On Saturday 18 March the Philharmonia Chorus took part in a performance of Beethoven's Symphony No.9 'Choral' at the Royal Festival Hall, London. The Chorus joined soprano Rebecca Evans, mezzo-soprano Patricia Bardon, tenor Robert Murray and bass Derek Welton. The Philharmonia Orchestra was be conducted by Benjamin Zander.

This concert followed a studio recording of Beethoven's 9th Symphony at Watford Colosseum on Saturday 11 March.

This recording and performance was the culmination of many years of exploration by Benjamin Zander of the right tempi for Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. Musicologist Stewart Young's commentary on recording process and performance is here.

The Philharmonia Chorus was proud to have taken part in the opening festival of Hamburg's new concert hall, the Elbphilharmonie. On Tuesday 17 January, the Chorus joined soprano Camilla Nylund, mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly, tenor Klaus Florian Vogt and bass Luca Pisaroni in a performance of Beethoven's Missa Solemnis. The Hamburger Symphoniker was conducted by Sir Jeffrey Tate. The Chorus is shown above performing in the Elbphilharmonie, in a photograph taken by J Konrad Schmidt. German TV coverage of the rehearsal in the Elbphilharmonie can be seen here The Elbphilharmonie, designed by Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron, is in the Hafen City quarter of Hamburg, and it sits on top of an old warehouse building, with spectacular views of the harbour. You can see what a spectacular hall the Elbphilharmonie is here.

The Philharmonia Chorus entered the Christmas spirit with a concert at the Royal Albert Hall on Friday 16th December with the Philharmonia Orchestra and the Choir of King's College, Cambridge. under the baton of Stephen Cleobury. The Chorus took part in performance's of John Rutter's Gloria, Harold Darke's In the Bleak Midwinter, and John Gardner's Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day. There were of course be the usual festive carols!

The Philharmonia Chorus was delighted to hear that Jeffrey Tate was knighted in the New Year's Honours for services to music overseas. Jeffrey Tate is one of the most renowned and versatile conductors of his generation, and has conducted all the major orchestras in the world.

He has twice received the prestigious Italian Music Critic Prize, the Premio Franco Abbiati, and has been awarded a Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur and a Chevalier of Arts et Lettres in France. In 1990 he was appointed Commander of the British Empire. Sir Jeffrey became the President of the Philharmonia Chorus in 2012.

The Philharmonia Chorus has taken part in two performances of Beethoven's Missa Solemnis in Spain, with soprano Simona Šaturová, mezzo-soprano Elisabeth Kulman, tenor Sung Min Song, and bass Daniel Kotlinski. The Orquesta de Valencia was conducted by Yaron Traub.

The first performance took place on Friday 2 December in the Auditorio de la Diputación, Alicante, and the second on Saturday 3 December in the Iturbi Hall, Palau de la Música in Valencia.

The Philharmonia Chorus took part in the world premiere of Amadeus Live! at the Royal Albert Hall at 7pm on Friday 14 October, with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, the orchestra that recorded the original soundtrack, conducted by Ludwig Wicki. This performance marked the beginning of a world tour.

Amadeus (1984), directed by Miloš Forman and written by Sir Peter Shaffer, tells the scintillating story of the rivalry between vindictive composer Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham), and petulant genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce). The film was named one of the American Film Institute's best 100 movies of the century, and remains one of the most beloved movies of all time.

You can hear Sir Neville Marriner, Simon Callow and Ludwig Wicki talk about the music and the making of Amadeus here.