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Penzance Choral Society was formed in 1858 which makes us one of the oldest mixed voice choral societies in the country. An article in the Cornish Telegraph of January 19th 1859 noted "The first concert of the Penzance Choral Society was given by its members in the Assembly Rooms, Balls Hotel, yesterday evening.....98 voices.....the ladies.....rich, contrasted colours, varied costume, sparkling jewelry.....Gentlemen in full dress". The Conductor was Mr J. H. Nunn, R.A.M.

Like many other choirs the two World Wars of 1914 -18 and 1939 - 45 caused breaks in our history and the depression years between the wars were also damaging to our membership. An old programme from a 1933 concert in Gulval shows that numbers were down to around 35 singers but the voice parts were sufficiently balanced to give a polished performance.

Hard times came again after World War II and we note from 'The Cornishman' of May 28th 1953 "...at the Centenary Hall, Chapel Street, on Thursday evening. Conductor Mr Leslie Jacobs.....25 voices (including 9 men).....[first concert since it] disbanded a few years ago".

By the 1960's the choir had the good fortune to come under the direction of the man who restored something of the early 'glory years' - Edward Weymouth - who came to be known and loved by the members simply as 'Ted'.

In 1960 Mr Weymouth (as he was then) was appointed Head of Music at Penzance Girls' Grammar School. Soon after moving to Penzance Ted was appointed Musical Director of Penzance Choral Society, a position he held for over 35 years. He encouraged young people to join, bringing a quality of tone which was to be a hallmark of the Society and provided the opportunity to perform works of great stature which live in the memory of all those who took part. Many professional artists were delighted to accept an invitation to be soloists and rated the society on a par with a professional choir.

During this period Ted studied for his B. Mus. and D. Mus Degrees as an external student of London University - a tremendous achievement considering all his other commitments - and became Dr Edward Weymouth - but still 'Ted' to us. In 1973 Ted was elected to the College of Bards of the Cornish Gorsedd for his outstanding contribution to the musical life of the County. He chose as his Bardic name Car kess en y ans - Lover of Harmony. In the 1978 New Year's Honours List he was awarded the MBE for services to the musical life of the Duchy.

In those days it was usual for a Penzance Choral Society membership of over 100 singers to be on the platform, supported by a full orchestra, for our two big concerts in Spring and at Christmas each year. Sadly age and infirmity took its toll and Ted had to retire and we were faced with the extremely difficult task of finding a replacement. So much so that in 1999, after years of decline, only 19 members attended the Annual General Meeting and we seriously considered whether we should have to disband. But loyal members determined that we should not let Penzance Choral Society die after nearly 150 years and we pressed ahead with plans to rejuvenate the Society.

Dr Weymouth died in late 2000 and it fell to our present conductor Tim Hosken to conduct the Memorial Concert in Spring 2001. We invited past members to take part and 85 singers with full orchestra performed to a full house and we felt 'Ted' was watching over us that night.

Tim Hosken's direction made it a memorable occasion for performers and audience alike and he has been appointed our Musical Director. By dedicated team effort we have rebuilt numbers to over 100 members and brought a new spirit to the choir for the future.

by Trevor Walker