In the 1950s, George Schubert, a relative of the composer, inspired Gordon Honey and Alan Tabelin to found the Schubert Society. The inaugural concert, sponsored by Schubert, was held on 19 November 1957 at St. James’s, Piccadilly, featuring works by Franz Schubert.

 

The Society’s guiding rule was that every concert must include at least one Schubert piece, though wider classical repertoire was welcomed. In 1960, a partnership with the German YMCA began, leading to the first Schubertiade at Lancaster Hall in May 1961. From then, regular concerts became a hallmark of the venue, with Tabelin arranging artists and the YMCA providing support.

 

Over the years, hundreds of musicians performed, including distinguished figures and emerging international talents. The Society presented major Schubert works such as Die schöne Müllerin and Winterreise, celebrated Schubert anniversaries, and hosted special concerts, including popular New Year’s recitals by piano duo Isabel Beyer and Harvey Dagul.

 

Alan Tabelin led the Society for over 40 years, organizing around 220 concerts before his death in 1998. A memorial Schubertiade that year featured Angela Lear and Professor Guy Jonson. The Society also established the Schubert Prize for Lieder performance, later expanded in Tabelin’s memory.

 

Despite the challenges after his passing, the dedication of friends, artists, and co-founder Gordon Honey ensured the Society’s continuity. By its 50th anniversary, it had staged more than 280 concerts, attracting loyal audiences and maintaining its reputation for warm, high-quality performances.

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In 2007 the Society marked its 50th Anniversary with a festive season of events: extra concerts, a lively Schubert Party featuring Lieder and jazz by the Dixie Ticklers (with all performers joining in a Dixieland rendition of Die Forelle), and a Jubilee Concert at St James’s Piccadilly with Nigel Foster (piano) and Robin Tritschler (tenor). These celebrations were met with great enthusiasm, affirming the Society’s vitality.

 

Since 2010, the traditional Schubertiade concerts have been complemented by a new series of Wednesday afternoon concerts, Peter’s Music Live, held six to eight times a year. The series was born out of the abundance of talented artists eager to perform and the limited opportunities available. Programme Committee member Peter Stokes, long known for sharing recordings with the German YMCA community, helped extend this tradition into live performances. Both artists and audiences have warmly embraced the initiative.

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The Schubert Society Prize, originally awarded within the Anglo-Austrian Music Society’s Richard Tauber Prize Competition, was discontinued in 2011. At that time, the Schubert Society of Britain partnered with the London Song Festival to establish a new Schubert Song Prize. Festival founder and pianist Nigel Foster - long associated with the Society as both performer and adjudicator of Lieder competitions - took on the organisation of this new award. The first prize under the collaboration was presented in 2014 to soprano Rowan Pierce during a London Song Festival masterclass adjudicated by Ian Partridge. Since then, it has become an annual tradition.