About Us
The Sussex Festival Choir was formed in 2003 by Stephen Hope for two main purposes: firstly to provide a large-scale platform for choristers to perform a large work with large forces during the summer term when their own choirs have broken up, and secondly to raise money for the very noble hospice movement. Initially the choir met to perform large choral works with the Sinfonia da Chiesa in Arundel Cathedral every July to raise funds asdn they have raised over £180,000 to date. Following on from that initial success in 2003, the choir has travelled all over Europe on tours to Venice, Florence, Rome, Bruges, Ghent, Lille, Venice, Barcelona (see picture), Krakow, Salzburg, Venice/Bologna/.Florence and Prague
The umbrella of the Sussex Festival Choir is made up of over 250 singers from all of Stephen Hope's regular choral societies and many more from other choral societies in the South-East of England. The main groups involved are West Sussex Philharmonic Choir, Horsham, Hurstpierpoint Singers, Basildon Choral Society, Essex and Northwood Choral Society, Middx.
As well as the annual concert in Arundel Cathedral, the Sussex Festival Choir also forms for one-day workshops under the guidance of Stephen Hope in Croydon Parish Church in February. In 2008, Stephen started an off-shoot group called the Sussex Festival Singers, who meet to sing English church music at weekend cathedral residencies. Their inaugural trip to Canterbury Cathedral in June 2009 was a huge success and has been followed by many more: see here for further details.
Arundel Cathedral Concerts:
Sunday 27th July 2003
Mozart: Requiem
Lesley-Jane Rogers - Soprano
Judith Buckle - Contralto
Jon English - Tenor
Gerard Delrez - Bass
Sunday 25th July 2004
Brahms: Requiem
Poulenc: Gloria
Lesley-Jane Rogers - Soprano
Gerard Delrez - Bass
Sunday 31st July 2005
Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius
Frances Bourne - Contralto
Jon English - Tenor
Gerard Delrez - Bass
Sunday 30th July 2006
Verdi: Requiem
Diana Vivian - Soprano
Frances Bourne - Contralto
Kevin Ferguson - Tenor
Gerard Delrez - Bass
Sunday 29th July 2007
Elgar: The Kingdom
Diana Vivian - Soprano
Emily Bauer-Jones - Contralto
Neil Jenkins - Tenor
Gerard Delrez - Bass
Sunday 27th July 2008
Mendelssohn: Elijah
Dame Felicity Lott - Soprano
Emily Bauer-Jones - Contralto
Neil Jenkins - Tenor
Michael Bundy - Bass
Sunday 26th July 2009
Rossini: Stabat Mater
Puccini: Messa di Gloria
Dame Felicity Lott - Soprano
Dame Ann Murray - Mezzo-Soprano
Neil Jenkins - Tenor
Michael Bundy - Bass
Sunday 25th July 2010
Parry: I was Glad
Bernstein: Chichester Psalms
Walton: Belshazzar's Feast
Sir Willard White - Bass-Baritone
Sunday 28th July 2011
Bach: B Minor Mass
Dame Emma Kirkby - Soprano
Sarah Connolly - Mezzo-Soprano
James Bowman - Counter-Tenor
Neil Jenkins - Tenor
David Wilson Johnson - Baritone
Sunday 29th July 2012
Elgar: The Apostles
Nicola-Jane Kemp - Soprano
Susan Marrs - Mezzo-Soprano
Neil Jenkins -Tenor
Gerard Delrez - Bass-Baritone
Michael Bundy - Bass-Baritone
Clive Bayley - Bass
Sunday 28th July 2013
Mozart: C minor Mass
Mozart: Requiem
Lesley-Jane Rogers - Soprano
Susan Legg - Mezzo-Soprano
Neil Jenkins - Tenor
David Wilson Johnson - Bass-Baritone
Sunday 27th July 2014
Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius
Susan Bickley - Mezzo-Soprano
Neil Jenkins - Tenor
Mark Stone - Bass-Baritone
Sunday 28th June 2015
Mahler Symphony No.8 (Symphony of a Thousand)
FAIRFIELD HALLS
Jeni Bern: Katherine Broderick; Lesley-Jane Rgers; Susan Bickley; Cathrine Wyn-Rogers; Neil Jenkins; Mark Sone; David Wilson-Johnson
TRINITY BOYS CHOIR
Sunday 31st July 2016
Elgar: The Kingdom
Lesley Jane-Rogers - Soprano
Susan Marrs - Mezzo - Soprano
Neil Jenkins - Tenor
David Soar - Bass
Sunday 23rd July 2017
Verdi: Requiem
Rachel Nicholls - Soprano
Louise Crane - Mezzo-Soprano
Justin Lavender -Tenor
Roderick William - Baritone
Sunday 22nd July 2018
Mendelssohn: Elijah
Camilla Roberts: Soprano
Susan Bickley - Mezzo- Soprano#
Neil Jenkins - Tenor
David Wilson -Johnson
