The Edinburgh Royal Choral Union (ERCU) and the Brussels Choral Society will team up for a collaborative concert at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh on March 15, 2026.

The concert, which is conducted by Michael Bawtree, ERCU’s Chorus Director, brings together approximately 200 singers from Scotland and Belgium and follows a sold-out presentation of the same program at Bozar in Brussels in December 2025. Also featured on the performance are the Orchestra of Scottish Opera with solo roles performed by the Sòlas Ensemble, a vocal quartet formed at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

The program pairs Francis Poulenc’s “Gloria” with Anton Bruckner’s “Mass in D minor.”

“After a wonderful weekend in Belgium in December, where we were warmly welcomed by our friends in the Brussels Choral Society, we are now delighted to host them in Scotland’s capital and the country’s finest concert hall for this exciting springtime concert,” Bawtree said per an official press release. “I look forward to conducting two incredible choral masterpieces with 200 singers from over 25 countries, alongside four of Scotland’s brightest young soloists and the instrumentalists of Scotland’s national opera company.”

Founded in 1858, Edinburgh Royal Choral Union is among Scotland’s oldest choirs and is known for its annual New Year performances of Händel’s “Messiah” at the Usher Hall, a tradition dating to 1888.

Read Related Stories

• Pasadena Chorale to Present ‘I Believe’

• Choral Arts Society of Washington & Washington Performing Arts Team Up for ‘We Are One: A Global Song for Justice & Unity’

• Nicholas McGegan Leads Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale in Two Concerts