About Burgess Hill Choral Society
The Choral Society was originally formed 120 years ago in 1892, but lapsed during the two world wars until the present Society’s first season in 1946–47. 2017 marked the Society's 70th anniversary. Just because it is long-established doesn't mean that it is stuck in the past. We have sung works ranging from the Baroque era right through to the 21st century. The Repertoire page of this website can be searched either by composer or by date – under each past concert date, details are shown of the music sung and of the names of invited soloists.
Burgess Hill Choral Society is a registered charity: our charity number is 276759. The society is generously supported by the Humphrey Richardson Taylor Charitable Trust. We also appreciate the support of our business sponsor, P & S Gallagher (funeral directors), and all our individual patrons, some of whom have been enjoying our concerts for a number of years. For payment of an annual fee, they receive free tickets for concerts and other privileges. Do contact us via the Contact page if you would be willing to support the Choral Society in this way.
The choir currently consists of around 80 singers. The choir has been led by Music Director Michael Stefan Wood for more than 30 years. Read more about him in the second entry on the Who's Who page. He has the ability to get the best out of singers, and not only helps choir members to sing accurately and expressively, but makes rehearsals enjoyable, which in itself helps to produce good results.
The choir is accompanied at concerts by a full orchestra, formed of high calibre amateur and semi-professional instrumental players. We usually invite outside soloists to sing at concerts. These are often young singers at the start of their career, some of whom later become well known – for example, Gareth Malone (now OBE), who presents television programmes about choral singing, sang the tenor solo part as the Evangelist when Burgess Hill Choral Society presented Bach’s St John Passion in April 2005.
Concerts are accompanied by a concert orchestra, and are usually held in St Andrew’s Church, on the corner of Cants Lane and Junction Road in Burgess Hill, where the acoustics are excellent for musical performances. The church is also used for orchestral performances by Burgess Hill Symphony Orchestra, who are led by the same musical director as the Choral Society.
Burgess Hill Choral Society is a friendly group and welcomes singers of all ages and abilities – there is no joining audition. Members pay an annual subscription for each season (September to April). Music scores may be either bought or hired for a small hire charge. To help members to learn the music of the pieces currently being prepared, we either provide audio practice material free of charge to members via the members’ section of this website, or we recommend relevant free-to-use online audio practice material.
New members usually join at the start of a season in September, working towards the Christmas concert, or in January when rehearsals begin for the spring programme – though it is sometimes possible to join at other times. The 2019-20 season will begin on Monday 9th September 2019. Do feel free contact us via the Contact page, and we can provide further details.
We aim for polished performances, and offer the opportunity for members to gain a sense of musical achievement. But we also try and make singing enjoyable – there are social events, and a real sense of community. Potential new choir members are welcome to come and try a rehearsal before deciding whether to join. For details of day, time and place of rehearsals, see the Home page.
Burgess Hill Choral Society is a registered charity: our charity number is 276759. The society is generously supported by the Humphrey Richardson Taylor Charitable Trust. We also appreciate the support of our business sponsor, P & S Gallagher (funeral directors), and all our individual patrons, some of whom have been enjoying our concerts for a number of years. For payment of an annual fee, they receive free tickets for concerts and other privileges. Do contact us via the Contact page if you would be willing to support the Choral Society in this way.
The choir currently consists of around 80 singers. The choir has been led by Music Director Michael Stefan Wood for more than 30 years. Read more about him in the second entry on the Who's Who page. He has the ability to get the best out of singers, and not only helps choir members to sing accurately and expressively, but makes rehearsals enjoyable, which in itself helps to produce good results.
The choir is accompanied at concerts by a full orchestra, formed of high calibre amateur and semi-professional instrumental players. We usually invite outside soloists to sing at concerts. These are often young singers at the start of their career, some of whom later become well known – for example, Gareth Malone (now OBE), who presents television programmes about choral singing, sang the tenor solo part as the Evangelist when Burgess Hill Choral Society presented Bach’s St John Passion in April 2005.
Concerts are accompanied by a concert orchestra, and are usually held in St Andrew’s Church, on the corner of Cants Lane and Junction Road in Burgess Hill, where the acoustics are excellent for musical performances. The church is also used for orchestral performances by Burgess Hill Symphony Orchestra, who are led by the same musical director as the Choral Society.
Burgess Hill Choral Society is a friendly group and welcomes singers of all ages and abilities – there is no joining audition. Members pay an annual subscription for each season (September to April). Music scores may be either bought or hired for a small hire charge. To help members to learn the music of the pieces currently being prepared, we either provide audio practice material free of charge to members via the members’ section of this website, or we recommend relevant free-to-use online audio practice material.
New members usually join at the start of a season in September, working towards the Christmas concert, or in January when rehearsals begin for the spring programme – though it is sometimes possible to join at other times. The 2019-20 season will begin on Monday 9th September 2019. Do feel free contact us via the Contact page, and we can provide further details.
We aim for polished performances, and offer the opportunity for members to gain a sense of musical achievement. But we also try and make singing enjoyable – there are social events, and a real sense of community. Potential new choir members are welcome to come and try a rehearsal before deciding whether to join. For details of day, time and place of rehearsals, see the Home page.