Preston Orpheus Choir
BRIEF HISTORY
In July, 1929, Arthur Fountain, organist at the Parish Church in Richmond, Yorkshire was appointed to succeed Mr J. E. Adkins as
organist at Preston Parish Church. He quickly realised that Preston had no mixed voice choral society. He advertised in the Lancashire Daily Post inviting candidates for audition and soon afterwards
a choir, known as the Preston Oratorio Society, was formed. Rehearsals began and in 1930, the newly created choir gave its first concert in Preston Parish Church. The choir was
accompanied by Eva Winchester, LRAM, ARCM, the Society's accompanist and Cyril J. Ball, Mus B, FRCO on the organ.
Soon, because of the size of the choir, it was felt that in addition to the organ, an orchestral accompaniment was required. An orchestra under the leadership of Eva
Martin was formed in 1934.
At a meeting of members at the end of the 1935/1936 season, when the choir was seven years old, it was agreed to increase the scope of the Society; to reorganise and
enlarge it and to change its name to Preston Musical Society. Membership of the National Federation of Music Societies was sought.
In its early years the Preston Oratorio Society relied on the Music Lovers' Association for financial support but in 1936 a list of Patrons was opened with a minimum
subscription of half a guinea.
It was decided that future concerts should be held in the Guild Hall (in the former Town Hall). The platform there was not large enough to accommodate both the Choir
and the Orchestra. The Choir decided to have an extension built and subsequent balance sheets show a small income from the loan of this extension to other interested bodies.
Membership rose to seventy-five. A social committee was formed and it raised small amounts of money from whist drives, gramophone
recitals and sweet making.
War years
In September, 1939, it was decided that the Society should still meet for rehearsals in spite of the blackout and other war-time
inconveniences. Rehearsals finished at 8.30pm. Works, mainly for ladies voices were rehearsed but members of HM Forces stationed in Preston were invited to join the Society. No concerts were given
during this period. Membership fell to about thirty but the rehearsals provided a firm foundation upon which to build when hostilities ceased.
Full rehearsals began in earnest in September, 1945 with about seventy members. Some had been members before the war but many were new
young members. The first concert for five years was a performance of The Creation by Haydn in the Guild Hall on November 13, 1945.
Two concerts were given in April and December, 1946 but on March 15, 1947, ten days before the second concert in the 1946/47 season,
the Guild Hall was destroyed by fire. An alternative venue could not be found at such short notice and the postponed concert was given in the Queen's Hall on November 11, 1947.
Concerts in the 1947/1948 season were held in the Queen's Hall but the acoustics for both choir and orchestra were very poor and in
1948 it was decided that the Public Hall should be used. The considerably increased rental cost was a problem for the Society.
During the 1950/1951 season the Society celebrated its twenty-first anniversary with a Dinner Dance.
Founder retires
Forty years of choral music making were celebrated by a Dinner on February 6, 1970 at which Arthur Fountain announced his retirement.
He had founded the Choir and conducted it for all this time giving, apart from the war years, two concerts a year usually an Oratorio in the autumn and a miscellaneous concert in the spring. Apart
from a short period of three months in 1944, due to illness, he had never missed a concert or a rehearsal. The standard of singing and of sight reading he expected of members of the Choir was very
high indeed and this led to outstanding performances over the years. He died in 1981.
Mr Harry Dodd, LRAM, LTCL, who taught music at Hutton Grammar School, became the next conductor in the 1970/1971 season. On March 31,
1971 the Society performed Elijah by Mendelssohn, the last concert to be performed by the Society in the Public Hall which was closed when the Guild Hall was opened in 1972.
The new Guild Hall was too large and the hiring fee too expensive for the Society at that time. It was decided that other venues in the town should be used. Concerts
were given in churches, the Polytechnic Arts Centre and the Charter Theatre.
In 1973, in order to avoid confusion with other similarly named societies, it was decided to change the name of the Choir from the Preston Musical Society to
Preston Orpheus Choir.
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