City Choir Dunedin (trading name of Dunedin Choral Society; formerly City of Dunedin Choir, Schola Cantorum) is an auditioned mixed-voice choir in Dunedin, New Zealand. It accepts singers of all age groups from the wider Dunedin community and performs large-scale classical choral works. The choir's membership grew from an initial 45 to around 120 as of 2012. The Choir is a member of the New Zealand Choral Federation (NZCF), which was formed in 1985 to promote high quality choral singing in New Zealand. Repertoire The choir's repertoire encompasses Baroque, Classical and Romantic symphonic choral works, and includes contemporary New Zealand choral music. The choir is usually involved in four or five concerts a year and regularly performs with the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra. Occasionally the choir performs with other orchestras such as the Dunedin Youth Orchestra, the Saint Kilda Brass Band and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, as well as with other choirs like the Christchurch City Choir, Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir, Auckland Choral Society, the Southern Youth Choir, Invercargill A Capella Singers and the Southern Children's Choir. History In October of 1863 the Dunedin Philharmonic Society, conducted by W. Haydn Flood, was founded by George R. West. The Dunedin Choral Society, conducted by Charles J. Bates, was founded in the same week with its first practice being held on 28 October. The following year Flood was appointed the conductor of the Dunedin Choral Society, which collapsed after one concert, and West replaced Flood as conductor of the Dunedin Philharmonic Society into which the choir had been assimilated. For the 1864 Messiah performance the choir consisted of 45 voices. With varying success the Dunedin Philharmonic Society carried on until 1867 and in 1868 the Private Musical Society was formed from, amongst others, the wreck of the Philharmonic Society. The Private Musical Society wound up in January of 1871 and Dunedin Choral Society was re-launched by George West and Arthur Towsey. At this time first West and then Towsey were appointed conductors. In 1889 the Dunedin Choral Society drifted into recess while singers concentrated on participation in the Exhibition choir for the New Zealand and South Seas Exhibition (1889) held in Dunedin. In 1897 the Dunedin Choral Society was re-established by G.M. Thomson and others, with James Coombs appointed as conductor. Due to artistic and financial difficulties the Dunedin Choral Society became inactive in 1913 and was wound up in May