Our Newsletter

Preparations for Christmas are all around us, and the choir has already started celebrations by singing at Saturday’s Christmas Lights switch-on in Bexhill.  Now our popular Christmas concert 'Carols and Christmas Music for Choir and Audience' is less than a week away, and takes place at 7.30 pm on Saturday 7^th December, at St Barnabas Church, Sea Road, Bexhill TN40 1JG.   This feast of seasonal music will definitely put you in the right mood for the Christmas season - read on for more information about this concert and further events!  
 

'I was glad!'

And you can be too - come and join our Singing Morning! 

Bexhill Choral Society is holding another of our popular open workshops on Saturday 2nd November from 10 am to 1 pm, at Christchurch Methodist Church, Springfield Rd/Holliers Hill, Bexhill TN40 2BX.

This will be a fun and friendly morning giving people the opportunity to sing the haunting and exquisite ‘Lacrimosa’ from Mozart’s famous Requiem, and Parry’s joyful ‘I was Glad’ – familiar from the 2023 coronation and other royal occasions, and from our recent concert!.  Everyone is welcome, including those with little or no experience of singing ‘classics’.
 
The morning will be led by our Director of Music, well-known local musician Kenneth Roberts.  There will be plenty of help and support from singing coach Kristy Swift and from members of Bexhill Choral Society.

So why not come and give it a go?  Singing is good for your health as well as being fun!  
 
There is a small charge of £10 which includes music hire and refreshments, payable on the day.  Parking is available in nearby streets including around Bexhill Hospital (as this is a Saturday), but please do allow time for parking and registration so we can start at 10.00.  

Although there may be places available on the day, to help with planning and organisation, please book in advance if possible.  

To book your place, please print and complete the application form below and post to Bexhill Choral Society, Flat 3 De La Warr Heights, 1 Marina, Bexhill TN40 1DA, or give to a choir member, or alternatively email the form or a message containing the same information* to chair@bexhillchoral.org.uk. 

*name, address, phone, email address, voice if known e.g. alto, choir if any, how you heard about the Singing Morning.   

As the summer draws to a close, the members of Bexhill Choral Society are busy rehearsing again for their next concert this autumn. Our last concert in May concentrated on some wonderful Baroque music and was very well received by the audience - many commented on the high standard of the performance and how much they enjoyed the music.
 

'Piano at the Movies' - in which Bexhill Choral Society's Director of Music Kenneth Roberts explores some of the wonderful piano music composed or borrowed for the film industry - is at 7.30 on Friday 14th June (this week!) at Little Common Community Centre, Shepherds Close, Bexhill TN39 4SQ.  

There is a great deal of marvellous piano music either borrowed from the music of great composers or composed specially for the film industry.  The 1940s were the golden years of this ‘piano boom’, and film makers of later decades employed the music of such diverse composers as Mozart and Scott Joplin.  Kenneth Roberts uses his skill as pianist and raconteur to explore some of this music in an entertaining evening held in association with the Bexhill Festival of Music.  

Tickets are £12 from Second Spin, 14 Sackville Rd, Bexhill TN39 3JL (cash); choir members; online from ticketsource.co.uk/bcs, or Ticketsource phone box office 0333 666 3366; or on the door (booking advised).  Refreshments will be available.  


 

Bexhill Choral Society’s next concert, featuring Vivaldi’s uplifting ‘Gloria’, takes place on Saturday 18^th May at 7.30 at St Peter’s Church, Bexhill TN40 2HE, conducted by well-known local musician, composer and conductor Kenneth Roberts. 
 

Our next concert, rescheduled from October 2023, is less than a week away!  

Bexhill Choral Society’s exciting concert, including the world premiere of Kenneth Roberts’ new piece, ‘Iseult’, which was sadly postponed from October 2023 because of illness, will now take place on Saturday 3^rd February 2024 at 7.30 at St Barnabas Church, Sea Road, Bexhill TN40 1JG.  Tickets purchased for October are still valid.  
 

Preparations for Christmas are all around us, and Bexhill Choral Society’s popular Christmas concert 'Carols and Christmas Music for Choir and Audience' is less than two weeks away, on Saturday 2^nd December at St Barnabas Church.   This feast of seasonal music will definitely put you in the right mood for the Christmas season - read on for more information about this concert and other future events!  
 

After a refreshing summer break the choir is back rehearsing for our October concert on Saturday 7^th October, 7.30 at St Barnabas Church, Bexhill. 



Bexhill Choral Society is proud and excited to premiere a new piece by our Director of Music, well-known musician, conductor and composer Kenneth Roberts.  Iseult is an oratorio-style piece for soprano solo and chorus, exploring the story of Tristan and Iseult from Iseult’s point of view, and is full of wonderful music and drama.  The concert includes another Celtic-inspired piece, with music by Sir Arthur Sullivan from a dramatisation of the ‘King Arthur’ story, while Holst’s moving and poignantly beautiful setting of Psalm 86 and two movements from Roberts’ Flute Concerto round out an evening of lovely and unusual music.

Bexhill Choral is joined by soprano Kristy Swift, flautist Susan Gregg, and the Sussex Concert Orchestra, and it promises to be a wonderful evening.

Tickets are £14 in advance from Second Spin in Sackville Rd Bexhill (cash only), from choir members, via 01424 272948, or online from ticketsource.co.uk/bcs (booking fees apply).  £16 on the door, and £12 for Friends of Bexhill Choral Society.  Programme is included. 
 

Bexhill Choral Society Newsletter May 2023

Spring Concert – A Choral Celebration


Our next concert is rapidly approaching! Bexhill Choral Society’s Spring concert “ A Choral Celebration” takes place at 7.30 p.m. on 13^th May at St Peter’s Church, Church St, Bexhill TN40 2HE (note, not St Barnabas!)  As the title suggests, this concert contains a wonderful range of music, from favourite ‘classical’ items by composers such as Vivaldi, Bach, Mozart and Handel (including the Hallelujah Chorus), through pieces by Verdi, Elgar and Fauré, to more recent classics such as Howard Goodall’s The Lord is My Shepherd. Gershwin Greats include the much-loved Summertime, and the concert also contains three brilliant Beatles songs.  Definitely something for everyone! 

Bexhill Choral Society is joined by local and international soprano Helen May, the Sussex Concert Orchestra, and well-known organist Nigel Howard. 
Tickets are £14 in advance from Second Spin in Sackville Rd Bexhill (cash only), from choir members, via 01424 272948, or online from ticketsource.co.uk/bcs (booking fees apply).  £16 on the door, and £12 for Friends of Bexhill Choral Society.  Programme is included. 

Dates for your diary
“The Piano in the Parlour” -Lecture Recital by Kenneth Roberts
Saturday 17^th June 7.30 at St Barnabas Church, Sea Road, Bexhill TN40 1JG
In the 19th century, no TV, no internet, no streaming - only the piano - the home entertainment of the Victorians.  So, what did they play?  What was the music our great great grandparents listened to?  
Bexhill Choral Society’s Director of Music, Kenneth Roberts, in his highly entertaining way, will guide us through and play some of the music which set Victorian Britain alight, including a section on female composers, of which there were many.


In association with the Bexhill Festival of Music and St Barnabas ‘Victorian Heyday’ celebrations. 

Tickets £12 from Second Spin in Sackville Rd Bexhill (cash only), from choir members, via 01424 222801, online from ticketsource.co.uk/bcs (booking fees apply) or on the door.  Programme is included. 

Autumn concert Saturday 7^th October 7.30 at St Barnabas Church
This will be a very exciting concert!  Bexhill Choral Society’s Director of Music, well-known conductor, musician and composer Kenneth Roberts, has written a new oratorio-style piece, Iseult, which will be premiered at this concert.  The concert also includes Holst’s Psalm 80 and music from Arthur Sullivan’s King Arthur. 

Christmas concert Carols and Christmas Music for choir and audience Saturday 2^nd December 7.30 at St Barnabas Church – our popular concert accompanied by brass ensemble. 

New members wanted!
The week after our May concert i.e. Wednesday 17^th May we will be starting rehearsals for our exciting October concert.   This would be an excellent time to join the choir. Perhaps you or someone you know might be interested?  Like most choirs we particularly need more voices in the lower range of tenor and bass, but welcome everyone to our friendly non-audition choir.  There is increasing evidence that singing in a choir brings real health, emotional and social benefits as well as enjoyment, so why not give it a try?  Potential members are welcome to attend a few rehearsals free of charge to see if it’s right for them, and this would be the ideal time to try it out.
 
We rehearse on Wednesday evenings 7-9 usually at Little Common Community Centre, Shepherd’s Close, Bexhill TN39 4SQ, or on the 4^th Wednesday of each month at St Barnabas Church, Sea Road, Bexhill TN40 1JG, with our renowned Director of Music, Kenneth Roberts, and well-known local pianist and organist Nigel Howard as accompanist.

As well as our concerts, we have other events such as Kenneth Roberts’ popular Lecture Recital, and social events, including a Quiz & Ploughman’s evening, Christmas lunch, and regular drop-in coffee mornings.  To find out more about our concerts and events, or if you are considering joining the choir, call 01424 213352, email bexhillchoral@gmail.com, or visit our website at www.bexhillchoral.org.uk, or our Facebook page.  To hear us, find Bexhill Choral Society on YouTube!

Friends of Bexhill Choral Society pay an annual membership subscription of £20.00 which entitles them to a discount of £2 on the price of two tickets for each concert, and are kept informed of other events – if you are interested in joining, contact us or come along to a concert and join on the door to get your discount!