Concerts

The programme

The Society is proud of its longstanding and continuing efforts in the promotion of excellence in the arts.

The concert programme is listed on the Conway Hall Sunday Concerts website

The history of the concerts

The Sunday Concerts at Conway Hall can be traced back to 1878 when the Peoples Concert Society was formed for the purpose of “increasing the popularity of good music by means of cheap concerts”. Many of these were held at the South Place Institute but in 1887 they ran out of money. It was then that South Place Ethical Society took them over and continued to run them using the name South Place Sunday Concerts.

In 1929 the Society had Conway Hall purpose built for them and, with the exception of the war years, the concert seasons have continued ever since.

Under South Place Ethical Society‘s patronage, some of the most famous artists of the 20th century appeared at these concerts. Names such as: Henry Wood, Haydn Wood, Imogen Cooper, Aubrey and Dennis Brain, Ossian Ellis, Gerald Moore, Charles V Stanford, Solomon, Yonty Solomon, Frank Bridge, Harriet Cohen, Myra Hess, Benno Moiseiwitsch, Herbert Howells, Howard Ferguson, Neville Marriner, Hamilton Harty, Ysaye, and Jelly D‘Arrany. Quartets like the Amadeus, the Lindsay‘s, and the Griller are just a few of the illustrious names.

Frederic Delius, who attended some concerts, praised the high standard and the acoustics and Sir John Barbirolli wrote in 1969 “…a unique and historic achievement… the vision and tradition of this great institution which is still being carried on”.

1999 saw the founding of a separate group to organise the concerts at Conway Hall and this group has now moved on. From May 2008 the organisation of the concerts was taken back in-house under the Chair of Music, Giles Enders with Simon Callaghan, a professional concert pianist, appointed as Artistic Director.