Laughton Village
Choir
Laughton, East Sussex
Linda initially formed the choir to provide a Christmas concert for the village. It was so popular that she did it again the following year, and then the momentum carried in on through that Spring and into a Summer concert. It is now a permanent fixture in the village, providing music at both ends of the year as well as at significant occasions such as a recent Burns Night Ceilidh, and at the farewell party given in honour of the outgoing local postmaster.
The choir is made up of singers from surrounding villages, with representatives from Ripe, Laughton, Chalvington, Deanland, Ringmer, Upper Dicker, even Eastbourne.
We sing a wide range of music, from Handel to Fats Waller via Glee, Barbershop, Gospel, Abba, Beatles and Manhattan Transfer.
We are happy to be known as a 'community choir', but that does not mean that we sing only very simple music. Linda demands a high standard from her singers, though she doesn't audition or require singers to be chorally experienced or musically literate. She undertakes to teach the skills necessary to sing sophisticated multi-part pieces, usually unaccompanied.
At the grand finale of The Villages Music Festival 2012, Linda presided over a choir of almost a hundred singers, many of whom had never sung in harmony before, who gave a fabulous performance of Handel's Hallelujah chorus, which for some people was a life changing event. (Please see testimonials.)
At present there are about 25 members, and rising. The Monday evening rehearsals are an hour and a half of choral skills, laughter, uplifting music and general frivolity. Do consider coming along to have a go. It isn't for everyone, but you'll never know unless you give it a try. £5 a week for regulars and £7 a week for those that drop in and out.
Coming up:
Click to enlarge
A Passion for Bach:
Why Bach's choral works are so good -
A talk given by Kate Hawks
On Sunday 18th March, Kate Hawks gave a wonderful talk on the brilliance of Bach, unpacking Jesu Meine Freude and the St John Passion. See pictures of the talk:
