Hastings Philharmonic Choir creates a newsletter periodically to keep our friends, supporters and followers up-to-date with the activities and events of the choir. It is delivered via our
friends email mailing list.
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Below is a list of current and past issues.
Fri, 27 Jun 2025
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Hastings Philharmonic Choir Dear Friend of Hastings Philharmonic Choir
It's almost time for our summer concert which takes place next Saturday, 5 July, 7pm at Christ Church, Silchester Road, St Leonards TN38 0JB. We shall be performing the works of two living composers, Arvo Pärt’s Berliner Messe and Ola Gjeilo’s Sunrise Mass, accompanied by the strings of Hastings Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Marcio da Silva, who will also perform Verklärte Nacht by Arnold Schoenberg. Rachel Allen (soprano); Alex Pullinger (countertenor ); John Twitchen ( tenor ) and Jack Lawrence-Jones ( bass) will sing solo roles.
Estonian composer Arvo Pärt's music is typically minimalist in style, employing his own invented technique of tintinnabuli, a musical texture that creates a kaleidoscopic aural effect emulating the resonance of bells. Inspired also by Gregorian chant and early Renaissance polyphonic music, his Berliner Messe, composed in 1990, is a meditative and structured setting of the Latin Mass. Originally commissioned for the 90th German Catholic Day in Berlin, shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Berliner Messe was first performed at St. Hedwig’s Cathedral.
Sunrise Mass was composed in 2008 by the Norwegian composer and pianist Ola Gjeilo. It is structured in four movements—'The Spheres’, ‘Sunrise’, ‘The City’, and ‘Identity & The Ground’ – each movement setting part of the traditional text of the Latin mass. As Gjeilo said, “I wanted the musical development of the Mass to evolve from transparent and spacey, through increasing emotion and movement, to something solid and grounded- as a metaphor for human development from child to adult, for a spiritual journey, or for the creative process itself`”.
The notion of a spiritual journey – in this case the affirmation of love and forgiveness over blame and rejection – also underpins Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht (‘Transfigured Night’). Based on a poem by Richard Dehmel, this lusciously late-Romantic work depicts the conversation and emotions experienced by a man and woman walking through a forest at night.
Join us on 5 July for this programme of beautiful, reflective and inspirational music.
Hastings Philharmonic Choir
Rachel Allen soprano
Alex Pullinger countertenor
John Twitchen tenor
Jack Lawrence-Jones bass
with Hastings Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Marcio da Silva
Don't delay - buy your ticket now!
www.hastingsphilchoir.org.uk/summerconcert2025
Or in person from The Bookkeeper, 1a King's Road, St Leonards (open Thurs-Sat)
NB. All advance sales end at 11am on Saturday 5 July, after which remaining tickets may be purchased on the door.
Thu, 17 Apr 2025
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Warmest Easter greetings to all of our Friends from Hastings Philharmonic Choir!
Thank you to everyone who made our last concert – Dvořák’s Stabat Mater on 5 April – such a resounding success: to our four fabulous soloists - Helen May, Julia Portela Piñón, Leonel Pinheiro and Robert Winslade Anderson, to Hastings Philharmonic Orchestra for their sensitive accompaniment, and to our amazing conductor, Marcio da Silva for his patience, humour and thoroughness in the months of preparation leading up to the concert. Last, but by no means least, a huge thank you to all of you who attended the concert. We so enjoyed singing this glorious work and your attentive and then overwhelmingly enthusiastic response helped our performance along.
As usual, Peter Mould took some excellent photos of our afternoon rehearsal and the evening performance, which you can view via our website’s photo galleries.
We’re already rehearsing the new repertoire for our summer concert, Northern Lights on July 5th. Featuring the beautiful Berliner Messe (‘Berlin Mass’) by Estonian composer Arvo Pärt and the Sunrise Mass by Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo, alongside Arnold Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht (‘Transfigured Night’) played by the strings of Hastings Philharmonic Orchestra, it promises to be a fascinating, reflective and uplifting evening. Booking will open in early June. Save the date!
Meanwhile, our partner organisations Opera SouthEast and the Hastings Philharmonic Orchestra - both conducted by maestro da Silva - have exciting concerts in the offing! Read on for more information.
_-_Nationalmuseum_-_213273.jpg "Hastings Philharmonic Choir Easter newsletter")
Table of Contents
- Opera South East in concert!
- Next HPO concert: an orchestral spectacular!
Thu, 3 Apr 2025
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Only one day left to buy your tickets for our spring concert!
Come and hear Dvorak's dramatic yet intimate musical portrayal of the mourning mother of Christ as she stands at the foot of the cross, inspired by the deaths of his own infant children.
Hastings Philharmonic Choir with a stellar line-up of soloists and the magnificent Hastings Philharmonic Orchestra, directed by Marcio da Silva.
Book now to avoid disappointment!
Tickets:
£22.50/£18/£13.50
Students, under-18s, JSA/Universal Credit recipients £5/pay what you can
available from the choir's website
www.hastingsphilchoir.org.uk/springconcert2025
or scan the QR code in the picture, or from The Bookkeeper, 1a Kings Road, St Leonards
Advance booking closes at 11am on Saturday 5 April, after which remaining tickets will be sold on the door.
Wed, 19 Mar 2025
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Mon, 2 Dec 2024
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Dear Friend of Hastings Philharmonic Choir
Warm seasons greetings to all of our friends and supporters!
First of all, we must report that our autumn concert on 9th November was a huge success! Thank you all for your fantastic support! We were completely sold out for the second time this year, and had some very enthusiastic and appreciative comments afterwards from audience members. This kind of response is so encouraging for us and spurs us on to bring you more wonderful concerts in the new year. If you'd like to see Peter Mould's captivating photos of the concert, you can find them via
our website.
With Christmas coming, our next offering will, of course, be our annual
Carols for All concert, which you can read more about below.
Table of Contents
- Carols for All, Saturday 14 December 2024, 5pm - Christ Church, Silchester Road, St Leonards
- What's in store for 2025?
- Fundraising raffles!
Sun, 3 Nov 2024
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Dear Friend of Hastings Philharmonic Choir
November is upon us, and suddenly our first concert of the season is less than a week away! We have a wonderful programme of music for you: Haydn’s stirring ‘Nelson’ Mass, Vivaldi’s joyful Gloria and a delightful Oboe Concerto by Handel. And we shall be joined by a stellar line-up of soloists. Singers Hollie-Ann Clark (soprano), Nathan Mercieca (alto), Leonel Pinheiro (tenor) and Jack Lawrence-Jones (bass) will stun you with their vocal dexterity and lyricism, whilst Fiona Myall, who frequently plays with the Hastings Philharmonic Orchestra, will have her chance to shine in the Concerto.
Tickets are selling fast for this concert and we’d hate you to be disappointed, so do make sure you book beforehand.
When is it? Saturday 9 November at 7pm
Where is it? At Christ Church, Silchester Road, St Leonards, TN38 0JB
Visit www.hastingsphilchoir.org.uk/autumnconcert2024 for further information and to book your ticket. Tickets are also available from The Bookkeeper, 1a King's Road, St Leonards (open Thursday to Saturday)
Please note that all advance sales close at 11am on concert day, after which any few remaining tickets will be available on the door.
Thu, 3 Oct 2024
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Dear Friend of Hastings Philharmonic Choir
The nights are drawing in, the leaves are falling, the temperature is dropping, and the choir is well into a busy autumn rehearsal schedule. After enjoying a pleasant afternoon’s socialising and fundraising at our summer garden party, we are now energised for the challenge of the works we’ll be performing in a month’s time. With several new singers having joined us this term, the choir is sounding confident and strong - and beautiful, of course. We are now looking forward to our first concert of the season on November 9th, when we’ll be performing two much-loved choral works.
Read on for further information on this and upcoming concerts.
Table of Contents
- Autumn Concert, 9th November: Haydn, Vivaldi and Handel
- Support us!
- Looking ahead ...
Mon, 1 Jul 2024
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Sat, 30 Mar 2024
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We at Hastings Philharmonic Choir would like to wish all of our friends and supporters a very happy Easter!
Just one week until our Spring Concert - Bach's glorious St Matthew Passion, sung in the beautiful setting of Christ Church, St Leonards. We hope to see you there! Tickets are selling fast, so don't delay - get yours today!!
Tue, 12 Mar 2024
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Dear Friend of Hastings Philharmonic Choir
It already feels a long time since we last sang for you at our Christmas
Carols for All concert. We were delighted to see so many of you escaping from the hurly-burly of Christmas preparations to enjoy our festive singing. Once again, with the support of Penbuckles' Delicatessen, we held a raffle during the interval. The hamper of delicious goodies was won by Keith Waymont, who told us that he and his wife travel down every year from Tunbridge Wells to attend our carol concert - well done and thank you to Keith for his faithful support of our choir!
Despite the current grey, damp weather, spring is in the air and the garden is beginning to bloom with seasonal flowers. With less than a month to go now, we're rehearsing hard for our April concert. We're sounding in great voice at the moment, having gained some new choir members this year, and with several visiting members having joined us especially for the April concert.
Read on for further news ...
Table of Contents
- Tribute to Pam Brown
- Spring Concert: Bach's St Matthew Passion on 6th April
- Support us!
- Looking ahead ...
Mon, 11 Dec 2023
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Dear Friend
With the festive season almost upon us, we'd like to wish all of our Friends a happy Christmas and all the very best for the New Year! For us, Christmas begins this coming Saturday, 16th December, at 5pm, when we present our annual Carols for All concert. Read on for further information about this concert, some reviews of our November performance of Beethoven's Missa Solemnis, and a look ahead to next year's concerts.
Table of Contents
- Carols for All, 16 December, 2023, 5pm, Christ Church, St Leonards-on-Sea
- Praise for our November concert!
- Dates for your diary, 2024
Thu, 9 Nov 2023
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‘From the heart – may it again – go to the heart!’
Beethoven’s inscription on the score of his awe-inspiring ‘Missa Solemnis’ to its dedicatee, Archduke Rudolph of Austria, Bishop of Olmütz. From the lyrical opening Kyrie, through the jubilant Gloria, the heights and depths of expression in the Credo, the entrancing violin solo in the Benedictus, to the alarming sounds of warfare and final prayer for peace of the Agnus Dei, Beethoven’s music in this mass never fails to move the listener.
Come and let your heart be touched this Saturday, 11th November, 7pm at St John’s Church, Brittany Road, St Leonards TN38 0LF
Hastings Philharmonic Choir
Helen May, soprano
Marta Fontanals-Simmons, contralto
Leonel Pinheiro, tenor
Edwin Kaye, bass
Hastings Philharmonic Orchestra
conducted by Marcio da Silva
Tickets: £22/£17
Under 18s, students, universal credit/ JSA recipients £5/free
From our website: https://www.hastingsphilchoir.org.uk/autumnconcert2023
Or by phone, 01424 437554
or at The Bookkeeper, 1a King's Road, St Leonards TN37 6EA
Tickets are selling fast – don’t miss your opportunity to hear this glorious work in a rare live performance!
Thu, 5 Oct 2023
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Dear Friends
Our new season has got off to a busy start, with rehearsals for our autumn concert commencing in early September. We're tackling Beethoven's Missa Solemnis, one of the peaks of the Classical choral repertoire, and a real challenge for us! But, under Marcio's patient and insightful direction, we're beginning to make headway, and are looking forward to performing it for you in November!
Before that, though, there's an opportunity to hear us revisit some of our favourite choruses from Mendelssohn's
Elijah when we take part in the 'Big Sing' this coming Saturday, 7th October. This annual fundraising event for St Michael's Hospice brings together twenty local choirs in a whole day's worth of singing at St John's Church, Brittany Road, St Leonards. We have the 5.30pm slot - why not drop in and listen to us?
The Big Sing - St Michael's Hospice (stmichaelshospice.com)
Read on for more information about our season's concerts ...
Table of Contents
- Autumn concert, 11 November 2023, 7pm - St John's Church, Brittany Road, St Leonards
- Carols for All, Saturday 16 December 2023, 5pm - Christ Church, Silchester Road, St Leonards
- Dates for your diary, 2024
- Support us!
Mon, 17 Jul 2023
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Welcome to this late summer round-up of news! We've had a fantastic year, and have so appreciated your continued enthusiastic support. Our last concert of the season is taking place later than usual this year. Read on for further information about it, and a sneak peak at what we have in store for you next year.
Mon, 6 Mar 2023
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Sun, 30 Oct 2022
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Dear Friend
Our first concert of the season will take place this coming Saturday, 5 November, 7.30pm at Christ Church, Silchester Road, St Leonards. We'll be performing a colourful programme of celebratory Baroque masterpieces - why not come along and let us lift your spirits on a dark November evening?
Hastings Philharmonic Choir with Poppy Shotts and Rachel Allen (sopranos), Maya Colwell (contralto), John Twitchen (tenor), Jack Lawrence-Jones (baritone), Ensemble Orquesta, conducted by Marcio da Silva
Tickets are still available - book yours today!
https://www.hastingsphilchoir.org.uk/autumnconcert2022
Mon, 10 Oct 2022
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Dear Friends,
Our new season has got off to a flying start. Rehearsals for our first concert are well underway, and we were delighted to be able to sing at The Big Sing last Saturday, in support of St Michael's Hospice.
We have some real treats in store for you this season. Our concerts will cover some diverse and exciting repertoire. There's something to suit everyone's taste, starting with glorious Baroque choral masterpieces next month. Further details are given below. Despite rising costs, we've managed to maintain ticket prices at last year's level, with standard tickets starting at £12.50, and a cheaper option for students and under-18s.
We hope to see you at one - or more - of our concerts!
Table of Contents
- Autumn concert, 5 November 2022, 7.30pm - Christ Church, St Leonards-on-Sea
- Carols for All, 17 December, 2022, 5pm, Christ Church, St Leonards-on-Sea
- HPC greetings cards
- Looking ahead to 2023 ...
- We need your help!
Tue, 1 Mar 2022
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Dear Friends
Welcome to our first Newsletter of 2022!
We are thrilled to have been able to rehearse and perform uninterruptedly throughout the winter this year. Our first major performance of the season – our Mozart and Lauridsen concert in November, with full choir and orchestra – was a sell-out success. It is clear that, after the enforced silence and cancellations of 2020–21, the choir is enjoying a period of regeneration, with keen new members joining and further exciting repertoire planned for the remainder of the season. We do hope to see you in the audience for our March concert.
Table of Contents
- Spring Concert: Brahms' Requiem, Saturday 26th March, 7pm
- Support us!
- Haydn's Creation - save the date!
Tue, 14 Dec 2021
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This Sunday! Don't miss it! Come and enjoy your favourite Christmas choral music and carols, plus the brilliant Cromwell Brass, and, of course, Marcio's wonderful performance of 'O Holy Night!' And there'll be mince pies and mulled wine on sale at the bar during the interval ...
Table of Contents
- Carols for All - Sun, 19 Dec 2021, 5:00pm
- Greetings cards
Sun, 17 Oct 2021
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Dear Friends,
Our new season has got off to an excellent start, with regular, uninterrupted rehearsals, five new singers joining us, and several 'old' faces rejoining after a period away from choir. Although we've come to appreciate the fragility of our plans over the last eighteen months, things do feel a little more settled. As you'll see from this newsletter, we have an exciting season to look forward to, and we hope to see you soon at one of our concerts. Tickets are now available for our autumn concert (see item 1 below) - buy yours now to avoid disappointment!
Table of Contents
- Autumn Concert - Lauridsen Lux Aeterna, Mozart Requiem - Sat, 6 Nov 2021, 7:00pm
- A musical weekend of Christmas celebrations!
- HPC Greetings cards
- A look ahead to 2022 - save the dates!
- We need your help!
- Follow us on social media
Mon, 28 Jun 2021
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Dear Friends of Hastings Philharmonic Choir,
We are delighted to announce that, after so many months without singing, we finally began rehearsing again on 17 June! This decision followed clarification from the Government that covid-secure indoor rehearsals to prepare for concerts with a paying audience were allowed within the guidelines. We are immensely grateful to Bishop Peter and the team at Christ Church, St Leonards, for supporting and facilitating our safe return to rehearsals.
It's been wonderful (and exhausting!) to return to singing together. We're especially pleased to welcome some new members to our choir, several of whom have patiently waited for months to meet us since making their initial enquiry about joining. Many of them were attracted by our shiny new
website, which is proving to be an excellent resource for the choir and our supporters.
We are currently preparing for our summer concert - read on for more information!
Table of Contents
- Summer concert, Sunday 18 July 2021, 7.30pm, Christ Church, St Leonards
- Looking ahead: our 2021/22 season
Thu, 25 Mar 2021
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Dear Friends of Hastings Philharmonic Choir,
First, I want to thank you for your ongoing support of the Choir during these difficult times. It's not been an easy twelve months.
Now that the Government have announced some dates for the lifting of lockdown, we are finally able to make some (provisional) plans for the way forward, so the time is ripe for our first full newsletter of 2021.
Our first full choir rehearsal of the year is planned for Thursday 20 May. Despite lockdowns, our choir membership stands at a healthy 85 strong, and in addition we have five new members who we hope to welcome at this first rehearsal, with a further three who have expressed an interest in joining.
We are excited at the prospect of giving some performances in the summer – our first since December 2019. You’ll find further details of these, and other choir news, within this newsletter.
Thank you again for your ongoing support. Finally, I can safely say that I look forward to seeing you all again shortly. Continue to keep safe!
Best wishes,
John Rycroft
Chairman
Table of Contents
- Likely concert dates
- New treasurer
- Website
Mon, 1 Feb 2021
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Mon, 7 Sep 2020
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This is the first of series of newsletters to keep you informed of what the choir is up to and our forthcoming events. Full details our on our new website.
Table of Contents
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2.jpg "Happy Christmas to all our Friends and supporters!")
_47.jpg "Spring Concert: Mozart and Haydn, 15 April, 7pm, Christ Church, St Leonards")
_small_and_more_cropped1.jpg "Carols for All")
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