Sing for wellbeing with Burgess Hill Choral Society

Chairman Jane Leng said: “There were particular challenges for all choirs during the pandemic while they were prevented from meeting in person for a protracted period. Burgess Hill Choral Society rose to these challenges with innovative use of technology but nothing could quite beat the buzz and sense of connection generated by singing together in the same room. Having returned to such meetings now, we have gone from strength to strength over the last year. We have also held a series of very successful concerts which have been enthusiastically received by our audiences as well as critically acclaimed by reviewers. Never have we been more aware of the value of singing for our physical, mental and social wellbeing. Our ethos is to be an inclusive, uplifting choir which enables people to share in a love of singing and learn more about classical choral music. Over the last year we have performed Mozart’s much loved Requiem, Vivaldi’s Gloria and Schubert’s Mass in G but also some modern pieces including Jenkins’ Requiem and Tavener’s The Lamb. At our recent Christmas concert we were pleased to include the beautiful Shchedryk, sung in Ukrainian, as a message of hope to the Ukrainian people. We now look forward to a new term of wonderful music.”

Jane added: “There are many reasons to consider joining Burgess Hill Choral Society. Our inspirational musical director Michael Stefan Wood is very skilled at promoting a high standard of singing from us while, at the same time, making rehearsals enjoyable. We may sometimes doubt our capacity to perform well but our musical director helps us share in his vision and we often end up surprising ourselves in what we have managed to achieve. Our concerts feature orchestral accompaniment and accomplished professional soloists which contribute to the events being special experiences.

“The choir benefits from the loyalty, experience and skills of our many long-standing members but we continue to attract new people too. With around 70 members we now form a strong choir. We’re a friendly bunch and the choir is non-auditioned. You would be very welcome to join us whether you’re an experienced singer (we have some professional singers amongst the membership), are returning to singing after a while or simply would like to find out more about singing this kind of music.

"There is no need to read music and we offer lots of support for our members including a mentor scheme and lots of online materials. Our new term began on Monday, January 9 and rehearsals take place from 7.30pm at All Saints United Reformed Church, Burgess Hill, RH15 0JS. If you’d like to know more or would like to try a taster evening at any of our January rehearsals, visit our website at www.burgesshillchoral.org, [email protected] or 07522 493966.”