Singing history

The BBC Singers, said to be the country's only full-time professional chamber choir, formally mark their 90th birthday with a concert at St Giles, Cripplegate, at 6pm tonight.

In 1924, a group of singers were brought together for a radio performance of Mendelssohn's Elijah, under the name "The Wireless Chorus", with Stanford Robinson as concert master. This set of performers was reunited for the work's first recording in 1930, still highly rated by some critics.

In 1927, an octet was drawn from the Wireless Chorus, to become the Wireless Singers.

The tenor Peter Pears got his first paid employment with the Singers at the age of 24, in 1934. It's said Benjamin Britten, then 19, met Pears as he composed the cantata "A Boy Was Born" for the group, first performed in February that year - though others believe Pears' contract didn't start until July.  Leslie Woodgate was then the chorus master - and the singers were subsequently split into two groups of eight. singers, A and B. A did the tricky classical stuff, and B, paid less, did light music and revues.One presumes Pears was an A.

In 1962, A and B were re-assembled as the BBC Chorus. In 1989, they were re-named as the BBC Singers.  I'm guessing Director of Music Bob Shennan will be at St Giles tonight, cutting the birthday cake.