ABSTRACT
The committee's unanimous choice as the successor to Walford Davies was Hugh Allen who was a friend of Henry Wood, the current Treasurer. In addition to the conductorship of the Oxford Bach Choir, Allen was organist of New College, Oxford, an appointment he had held since 1901. The success of the violin solo Joseph Joachim concert was seen in an invitation to Allen from the Classical Concert Society to conduct the final concert of their season in the following December. For the choral and orchestral concert at Queen's Hall on 15 March, Allen chose to conduct his first London performance of the Mass in B minor. The financial position encouraged Allen to be more adventurous, with a plan for a performance of Cesar Franck's The Beatitudes on 19 December, followed by the St John Passion at Westminster Abbey in March and the usual mixed programme in May.
