We're celebrating an incredible milestone marked by the CBSO Chorus this season, as they perform their 1000th concert since they began in 1973.

On Thursday 17 September 2026, our season opened with a performance of Mahler's Second Symphony, conducted by CBSO Music Director Kazuki Yamada, featuring the CBSO Chorus under direction by Julian Wilkins and guest soloists Jess Dandy and Anna Patalong.

We spoke to Phillip Rawle, a member of the chorus who has been in the bass section since it started, to chat about how the orchestra has progressed since it began. For married couple Jean and Lawrence, CBSO Chorus has been a weekly staple in their life and we're celebrating their incredible dedication of 40 years in the chorus, since they joined in 1986. They have travelled all over the world and made some tremendous memories singing together, some of which they share with us below.

From concert 1 to 1000 with chorus member Phillip Rawle

I was brought up with a family tradition of choir singing; I was in the church choir from a very early age and later sang in St. Martins in the Bullring as a boy chorister and the West Bromwich Operatic Society. In the summer of 1973, I responded to an advert in the Birmingham Evening Mail from the CBSO who wanted singers to build their own chorus. I was invited to an audition in September by Louis Frémaux and Gordon Clinton at the Birmingham School of Music. The first meeting of the new chorus was in October 1973, where we sang through Bach chorales followed by a wine and cheese reception at the Friends Meeting House.

Berlioz's The Damnation of Faust was the first work we ever performed and was quite a challenging work for a new choir. The first performance was on 31 January 1974 at Birmingham Town Hall. We also sang The National Anthem (arranged by Britten) and The Marseillaise (arranged by Berlioz). Anne Howells, William Dupre, Pierre Thau, and Tom Marsh were the soloists, and the very next day we repeated the concert at the Royal Festival Hall.

Since then we have performed a further 998 concerts under the baton of 134 conductors with 45 different orchestras - 61 of these in the UK and 56 at destinations overseas. These performances included 53 recordings, 30 BBC Proms appearances, and 154 Christmas concerts. Until 1991, most of our Birmingham concerts were in the Town Hall. When Symphony Hall officially opened on April 15 1991, we celebrated with two performances of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloé, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle, who campaigned vigorously for the building of the Hall.

Our 1000^th concert features Mahler’s Second Symphony, which has been performed by the CBSO Chorus 52 times - the first one being 1 November 1975. Our most performed work, though, is Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, which we have sung 71 times – and counting!

Looking back on 40 years with Jean and Lawrence

How did your journey with the CBSO begin?

We moved to Birmingham for work in 1985 and, having previously sung with the Hallé Choir in Manchester, we looked around for the best choir to join. We quickly realised we’d made the right choice as within a few months of passing our auditions, we were recording Mahler's Second Symphony with Sir Simon Rattle. In fact, we were part of three recordings that year alone: Elgar's Dream of Gerontius with Rattle in September and a selection of choral works by Elgar and Holst. In retrospect, the variety and pace of repertoire was astonishing.

What have been your standout moments from the past 40 years?

Lawrence - There are too many to list, of course, but singing at so many Proms, making numerous recordings with EMI, Simon Rattle's final and hugely emotional Mahler's Second Symphony in Symphony Hall, singing with such amazing soloists like Dame Janet Baker or recording 'Child of our Time' with Tippett himself conducting - the list goes on...

What has been the most rewarding part of being in the chorus?

Jean - I think one of the most rewarding things about being in the Chorus has been the opportunity to do unusual repertoire. Towards the Millennium was a project that showcased music from each decade of the twentieth century and it was a unique experience that included pieces like Henze’s The Raft of the Medusa, and Martinu's The Epic of Gilgamesh – never to be forgotten (or probably ever heard again!). It seems amazing now that we used to repeat concerts sometimes three times in a week – once in Birmingham, then in Cardiff or Nottingham, and finally in London.

The other most rewarding thing has been the opportunity to share all this with our children. Both girls were in the CBSO youth choruses, which enabled us to have full family participation in events like Mahler's Eighth Symphony and the Christmas concerts. The development of the CBSO youth choruses has provided such brilliant opportunities for young people to experience choral music.

What’s your favourite thing about Birmingham?

The CBSO of course! The Chorus has given us incredible performing opportunities as well as lifelong friendships. Not only do we have the best concert hall in the country, Symphony Hall, but also the most historic concert hall, Town Hall, with an amazing history of premieres. It is one of the main reasons we have put down roots here.