As a choral society of over 115 members dedicated to fine music, UWACS is one of the longest established choirs in Australia, having celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2021. Leckie raised his baton to conduct the first appearance of the newly formed UWA Choral Society in a performance of Stanford’s “The Revenge” and a selection of part-songs. Under a series of conductors, Percy Grainger, Dr. (late
r Sir) Malcolm Sargent , Sir Thomas Beecham, Professor Frank Callaway, Tibor Paul, John Winstanley, Roy Rimmer, Ian Westrip, Warwick Stengards, Prue Ashurst, John Beaverstock, Burhan Guner, Jangoo Chapkhana, and now Christopher Van Tuinen, the Society has performed both on its own and with other groups, a diverse range of music.”
Musical highlights have included: Mozart’s Coronation Mass, Vespers and Requiem, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Verdi’s Requiem, Bach’s Mass in B Minor, Matthew Passion and Christmas Oratorio, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius, Lloyd Webber’s Requiem, Rutter’s Requiem, Bruckner’s Mass in E Minor, Haydn’s The Seasons and The Creation, Dvorak’s Stabat Mater and Mass in D Minor, Vivaldi’s Gloria and Handel’s Coronation Anthems, Israel in Egypt and The Messiah.
2011 marked 80 years of choral singing. This coincided with the University of Western Australia's centennial. In that time so many people have contributed and benefitted so much – performers and audience alike. We are confident that this great tradition will continue and in 2031 UWACS will be able to look back on a century of major contributions to the musical life of Western Australia.
