick where it mounted major concerts with some of the most distinguished soloists and orchestras in the country - Dame Janet Baker in Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius, Bob Tear and Benjamin Luxon in the same composer’s The Kingdom, Willard White in Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast, the BBC Philharmonic, BBC Scottish Symphony, London Philharmonic Orchestras, and - on four occasions now – the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.
In 2002 we moved to Worcester’s stunning Cathedral, performing a work that could not have been undertaken in Warwick - the Te Deum by Berlioz, a massive work for large, divided choir, children’s choir, large symphony orchestra and organ. For this special occasion we were joined once again by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. By now we were looking at a choral force of 240. Such was the warmth of welcome the Cathedral showed us that we have stayed there ever since, and regard it now as our home.