Voices In Unison

Full choir singing in Hurst College Chapel June 2018

Singing brings joy to the world. Everyone can fill their lungs and belt out a good tune, but what is even more wonderful is joining together and singing in unison. Sadly, for the last 18 months, choirs and public singing has been banned, but this seems to be behind us now.

I spoke to Rob Drake, the Chairman of Sussex Chorus choir, about their return to normality. “The anticipation is high within our 70 members,” he told me. “We can’t wait to get back to it, not just for our voices but for the social and health side of things too.”

The members of Sussex Chorus are especially giddy this year as they are celebrating their 100 years as a choir. However, the celebrations will be a little toned down this year, with the big centenary concerts planned for March and June 2022.

“September will hopefully see the start of rehearsals in preparation for our Christmas concert,” said Rob. “After 18 months of no singing we all need to build our voices back up again and singing Christmas songs is After a tough 18 months for choirs all around the world things are hopefully looking up for singers, something the Sussex Chorus choir are very excited about. Sara Whatley looks at their story

the perfect way to do that.”

Sussex Chorus started life as The Ditchling W.I. Choral Society, which was formed in the summer of 1921 within the Ditchling Women’s Institute, by Lucy Torry, wife of the Rector of Streat Church and St Martin’s Church, Westmeston, to compete in the 1923 Lewes Music Festival. The first rehearsal We can’t wait to get back to it, not just for our voices but for the social and health side of things too

took place in the afternoon of Thursday 2nd November 1922. On 5th December the Ditchling Choir was formally recognised by the W.I. with Mrs Torry as conductor. It appears men were permitted to join the choir, as honorary members, in order to provide a balanced sound. The choir went on to win two 1st prizes and one 2nd in an open competition at the 1923 Festival.

Two years later the choir won two Certificates of Merit and three passes, totalling 705 marks, the highest in the competition for the third year running. This entitled the Choir to retain the Lady Monk Bretton’s Challenge Picture and maintain the old tradition as quoted from an extract of the W.I. minutes on 22nd April 1925, ‘Bolney for Ringers, Ditchling for Singers!’ The picture was hung in the old Ditchling village hall but was lost when the hall was rebuilt in 1973.

The choir continued under the conductorship of Kathleen Kenning for the next thirty years, continuing to win prizes in the Lewes Music Festivals. The baton was passed onto Muriel Philpott whose husband, Anthony Philpott, was BBC Producer of the then very popular BBC Light Programme, Friday Night is Music Night.

Mrs Torry (in hat) with choir outside Lewes Town Hall (1920s)

In October 1963 Muriel resigned as conductor, her husband stepping in to take over the post, with her as accompanist. The choir continued to take part in the annual Lewes Music Festival and on one occasion they were part of a combined Choirs Concert performing Brahms’ Requiem, conducted by Sir Adrian Boult. The choir had about 35 members and concerts continued to be relatively low key, but with Anthony’s BBC connections, there were opportunities for performances with professional soloists.

On 4th October 1965 Janet Canetty-Clarke took the first rehearsal as the choirs’ Director of Music and Conductor and the choir became a Local Adult Education Evening Institute Choir.

After continuing for some years as an Evening Institute Choir with a membership under 50, there was a sudden upsurge of interest in 197273 and the membership doubled in less than 18 months. Encouraged by this increasing interest, the choir severed its connection with the Evening Institute, became self-supporting and for the first time performed a major choral work on its own, Bach’s St Matthew Passion in March 1974. Supported by a generous donation from the Vaughan Williams Charitable Trust, the choir performed the St Matthew Passion again the following year in St Bartholomew’s Church, Brighton, beginning

a long relationship with this church as a concert venue.

Many prestigious performances followed, and the popularity of the choir grew. They were requested to sing at a number of highprofile events such as a Raymond Gubbay concert in Portsmouth with the Band of HM Royal Marines, and on the closing day of the 1995

It appears men were permitted to join the choir, as honorary members, in order to provide a balanced sound

L to R Jack Thompson, Will Todd and Chairman Rob Drake At Ditchling Fair 1996

90th Year Gala Concert at The Dome, Brighton

Labour Party Conference in Brighton.

Over the years, Ditchling Choral Society continued to play its part within the village community and wider audiences too. In 2002 Neil Jenkins took on the role of Director of Music and Conductor and the following year the choir changed its name to Sussex Chorus, reflecting the wider Sussex scene from which its members and audience are drawn.

From 2014-2018 Alan Vincent led the choir and over this time they performed an extensive repertoire of traditional and contemporary music.

Following this, the choir was lead by Jack Thompson, and at the summer 2019 concert the choir enjoyed performing with renowned contemporary composer Will Todd as part of his jazz-themed work Mass in Blue. In 2020, Stephen Anthony Brown took over as Director of Music and Conductor. The choir, like all choirs, has had a tough time under Covid-19 restrictions but Sussex Chorus members do not give up easily and many have continued to meet online on Monday evenings in place of normal rehearsals.

Stephen has encouraged, coached (and amused) choir members through online rehearsals and it’s therefore wonderful to know that real life rehearsals will hopefully go ahead from September.

The choir are always looking for new enthusiastic members to join them and enjoy the myriad benefits of singing together. Go on… bring some joy to the world. l This article contains edited extracts from the Sussex Chorus Centenary Booklet www.sussexchorus.org

Stephen Anthony Brown

October 8th-10th 2021

Contributors Include:

Annette Badland, Ella Berthoud, Philip Collins, Ian Dunt, Claire Fuller, Mel Giedroyc, A.C.Grayling, Michael Henderson, John Hilary, Cath Howe, Jake Kerridge, Caroline Lea, Sam Lee, Andrew Lownie, Tim Marshall, Juliet Nicolson, Ruth Pavey, Helen Peters, Andrew Pettie, Monique Roffey, Neil Sadler, Laura Shepherd-Robinson, Amanda Smyth, Sally Symes, Marina Wheeler, Ian Williams and Julian Worricker. DON’T MISS IT! 2021 Main sponsor: Hurstpierpoint College. Plus Cumnor House Sussex, Adelphi Holdings, The Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust, Ockenden Manor, Stephen and Judy Cockburn.

Full programme and information on how to buy tickets at www.cuckfieldbookfest.co.uk or www.ticketsource.co.uk/cuckfieldbookfest