First Published May 2000
Latest Update July 2008

Brief History for Each Year

1945

There is nothing on record to indicate the precise date that Sittingbourne Orpheus Choral Society came into being, but it is believed to be some time in late 1944 or very early 1945, since the first annual Spring Concert took place on 2 May 1945 at Borden Grammar School under the baton of Frederick J Tolhurst.

1946

There were concerts on 7 May and 11 December, both at Sittingbourne Town Hall.

1947

Concerts on 6 May and 3 December at Borden and the Town Hall. This year's May concert was a major work; Mendelssohn's Elijah. The choir consisted of 73 members: soprano 28; contralto 15; tenor 15; and bass 15. There is a mention of 24 vice presidents which today would be patrons or friends.

1948

Concerts on 27 April and 8 December at Borden and the Town Hall.

1949

Concerts on 11 May and 6 December at Borden and the Town Hall. In addition the choir sang in the first Choral Festival (County of Kent Region) which was held on 30 April in Canterbury Cathedral and the second, on 15th October in Rochester Cathedral.

1950

Concerts were held on 2 May and 12 December at Borden and the Town Hall. The choir also sang in the third Choral Festival on 27th May in Canterbury Cathedral.

1951

Concerts, both in the Town Hall, were held on 9 May and 12 December. As part of the celebrations for the Festival of Britain the choir was invited to take part in the Festival Concert on 2 June, in the Royal Albert Hall, London. The choir also took part in the Fourth Choral Festival on 21 July in Canterbury Cathedral.

1952

The Town Hall was again the venue for concerts on 7 May and 10 December. Continuing the Choral Festival Concerts, the Fifth took place in Canterbury Cathedral on 4 June.

1953

Concerts took place on 6 May and again on 9 June. As this year saw the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II and there were numerous events, the choir was invited to sing in the Sittingbourne and Milton Urban District Coronation Celebration; we performed Edward German's Merrie England. Choir complement remains pretty steady at 71: soprano 33; contralto 11; tenor 13; and bass 14.

1954

Concerts were held at the Town Hall and Baptist Tabernacle on 7 April and 8 December. The choir participated in the Eighth Choral Festival on 26 June in Canterbury Cathedral.

1955

Concert on 30 March in the Town Hall. Choir numbers appear to be dropping, now standing at 51 members: soprano 23; contralto 8; tenor 9; and bass 11.

1956

Two concerts are recorded as taking place this year, both at St Michael's Church, on 28 March and 7 November. The Choral Festival Concerts continue with the tenth taking place in Canterbury Cathedral. The continuing decrease in choir numbers must have given cause for concern with the total down to 42: soprano 20; contralto 8; tenor 6; and bass 8.

1957

Concerts continue with one on 15 May in the Town Hall and on 17 December in the Wesley Church. The December concert appears to be the first to incorporate seasonal music. Canterbury Cathedral was again the venue for the 11th Choral Festival on 22 June.

1958

Concerts on 2 April and 16 December at Holy Trinity and Wesley Church. The 12th Choral Festival took place on 21 June in Canterbury Cathedral.

1959

A regular concert was held on 29 April at Borden Grammar School but the concert on 18 November moved away from Christmas music again with a production of Merrie England at Highsted School: the first recorded use of this venue. The 14th Choral Festival was in Canterbury Cathedral on 20 June. There may have been two Festivals this year or last as we jump from the 12th to the 14th!!
The choir also contributed to the cost of erecting a plaque in Dublin to commemorate the first performance of Handel's Messiah in 1742.

1960

Two concerts were held at Highsted on 11 May and on 7 December, when Tom Jones was presented. The 15th Choral Festival took place on 16 July, again in Canterbury Cathedral.

1961

Borden and Highsted were the venues for this year's concerts on 3 May and 29 November respectively. Frederick Tollhurst is still conducting and concerts are still being performed with an accompanist. The 16th Choral Festival, in which the choir continues to participate, took place on 1 July in Canterbury Cathedral.

1962

A concert was held on 9 May at Borden. The second concert of the year, in the Wesley Church on 5 December, has returned to a Christmas flavour. The May concert, conducted by Charles Colman, was followed by the 18th Choral Festival concert on 7 July, in Canterbury Cathedral.

1963

More changes this year with the concert on 25 May taking place in St Michael's Church with Charles Colman conducting the Maida Vale Chamber Orchestra. This is probably the first occasion that an orchestra (size unknown) has been used in a concert. Isobel Kirby took over the baton to conduct an accompanied concert on 10 December at the Congregational Church.

1964

The early concert on 6 May took place at the Wesley Church with Trevor Webb conducting, but no mention of the venue is made for the concert on 25 November. The archives begin to contain more data from here on. For instance, the accounts show that total income for the year was £56 compared with expenditure of £55. The bank balance was £27.

1965

Concerts took place on 12 May and 24 November, both at the Town Hall under a new conductor, Edwin Sloan.

1966

A busy year with concerts on 27 April at the Town Hall, 2 November at the New Assembly Hall, 30 November at Holy Trinity Church and 17 December at Milton Regis. In addition, on 3 December, the choir sang at the annual switching on of Christmas lights accompanied by the band of the Salvation Army. Total income for the year was £70 against expenditure of £58, leaving £43 in the bank..

1967

Concerts were held on 10 May at the New Assembly Hall and 12 December at Barrow Grove School. On 22 November the choir also took part in a concert sponsored by the Sittingbourne and District Music Committee. By now we are up to the 24th Choral Festival which, this year, took place in Rochester Cathedral, on 9 December. Income for the year was £110 (subscriptions contributing £44) and expenditure £121, with £32 in the bank. The expenditure includes and item "fees for conductor's course £4.10s.00d; (£4.50).

1968

Concerts are now becoming accompanied more by an orchestra. The 18th May concert took place in the Wyvern Hall, with the Festival Orchestra, leader Betty Sloan. The concert of 10th December took place at Barrow Grove School and, once again, the choir sang at the annual switching on of the Christmas lights on 30 November accompanied once more by the Band of the Salvation Army. For the first time since 1956, the names of choir members appear in the programme with the present complement standing at 46: soprano 24; contralto 10; tenor 6; and bass 6.

1969

Concerts were held on 17th May at the Wyvern Hall, 29th December at the Wesley. Total income for the year was £125, with £46 coming from subscriptions. However expenditure exceeded income by £26 bringing the bank balance down to £53. From the balance sheet it can be seen that the fee for the lead violinist was £5.5s.0d (£5.25).

1970

Both concerts on 16th May and 9th December were held at the Wyvern Hall. The choir also sang in a concert on 8th March, entitled Sittingbourne Parish Church Festival '70. The 28th November saw the annual switching on of the Christmas lights. On this occasion the choir was accompanied by the Bowater Band. Membership figures quite low - total 43: soprano 25; contralto 10; tenor 7; and bass 1.

1971

Concerts on 1st May and 8th December took place at Barrow Grove School and the Congregational Church. The 27th Choral Festival was on 8th May in Canterbury Cathedral and once more the choir sang at the annual switching on of the Christmas lights accompanied by the Bowater Band. Some items from the balance sheet show that soloist fees came to £60 and the orchestra £71. Receipts from vice presidents were £24 and the bank balance stood at £50.

1972

Programmes show that concerts were held on 11th March and 13th May at the Town Hall and Highsted School. A dinner was held at the Coniston Hotel on 14th March at a cost of £1.50; per person including service charge, excluding drinks. There was a lot of discussion during the course of the year concerning concert dress. Subscription were raised to £2 per member per annum.

1973

Concerts this year were on 10th March (Bach's St John Passion), 19th May and 15th December at the Town Hall, Barrow Grove School and Holy Trinity Church. The Christmas concert took the format of a mixture of music and poetry. Edwin Sloan continues conducting with Betty Sloan as leader of the orchestra.

1974

Concerts took place on 9th March, 11th May and 7th December at the Town Hall, Borden School and Holy Trinity Church. A letter from the conductor to all members on 8th January expresses his concern that the Christmas attendance fell to 75% of Members. Also, he reminds the choir that the March concert of Brahms' Requiem, is most exacting. "To master one chorus each week is a formidable task. One absence will be unfortunate, two will almost certainly mean you will be unprepared".

1975

Concerts on 19th April at Borden School and 18th October at St Michael's Church. The October concert was entitled Music for a Saints Day. Membership standing at 58: soprano 27; contralto 13; tenor 7; and bass 11. From the financial records it would appear the choir made an application to for a grant - to whom the request was made is not clear. The April concert showed a loss of £96.611/2p, which might also suggest that there was some financial assistance. The year finished with £247 in the bank, having received total grants of £89.

1976

A concert was held on 12th June at the Rowena School and another on 4th December. The choir also sang on 6th March in the Town Hall in the opening concert of the Swale District Council Festival Week 1976. It appears that the concert in June was followed by a supper as there is a note in the programme requesting "No Smoking Please until after Supper".

1977

This year saw concerts on 21st May, 3rd December and 15th December. The venues being Kemsley Hall, the United Reform Church and Milstead Manor. It is interesting to see Brian White's name crop up from time to time, as a soloist, but this is not as often as John Rutter's. For the Christmas concert, the men are requested to wear formal dark lounge suits with a bow tie but the ladies are only asked to wear a long skirt! From meeting minutes , it looks as though there was some thought in buying a "digital computer organ". Balance sheet is getting more complex; expenditure is rising leaving a balance of £146 in the bank.

1978

Concerts continued on 25th February at Highsted School, 20th May at the Town Hall, 1st July at Stockbury Parish Church and 2nd December at the United Reform Church. The concert at Stockbury was entitled "Orpheus on the Hill". The Bank manager was happy to see balance back up to £448. There is no indication of what happened at the May concert to warrant a laundry bill of £3.93. Piano tuning cost £2.

1979

A busy year. A supper concert at Highsted on 3 February followed by the main concert on 12 May at the Town Hall. Two evenings of music were performed on 7 and 14 July at Stockbury Parish Church and Newington Parish Church, both entitled Music at Sunset. A carol concert took place on 15 December at St Michael's Church. Due to increasing costs, there was discussion on increasing the Members subscriptions to £10 (which were £5 in 1979).

1980

The concerts this year were on 10 May, 5 July and 20 December at the Town Hall, Borden School and St Michael's Church. The balance sheet, shows that the Members subscription was finally set at £8.

1981

Concerts seem to be settling into a more regular sequence and venues; 2 May at the Town Hall, 4 July at Borden School and 19 December at St Michael's Church. First appearance of the familiar "blue" programme, for the May concert which, this year, featured Simon Deller as the bass soloist. Membership stood at 53, so numbers have remained consistent for a number of years. The choir also benefited from some press coverage. £788 is shown as the balance at the bank.

1982

Main concert performed on 15 May in the Town Hall including Schubert's A flat Mass (newspaper cutting here), the mid-summer concert on 17 July and a Christmas concert in Borden Parish Church on 27 November. Subscription now stand at £11. Annual turnover was £2,000 compared with £200 ten years ago.

1983

Concerts on 12 March for Swale Festival Week (Mozart's Requiem and Elgar's Psalm 29), 25 June and 26 November at the Town Hall, Borden School and Highsted School. Michael Burleigh is the choir's piano accompanist (and still is in 2008) originally taking on this role(it appears)in 1980.

1984

There is only one programme in the archives for this particular year this being the main concert on 23 June which took place in the Town Hall. The choir membership has considerably reduced to a total of 44: soprano 16; contralto 14; tenor 5; and bass 9. An article in the Sittingbourne Gazette mentions that a concert planned for February had to be cancelled due to low ticket sales and goes on to explain that, without new members the choir could close down. There was a plea for new members.

1985

Records show that two concerts were held on 18 May and Christmas, at the Town Hall and Sittingbourne Methodist Church. Simon Deller has recently become the choir's president and Ray Jones made his debut as conductor in the May concert. The programme for the May concert shows 71 singers. The Festive Brass Quintet make an appearance at Christmas.

1986

A busy year with a spring concert on 22 March at the United Reform Church, the main concert of the year at the Town Hall on 14 June (a successful performance of Haydn's Creation; the archive includes Ray Jones' notes), a supper concert on 19 July at Highsted School and a Christmas programme on 20 December at Sittingbourne Methodist Church. In addition, the choir sang at the Annual Tunstall Church Flower Festival on 27 September.

1987

There were concerts on 9 May in the Town Hall, and a Supper Concert on 18 July and Christmas Concert on 19 December both at Highsted School. Membership stands at 80: soprano 35; contralto 23; tenor 8; and bass 14. The Christmas Concert was accompanied by the Kent Youth Recorder Ensemble. Choir notes show that the main concert was held in memory of former member Ann Moore who died in April. The choir lost another of its founder members in December with the death of Margaret Stagg at the age of 85. A Halloween Barn Dance was held on 31 October at Bredgar Village Hall.

1988

Concerts were performed on 14 May in the Town Hall and 17 December at Highsted School. A Service of Thanksgiving for Margaret Stagg took place at St Michael's Church on 11 January. Also, a Memorial Service was held on 15 March for Albert Millican, a former choir member, who died on 8 March aged 72. The choir also took part in the Upchurch Festival of Music on 7 June. Festive Brass made a welcome return at Christmas. A Supper Concert was held in July at Highsted School, with the choir performing Hiawatha's Wedding Feast.

1989

Another busy year beginning with a concert in Tunstall Parish Church on 19 March, followed by participation in The Crucifixion on 24 March at St Mary's Church, Upchurch, singing in the Upchurch Festival of Music on 6 June and the choir's own concerts on 6 May in the Town Hall, Highsted School on 8 July and again on 16 December. Membership remains steady at 81. Many choir members took part in a mammoth concert in the Royal Albert Hall in March in aid of the Royal Marsden Hospital. A Wine and Wisdom evening was held in April. The accounts show that there are 19 patrons supporting the choir who have contributed £680 during the course of this year. Turnover is now running in the region of £9,000.

1990

Concerts were held on 19 May, 14 July and 15 December at the Town Hall and Barrow Grove School.
The May concert was attended by Mr P Ingleton, Head of Music at Borden Grammar, new to the area, who felt moved to give us his comments.
The archives are becoming more complete from this time forward with the inclusion of minutes taken from the Annual General Meetings and a more detailed balance sheet. Members Subscription is now £18 and fund raising events, having been well supported, have produced £911. The cash balance stands at £5,000.

1991

Concerts on 26 March, 11 May, 20 July and 14 December at Sittingbourne Methodist Church, The Swallows Leisure Centre and Highsted School. The choir again participated in the Upchurch Festival of Music on 4 June. We extended promotional activities to include a bookmark. Perhaps the most memorable event for 1991 was the Royal opening, on 30 October, of the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge across the River Thames, which carries the Southbound carriageway of the M25 Motorway and links Thurrock, in Essex, and Dartford in Kent.
The opening was performed by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Sittingbourne Orpheus contributes as part of a massed choir representing Kent and Essex. A separate scrapbook of press cuttings and photographs is kept in the choir archives (please e-mail if you would like further information). An autumn dance was held at Bredgar Village Hall on 6 November. This was possibly the first year that the Christmas Concert was accompanied by an orchestra. Christmas carols were sung at Hempstead Valley Shopping Centre on 17 December with monies collected being donated to a charitable cause.

1992

Regular concerts on 9 May, 11 July and 19 December at the Swallows Leisure Centre and Nativity School. Mark Deller stood in for Ray Jones at the main concert in May when Ray was suddenly taken ill. It was good to see that Ray had recovered to conduct the choir for the Supper Concert. The Christmas programme contained an interesting work by local composer, Peter Cork, entitled The Spirit of Christmas. An evening's rehearsal time was set aside to make a recording, which was sent to Peter. The Christmas proceedings were further brightened up by four young ladies going by the name of Jazz a Belles. Fund raising events took place throughout the year to boost choir funds.

1993

Concerts this year were on 15 May, 10 July and 11 December at the Swallows Leisure Centre and Highsted School. Members also sang on 24 April at a Concert of Thanksgiving for Bill Cole, as the programme says, "to celebrate his singing". Through the efforts of the Publicity Officer, the choir is now getting much more press coverage, something that seems to have been difficult to accomplish in the past. The archives also contain many photographs taken by members during the year. The choir now has its own design polo shirt and T shirt incorporating the new choir logo. Balance sheet turnover is put at £12,000 with £3,800 held on account.

1994

This was the choir's Golden Jubilee Year.
Concerts were held on 14 May, 23 July and 17 December at the Swallows Leisure Centre and Highsted School. The choir also supported the Restoration Appeal of St Mary's Church, Newington on 8 October.
The choir was honoured to have Nigel Douglas, the Choir President, present at its main concert singing as a tenor soloist in Handel's Messiah.
Recordings were sent to the soloists and by their acknowledgements, they were all extremely impressed with the performance, expressing how much they each had enjoyed it. Performances now take place in the sports hall of the Swallows Leisure Centre, with its improved acoustics and opportunity for larger audiences. Choir numbers stand at 106: soprano 48; contralto 28; tenor 10; and bass 20. Various fund raising events took place throughout the year and although rather poorly attended, an Auction of Promises in June raised over £700 for choir funds.

1995

To round off the choir's Jubilee celebrations, a Celebration Pops Concert was held on 13 May. A huge success. Other concerts were on 22 July at Highsted School and at Christmas at the Swallows Leisure Centre on 16 December. The choir also sang The Crucifixion on 4 April at St Michael's Church in aid of The MacMillan Nurses Fund and the National Federation of Music Societies. The Christmas programme shows there were 110 singing members.

1996

Concerts on 11 May (reported in the local press), 20 July and 14 December at the Swallows Leisure Centre and Highsted School with a charity concert for the Sittingbourne and Kemsley Light Railway on 12 October when the choir performed Trial By Jury. Included in the Christmas programme was a work by local composer Simon Proctor entitled The Three Kings which contained several passages requiring choir members "to adapt and stretch their resources ". As always, various fund raising events took place throughout the year including a Garden Party. Edward German's setting of The Just So Songs in May kept the choir on its toes as well. The minutes of the AGM, show that subscriptions are to be increased to £28. One of the members, Joyce Burgess, sadly passed away last December but it was recorded at the AGM that Joyce had generously left the choir a substantial legacy in her will. The choir also sang at St Dunstan's Church, Frinsted on 16 December in aid of church funds.
For the first time we see some of the choir's promotional material being produced by computer.

1997

The year opened with the choir singing The Crucifixion on 16 March at Bapchild Church in aid of church funds. Concerts continued on 10 May, 19 July and 13 December at the now familiar venues of the Swallows Leisure Centre and Highsted School. The Orpheus once again sang in the Upchurch Festival of Music on 10 June. The Balance Sheet shows a turnover of £13,000 leaving money on account at £5,400.

1998

Concerts on 9 May, 18 July and 19 December. The main concert in May was Haydn's Creation which was particularly nostalgic for one member in the audience, Mrs Kathleen Cole, who sang during the choir's first rendering of the work in 1948, when she was a girl of 19.

1999

To close the Millennium, concerts were held on 8 May, 10 July and 18 December.
Several members also enjoyed a Singing Day and Concert sponsored by Kent Music School on 3 October at Mote Hall, Maidstone, when Brahms' Requiem was performed in German by a combined choir representing several groups from Kent.
It was particularly pleasing that the Christmas Concert closed the year with what must have been the largest audience ever, approaching 650 people.

2000

The year 2000 commenced with a concert on 9 May at the Swallows Leisure Centre, followed by a Supper Concert on 22 July at Highsted School.
The web site is first published and a lot of effort is expended to secure as much information as possible to provide a lasting record of past and future successes.
We were very pleased to welcome John Rutter to Sittingbourne at the end of September. He led a workshop which was attended singers both from the Orpheus and other local societies. Click the link below for further details.
Our Christmas concert on 16th December was again well attended with a packed audience of 650.

2001

Elijah was our first performance this year, taking place on the 15th May. A number of professional and non-professional observers indicated that this was some of the best singing they heard in Kent for a number of years. Click below for a fuller report of the concert.
Also, for the past year we had the pleasure of the company of Tae Ito,a Japanese student, who decided to sing with us. Read what Tae had to say when she returned to Japan.
Our Supper Concert is a private evening for spouses and friends. It's a little more informal than the Spring and Christmas Concerts. This year we sang a number of Opera Choruses, arranged by John Rutter.
Christmas was another sellout, with an audience of around 700, and the local press did us proud.

2002

Malcolm Binns our President, undertook a private concert for members and friends in January, with the purpose of raising funds for the society. A most pleasurable evening in the Company of a leading concert pianist was enjoyed by an audience of over 250, raising close to £500 for society funds. Malcolm's programme consisted of Schumann's Toccata Opus 7 and Fantasia Pieces Opus 12 plus Chopin's Sonata in B Minor.

A reduced audience watched the Spring Concert which featured works by Brahms and Elgar. However, some excellent press coverage was again forthcoming and we are hoping that this will encourage local residents to take advantage of our "Spring" events and make them as popular as the Christmas festivities.

Far from being a reduced audience at Christmas we were able to entertain an increased audience yet again, due to some clever seating layout - we attracted an audience of 700 with a substantial waiting list. The press reports and photographs tell the story.

2003

The year started off with the an announcement that our long-standing Music Director, Ray Jones, intends to retire following the December 2005 Christmas Concert. During 2003 a new MD will be selected and the process will incorporate the opportunity for three selected candidates to rehearse the full choir, who will then be canvassed for their opinions. The Selection Committee will take the opinions of the choir into account when making the final selection.

The Spring Concert was considered a success with an audience of well over 400 attending. The choir was not at full strength with 33 of our 156 members unable to sing for various reasons. A new programme format was introduced which seemed to prove successful. The musical programme itself was ambitions and included works by Vivaldi, Elgar, Vaughan Williams and Orff.

The middle of the year was taken up with the selection of our New Music Director, who will step into Ray Jones' shoes at the end of 2004. Michael Downes was selected for the post.
Also, Malcolm Binns our President undertook a concert (as he did in 2002). This time he presented a programme of works which featured in a prestigious concert he undertook in the Wigmore Hall a few weeks previously. The concert raised close to £1000 for Society funds.

The year closed with a successful Music at Christmas Concert.

Our chosen charity for our collection whilst Carol singing, was the Kent Air Ambulance. We returned to Hempstead Valley Shopping Centre and would like to thank all who supported us in reaching a fine total of close on £264 - during one hour of singing. Kent Air Ambulance expressed their thanks (right).

2004 - Our Diamond Jubilee Year!!

The Spring Concert was our Diamond Jubilee concert - Handel to Rutter to opera and music for the stage, to modern film scores including Empire of the Sun by John Williams.
The concert was a real pleasure to sing and this was reflected in the additional enthusiasm and lifted performance.

Another successful event during the year was a workshop held on 16th October at which Mary King passed on some useful choral hints and tips, both technical and practical.

The Music at Christmas concert was Ray Jones' final concert as Music Director.

Charity Christmas Carol singing was in aid of the Kent Community Housing Trust who we have committed to for three years. Choir Members and Trust Staff were at Hempstead Valley Shopping Centre, and raised close to £300 in an hour and a half!!

2005

The Spring Concert was under the baton of Michael Downes for the first time. The audience numbers were down on previous events due, we feel, to clashes with other events. However, the concert was very successful and, we hope, sets the scene for a long association with Michael.

Music at Christmas included the usual mixture of choral pieces old and new, audience carols and orchestral pieces. This year we included a performance of a new piece, Wintersweet, written with the Orpheus in mind by a local composer, Matthew Rogers.

For the first time this year we provided support to one of our local hotels during their Christmas celebrations. Choir Members were enthusiastic about this opportunity as it gave us the opportunity to promote the choir and gave us another opportunity to do the thing we love most - SING!!

2006

The Spring Concert had a distinctly French feel with works from Faure and Poulenc, for which the local press gave us welcome publicity.
Sadly for us, In September 2006, Michael Downes took up a new post as Director of Music at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge.
He stayed with us until Christmas to give us time to select a replacement and to complete the Christmas Concert.
The selection process, a repeat of that used in 2003, resulted in the appointment of Andrew Lowen to take over after Christmas.
The Christmas Concert, which included the so-called “Christmas movements” of Handel’s Messiah, was dedicated to the memory of SOCs member John Foulkes, who died suddenly in October.

2007

The Spring Concert had already been planned to be Haydn's Creation and Andrew kindly agreed to retain it. He felt, though, that the choir, with its solid previous experience of the Creation, could accommodate an additional concert, for which he proposed Karl Jenkins' The Armed Man - performed, very successfully at St Matthews, Wigmore in April.
The traditional Supper Concert took place in July (part of the Swale Festival this year), incorporating Bob Chilcott's Songs and Cries of London.
In November, SOCS arranged a workshop with Bob, also attended by members of other choirs from the South-East.
The Christmas Concert included Finzi's Magnificat (click on the title to hear an extract) and Mendelssohn's Christus along with the usual selection of familiar and unfamiliar seasonal pieces (including an arrangement of Leroy Anderson's Sleigh Ride by Andrew).
As the programme for the Christmas Concert shows, Andrew had planned to include something very different - Bernstein's Chichester Psalms. The many weeks of rehearsal were not enough for such a challening work, however, and Andrew eventually took the decision to take the piece out of the Christmas concert, replacing it with two Tchaikovsky orchestral pieces. We do hope to perform it at some point, however.

2008

Malcolm Binns, our President, gave another superb piano recital in March to help raise funds for the Society.

The season began with the Spring Concert on 10th May, at The Swallows Leisure Centre - Handel's Saul

The story of Saul and David is one of the grandest tales in the Old Testament. It dominates the first book of Samuel and is full of not only interesting story details, but also great psychological insight. The librettist Charles Jennens chose the incidents from the story carefully and with great discernment. Of all Handel's dramatic oratorios, Saul is perhaps the most structurally perfect and proportioned.

The work includes a choral celebration of David's victory over Goliath and a majestic lamentation for the deaths of Jonathan and Saul