Sussex Chorus News Archive

23 July 2007
Website Back in Operation
We apologise for the absence of SussexChorus.org for the last few weeks. This was due to a problem at the hosting company (another.com). We have therefore moved the website to imagecreation.co.uk and hope that it will now be more reliable.

24 May 2007
Press Review of Summer Concert, May 2007
Rashid Karapiet reviews the Sussex Chorus Summer Concert held in Lancing College Chapel on 12 May 2007.

1 April 2007
Sussex Chorus Summer Concert 12 May 2007
Sussex Chorus perform two wonderful new works alongside the well-known Fauré "Requiem" for their Summer Concert: Howard Blake's "Songs of Truth and Glory" and JS Bach's "Ascension Oratorio".

13 March 2007
Report on Mendelssohn - ELIJAH (4 March 2007) by Brian Hicks
Elijah may not be quite as familiar today as it was almost a century ago but the impressive forces gathered under Neil Jenkins' baton in Worth Abbey quickly reminded us what a masterpiece this still is. (To be published in The Organ.)

13 March 2007
Report on ELIJAH (4 March 2007) by Malcolm Ollis
Sussex Chorus, representing both the Prophets of Baal and the Hebrew people proved itself to be well up to the task. Sussex Chorus sang with good intonation throughout and there were periods of sublime singing in the quieter passages.

16 November 2006
Mid Sussex Times on War Requiem: A Tribute that said Everything
Mark Gale reports 'there could hardly be a better way to honour the fallen and mark Armistice Day... It was a musical tribute that said everything. A masterpiece had been vividly rendered'.

25 August 2006
Music For Sale
Sussex Chorus has available new and second hand music for sale including Easter Hymn from ‘Cavalleria Rusticana’, Battle Hymn of the Republic and Grand March from Aida.

19 June 2006
John Walker with choir for 30 years
On Sunday 11 June, at the Gala Concert, a presentation was made to John Walker, accompanist for Sussex Chorus, and formerly the Ditchling Choral Society, for 30 years.

John is seen here at the Lancing College organ with a painting of the South Downs, given to him by the choir.

7 April 2006
Sussex Chorus Mailing List
You can now add your name to our online mailing list to receive information via email about future concerts and other events.

2 February 2006
Press Report in Mid Sussex Times on Mozart Concert
Mark Gale writes "On this occasion, though, the honours went to the choir who expressly conveyed the devout mood of the music and were never thrown by the shifting dynamics of the piece".

1 February 2006
Press Report by The Argus on Mozart Concert
Commenting on the concert on 28 January 2006, Mike Howard concludes that 'Sussex Chorus proved once again that it is indeed a master of choral music in the local area'.

10 January 2006
Press Report on Christmas Oratorio December 2005
Phil Bennett in the Mid Sussex Times writes "The Sussex Chorus gave another distinguised performance on Saturday evening, when its glorious sound swelled around the huge St Bartholomew's Church in Brighton".

15 November 2005
Press Reports on Trafalgar 200 Concert
Rashid Karapiet in The Argus reports on The Armed Man: 'From the magical opening ... to the savage cataclysms of "Charge!" and the repeated "Hosannas", one was conscious of the breadth and depth of sound'.

Mark Gale in the Mid Sussex Times reported that 'Here then was an impressive musical experience, a dark evocation of the sounds of war and its implications'.

9 November 2005
New and Used Music for Sale
Sussex Chorus has music for sale including Bach Christmas Oratorio, Vaughan Williams Sea Symphony and many more works.

14 September 2005
Website Problems Resolved
The problems with the website, which occurred as a result of our hosting company moving to new servers, seem to be over. We again apologise for any inconvenience and hope that the problems will not reappear.

10 September 2005
Website Problems
We apologise that parts of this website cannot be accessed. The reason is that another.com, which hosts the website, has moved its servers to a new centre. The result is that the database which is needed for concerts and other information is now inaccessible. We hope that this will be corrected as soon as possible. Please return soon.

3 August 2005
Pia Chelwood's 'The Lord's Prayer' at the Proms
Janet Canetty-Clarke, who was Musical Director of the Ditchling Choral Society for over 35 years, has sent the following message which may be of interest to members and others: "the version of 'The Lord's Prayer' by Pia Chelwood which I organised, recorded and performed with the choir (Dec. 1997) is being presented on Sunday 7 August between 4.00 and 6.15pm by the African Children's Choir in The Bobby McFerrin and Friends event at the Proms - Royal Albert Hall - broadcast as always, probably on Radio 3, television to be announced. I attended a preview last week with Lady Chelwood - very exciting, moving and worth catching".

28 May 2005
Best Classical Award for St Matthew Passion
Sussex Chorus will receive the 'Best Classical Event in the Brighton Festival Fringe' award 2005 for the dramatised performance of Bach's St Matthew Passion on 14 May. The Award will be presented on Monday 30 May in Brighton.

23 May 2005
Five Star Rating for St Matthew Passion
Sussex Chorus' dramatised performance of Bach's St Matthew Passion on 14 May has been given a 5 star review. The review stated "With compelling English dramatisation by Neil Jenkins, the audience was carried through the monumental drama... the Sussex Chorus lending sublime justice."

23 May 2005
Reports on St Matthew Passion
Also see Mark Gale's review, where he says "everything came sharply into focus. Without distracting from the music, the dramatic ingredients reflected its impact".

15 March 2005
Press reports on The Garden of Love
Mark Gale gives his complementary comments on the first performance of The Garden of Love by Malcolm Archer

16 February 2005
Sussex Chorus makes donation to Christian Aid Tsunami Fund
A cheque for nearly £10,000 was donated to Christian Aid for their Tsunami Appeal. The photo shows Rosemary Pardey (secretary), Elaine Fear (Chairman), Neil Jenkins and a representative from Christian Aid, who is receiving the cheque.

8 February 2005
Press reports on Charity Concert
Mike Howard from the Argus reports on the concert saying the performance "was a highly-charged affair, with the Sussex Chorus and the soloists bringing out its tenderness and beauty". Phil Clement, Mid Sussex Times said "this was a great achievement for every single person that took part".

5 February 2005
£10,000 raised for Tsunami Appeal
Sussex Chorus' charity concert last Saturday raised nearly £10,000 for the Christian Aid Tsunami Appeal. It was also a musical success, from the comments received.

16 January 2005
Charity Concert in aid of Tsunami Appeal
Sussex Chorus will be performing Handel's Messiah in St Bartholomew's Church, Brighton on 29 January in aid of the Tsunami Appeal.

13 November 2004
Press Reports on Verdi Requiem, 13 November 2004
"voices bravely rode the eye of the storm and switched deftly as required to silken pianissimo .... it seemed a pity the evening was not broadcast."

1 May 2004
Press Reports on Brighton Festival Concert, 1 May
"Once again, the Sussex Chorus was in magnificent form, bright and superbly together". Mark Gale, Mid Sussex Times

17 May 2003
Press Reports on Brighton Festival Concert, 17 May
"THEY were right out front and straight in your face with a feast of religious music which even moved this old atheist’s heart". Mike Howard, The Argus.

"Bach's Easter Oratorio was the principal work in Ditchling Choral Society's Brighton Festival concert at St Bartholomew's Church, but it was two smaller items in the first half which made the deepest impression". Mark Gale, Mid Sussex Times.

6 April 2003
Press Reports on Passiontide Concert, 6 April 2003
"Certainly the choir was in exemplary form throughout with clear positive phrasing. Their performance never became over sweet, Fling Wide the Gates was given a fresh spontaneous urgency and God So Loved the World was beautifully judged and balanced for the utmost effect". Mark Gale, Mid Sussex Times

16 January 2003
Press Reports on St Matthew Passion, 16 January 2003
"This was a memorable evening of local music making, brilliant in its execution and a Passion performed with real passion". Mike Howard, The Argus.

"This innovative and memorable account of Bach’s masterpiece was much appreciated by the near-capacity audience". Alan Vincent, The Mid Sussex Times.