On 12th July, the West London Chorus celebrated their historic 50th anniversary with a much-anticipated event at the prestigious Cadogan Hall in London, with former student Caroline Wilkinson (née Poulton), Class of 1978 (1971 joiner), firmly involved in the choir. 

Accompanied by the London Mozart Players, the West London Chorus performed in front of a sold-out audience, with the highlight of the concert being George Freidrich Handel's Dixit Dominus, a particularly challenging piece which demanded rehearsals from back in the autumn of 2025 in parallel with rehearsing for their usual termly concerts. 

Originally named the Chiswick Choir, the group was created in 1976 by avid musician John Thackary. With stewardships from both Alistair Jones and current conductor Hilary Campbell, the choir has established itself as a leading group within London, building a strong reputation for performing classical European pieces ranging from the 16th to 20th century. 

With both numbers and prominence only continuing to grow, the group decided to expand out from their Chiswick roots in 2021, rebranding as the West London Chorus to align with their appeal and popularity. Soon after this, the award-winning composer Cecilia McDowall came on board as the choir's Patron in 2022, a year which also featured a significant tour of Belgium, with a memorable performance at the Menin Gate in Ypres, displaying their presence beyond the domestic stage.

Caroline joined the Chiswick Choir / West London Chorus in 2018 shortly after a Latymer Madrigal Group reunion in Cwm Penmachno, where she realized that she could still sing and how much she had missed it! 

Having never had a piano at home, Caroline is extremely grateful to Latymer for providing her with so many musical opportunities from the moment she joined the school. There was a really fun junior choir directed by Mr John Clements (The Rhythm of Life springs to mind), a newly formed Junior Madrigal Group with Mrs Margaret Ferguson, as well as a junior recorder group (she learnt to play the treble in junior school). She also took oboe lessons as a beginner and then joined every school orchestra that would have her. 

Later on, with the Senior Choir she enjoyed singing some fabulous choral works, in particular The Hymn of Jesus (Holst), Belshazzer's Feast (Walton) and Mass in B Minor (Bach). Caroline feels particularly lucky to have been able to join the Senior Madrigal Group in time to be part of them winning the BBC Let The People Sing competition and their incredible three-week tour of America in 1974.  

The Madrigal Group at the Royal Festival Hall, taking part in the school's 400th anniversary event as well as celebrating the 50th anniversary of their US tour.

Now a member of the West London Chorus, Caroline enjoys being challenged musically once again as the choir is not only growing but going from strength to strength under the ambitious direction of Hilary Campbell. She does not miss playing the oboe! 

We would like to congratulate Caroline and the West London Chorus for their wonderful 50th anniversary event. It's always fantastic to see the musical tradition of Latymer continuing in many different forms and sounds!

To learn more about the West London Chorus, head to https://westlondonchorus.co.uk/

This article and the Royal Festival Hall picture are © The Latymer School and permission must be sought to use, quote or reproduce any of its content.