Bexhill Choral Society offer Christmas concert

Spokeswoman Pam Tolley said: “Our Christmas concert is a feast of seasonal music and carols, both traditional and modern. Many carols will be very familiar, including some for the audience to join in, while others are less well-known. This year, baritone Peter Grevatt joins Bexhill Choral Society, and their director of music Kenneth Roberts introduces and conducts the concert. The concert is accompanied as always by Nigel Howard playing organ and piano and by the Cinque Ports Brass Ensemble. It includes some arrangements by Kenneth Roberts who usually cannot resist picking up his saxophone or clarinet.”Following the cancellation of their autumn concert due to Covid, Bexhill Choral Society are delighted to return with their Christmas concert which is always very popular, Pam says.

“The first half will feature Fantasia on Christmas Carols by Vaughan Williams, Infant Holy and Silver Bells. The second half will feature The Lord is my Shepherd by Howard Goodall (Vicar of Dibley). There will also be some favourites to sing along.”

Doors open 7pm. Tickets available on the door £15 (cash, cheque or card).

Before the war, a group of singers known as Bexhill Chorus joined together and continued to sing and perform concerts until 1952 when Bexhill Choral Society was founded.

The first concert was performed at St Barnabas Church, Sea Road. There is no record of the programme, but it could well have been Handel’s Messiah. From that year until 1982 Messiah was performed almost annually, along with a Christmas Carol concert held at the De La Warr Pavilion, and other works were also introduced into the repertoire.

In 1979 the featured soprano soloist in Haydn’s Creation was the now world-famous Lesley Garrett, who in 2013 became the society’s patron. Since 1982 the society has performed at least three concerts each year, one of which has always been a Christmas-themed programme.