Edinburgh University Music Society

Edinburgh University Music Society (EUMS)
Orchestra
Performing Mahler in Greyfriars Kirk, Edinburgh.
Founded	1867
Principal conductor	Neil Metcalfe (chorus), Michael Devlin (Sinfonia), Russell Cowieson (Symphony)
Website	www.eums.org.uk

The Edinburgh University Music Society (EUMS) is a student-run musical organisation based in Edinburgh and is one of the largest classical ensembles in Scotland. Since its founding in 1867, the EUMS has been based within the University of Edinburgh.

The society performs in three concert series throughout the year whilst also undertaking a programme of charity events and education projects.

The Edinburgh University Music Society is the oldest student’s musical society in Scotland, and can be traced back to its origins in a concert in February 1867: the 27th Reid Memorial Concert. This concert was unusual in that, rather than exclusively relying on the professional players within Edinburgh at the time, as had been normal up until this point, the performance was cast as a University Amateur Concert. It consisted of a selection of musicians from around the University of Edinburgh, most students, some academics, and others members of the St. Cecilia Instrumental Society.

They were led by the then Professor of Music, Herbert Oakeley in George Street’s Music Hall (now the Assembly Rooms). That summer a draft constitution was set down, and at the commencement of the next academic year the first students rehearsed under Oakeley for the first time in what became known as the Edinburgh University Musical Society.

The society first performed in what became an annual concert in March 1868. Oakeley soon called on his influence to enhance the standing of the society, and in 1872 the Edinburgh University Musical Society performed alongside the Hallé Orchestra from Manchester and a selection of well-known artists of the time. This performance began a three-day festival devoted to the continuation of General John Reid’s passion for music.

Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana was premiered in Scotland by the EUMS in 1963, and the BBC has made recordings of several EUMS concerts. In 2007, the society celebrated its 140th anniversary with a series of concerts in the impressive McEwan Hall, ending with a widely acclaimed rendition of Verdi’s Requiem to a thousand-strong audience.