The St. George’s Cathedral Men’s Chorus celebrates its 50th anniversary with a concert on August 18.The chorus has been performing for 50 years since its inception in 1963.
Conducted by Raj Samuel, it focussed mainly on classical music. In addition to regular concerts covering a range of classical works, the singers presented educational programmes such as ‘Festival of Handel’ and ‘History of Western Sacred Music’.
Over the years, they developed an extensive repertoire much of which was new to Chennai audiences. Some of these deserve mention —Schubert’s
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The chorus, augmented with female voices, known as The Cathedral Ensemble, rendered Oratorios such as Handel’s
In 2000, for a Millennial concert, the Men’s Chorus performed Cherubini’s Requiem in Dminor for male voices, a demanding work, in the Cathedral and at the Tchaikovsky Club in the Russian Centre.
Raj Samuel, the founder and visiting conductor, is an accomplished musician. In 1963 he founded the St. George’s Cathedral Men’s Chorus, Chennai, and conducted it till he relocated to the U.K.
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Benny Samuel succeeded his brother Raj as the conductor of the Cathedral Men’s Chorus. Benny’s dedication and hard work have kept the Men’s Chorus and the Ensemble going. Under his directorship, the chorus performed in various places besides Chennai – Pondicherry, Nagercoil and Bangalore.