Chesterfield Co-Operative Choral Society

Chesterfield Co-operative Choral Society is a friendly, mixed-voice choir based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire.

The chesterfield choir was founded on the 6th January 1937 as the Chesterfield Labour Choir. By 1940 they had changed their name to the Chesterfield Mixed Voice Choir and accepted an offer from the Chesterfield Co-operative Education Department Committee to become one of its guilds and became the Chesterfield Co-operative Mixed Voice Choir, a name that remained for over 40 years.
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In 1950, the choir’s founder conductor retired and was replaced by Edwin Priestnall, who also conducted of the Chesterfield Male Voice Choir. This seems to have fostered a good working relationship between the groups, increasing the number of men in the choir and the encouraging the performance of joint concerts. This period of success on the concert and competition platform was brought was brought to a sudden sad end in 1966 when Edwin died unexpectedly.

Deputy Musical Director Humphrey Carrington acted as caretaker until the appointment of Bob Davenport in 1967. In 1969, the choir performed at the 75th anniversary celebrations of the Chesterfield Co-operative Society. Twenty-five years later the choir would perform at the Crooked Spire for the Co-operative’s centenary service.
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1982 saw the retirement of Bob Davenport and the start of a period of rapid changes of conductor until 1990 when Andrew Marples was appointed as accompanist with Mrs J McCourt as Musical Director. Eventually, Andrew took over the baton and a period of performances of works with small orchestra was continued from his predecessor. The choir will be performing some of these works as part of the 80th anniversary year in 2017, including Faure's Requiem, and Handel’s Messiah.
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The choir moved from their rehearsal venue at the Old Co-op rooms on Elder Way to Whittington Methodist Church in the 1990s, supported financially by the Midland’s Co-operative Group.
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Andrew retired in 2010 after twenty years’ service and was succeeded by Jon Weller and then in 2011, by the choir’s current Musical Director, Adam Green.