WELCOME
We are the East Sussex Bach Choir. Our aim is to perform a varied repertoire of baroque and renaissance works to a very high standard. We engage professional soloists and high-quality period players to bring experience and excellence to our performances. We follow the practice of ‘historically informed performance’, getting as close as possible to the composer’s original intention. While the choir’s repertoire certainly includes the works of JS Bach and other baroque composers, it is by no means limited to these.
OUR NEWS
2024-2025 Season
Our next event will be a concert performance of Henry Purcell's wonderful opera "Dido & Aeneas" on 14th June in Lewes Town Hall. Tickets are now on sale from this website. The part of Dido will be performed by Rebecca Leggett, the Lewes born & bred singer, who is fast receiving international recognition & acclaim. Rebecca is currently one of Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment's "Rising Stars" and is also part of the Young Artists programme for Les Art Florissant.
ESBC will also perform the anthem "My Heart is Inditing" and the Baroque Collective will perform the Orchestral Suite from "The Fairy Queen".
Our concert will also include a performance of Purcell's "Hear My Prayer" & Gjeilo's "Ave Generosa" given by the Otter Consort from the University of Chichester Conservatoire.
Our performance of Bach's St Matthew Passion was a resounding success, with comments of
"a triumph!", "superb playing!", "amazing soloists" and "the best performance I have heard the East Sussex Bach Choir sing". We also enjoyed spending time with & performing with our friends from Kantoerei Hochrhein from Waldshut. A large group of ESBC singers travelled to Waldshut for a return joint performance on Palm Sunday.
We are pleased to include on the Programme Notes of this website notes kindly provided by Richard Wigmore, Radio 3 presenter and lecturer.
East Sussex Bach Choir has also presented 4 exciting linked events over the last two weeks, all of which have been very successful.
Education Project
In addition to all our concerts & events, we have been working closely with local primary and secondary schools to bring the music of Bach and especially that of the St Matthew Passion to their students. Our collaboration has involved directly supporting groups in schools to learn more about Bach and the Passion. We will also welcome these groups and other students from local schools to join rehearsals to learn and appreciate how musicians and singers collaborate to produce a performance of a one of the greatest works in the classical repertoire. We hope that by sharing our expertise in, and love for, this wonderful music, young people may develop real enthusiasm for it and enrich their musical knowledge.
Keep in touch with our future plans by looking for details soon on this website. Why not join our mailing list by contacting us on info@eastsussexbachchoir.org
Future Dates for your Diary
6th December 2025 Britten A Ceremony of Carols and Vivaldi Magnificat
21st March 2026 Handel Messiah
OUR NEXT CONCERT
Saturday 14th June 2025
7.00pm Lewes Town Hall
PURCELL
DIDO & AENEAS
Soloists to include:
Rebecca Leggett as Dido
Kristian Thorkildsen as Aeneas
Sumei Bao Smith as Belinda
Purcell "My heart is inditing"
Purcell Orchestral Suite from "The Fairy Queen"
Gjeilo "Ave Generosa"
Purcell "Hear My Prayer"
East Sussex Bach Choir
The Otter Consort from
University of Chichester Conservatoire
Musical Director John Hancorn
The Baroque Collective
(Leader Alison Bury)
Tickets:
£25, £20, £15
Accompanied under 16 free
Click here
For ticket information please contact:
tickets@eastsussexbachchoir.org