Choir updates from Nick
MINUTES OF ESCC AGM 3 November 2025
Minutes of the Annual General Meeting of the East Sussex Community Choir held at 7.30 pm on November 3rd 2025 at St. John sub Castro, Lewes
The meeting, attended by the Committee and members of the Choir, was chaired by Mary Burke. The minutes were taken by Ian Sandbrook, Secretary.
1a. Apologies for Absence: Christine Angell and Grace Davies had asked to have their apologies noted. Mary Burke introduced the members of the committee and the choir representatives: Angela Barker and Loretta Jennings (soprano section); Alison Lawrence and Madi Habens (alto section); Graham Branton (tenor section); and Jose Martinez Pardo (bass section).
1b. Minutes of the Previous Meeting and Matters Arising: the minutes of the previous annual general meeting, held on 4th November 2024, were accepted and approved. There were no matters arising.
2. Committee Report: Mary Burke, Chair, spoke to her report which had been circulated prior to the meeting (appendix 1). She drew attention to the fact that the Choir now has 103 members; referred to our two successful concerts, the residential visit to Norwich and Blythburgh and the Christmas carol singing, usually outside Waitrose but moved last Christmas to Tesco because of rain. The first-rehearsal-of-the-month drinks were working well and the Christmas party at the Snowdrop had also contributed significantly to the social well-being of the Choir.
No follow-up questions were asked.
3. Music Director’s Report: Nick Houghton, Music Director, reported that the last season had been successful financially terms and that the strong membership numbers also result in the choir being able to make a good strong sound, with a good balance between the voice sections, particularly now that there are so many tenors and basses.
He celebrated the friendliness and camaraderie of the choir. Despite some concern about the name Community Choir, it cannot be denied that the choir is a friendly, welcoming community, illustrated by our monthly pre-rehearsal drinks, our Christmas party and Annual outings.
He outlined the three concerts held during the year. In our Christmas Cracker we sang Part 1 of Handel’s Messiah including the Hallelujah chorus. In the second half we sang a selection of Christmas carols and songs and heard solos from Andrew Davies, Gillian Ramm and our special guest star: Mark Padmore.
Then in late March, we gave our major concert of the season in Lewes Town Hall.
Vivaldi: Dixit Dominus and Haydn: Nelson Mass. As usual we were supported by an excellent orchestra led by Eli Blackshaw, and four soloists: Alexandra Kidgell; Rebecca Leggett; Paul Austin Kelly and Andrew Davies.
In the Summer term we prepared an hour-long programme, repeating parts of the Vivaldi and Haydn that we had just sung in March, alongside a varied programme of anthems and songs, including a Medley from Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story for an informal concert/party at the end of term. Following that, the majority of the choir went on our trip to Norwich and Blythburgh for the weekend, where we repeated that programme in the lovely church there.
He looked forward to our Christmas Cracker concert, singing Puccini’s Messe di Gloria, which he has arranged for organ and brass quintet, and then working on and performing one of the greatest pieces in the choral repertoire, Mozart’s Requiem, in June 2026. He drew particular attention to our awayday concert in April 2026 at Arundel Cathedral, asking the choir members to reserve all these dates in their diaries and to make every effort to attend.
He thanked Andrew Wilson, our accompanist and organist at our concerts; all the choir for their enthusiasm, turning up for rehearsal each week; and Mary Burke and the committee members.
No follow-up questions were asked.
4. Treasurer’s Report and Accounts of the Choir 2024-25: Linda Douglas, Treasurer, spoke to her report which had also been circulated prior to the meeting (appendices 2 and 3). She pointed out that it had been a successful year financially and that the Choir’s finances are in a healthy position. We had been able to donate £800 to Dementia UK out of the surplus from the Christmas concert. She reported that a small surplus from our trip to Suffolk had been transferred to choir reserves as it had been insufficient to justify individual refunds. In summary, in round figures we ended the year £6,600 better off than we started it, with £21,800 in total in the choir’s funds.
No follow-up questions were asked.
5. Election of the Officers of the Choir and Committee Members: All of the officers and committee members had stated their willingness to be re-elected. There were no additional nominations so, proposed by Anna Phillips and seconded by Maddie Habens, the meeting re-elected the committee as follows:
a. Mary Burke - Chair
b. Linda Douglas - Treasurer
c. Ian Sandbrook - Secretary
d. Jan Osborne - Librarian
e. Catherine Sandbrook - Publicity and Marketing Officer
6. Any Other Business: Mary Burke outlined the arrangements for forthcoming events, including Singing outside Waitrose on 13th December; the Christmas Cracker concert on 20th December; the Christmas Party in the Snowdrop on 22nd December; and the Choir trip to Arundel on 18th April.
7. Provisional date for next Annual General Meeting: 2nd November 2026
Update 28 December
CHOIR CHRISTMAS PART AT THE SNOWDROP 17th December
We had a great turnout at the Christmas party and the Snowdrop provided us with delicious food.
Here are a few photos (Thank you to Mary)
Update 8 December 2024
CHOIR MEMBERS SING CAROLS OUTSIDE TESCO
Early yesterday morning (7 December), undaunted by the weather, 24 members of the choir spent a joyful hour singing carols outside Tesco, in aid of the Food Bank.
Update 26 July
MESSAGE FROM MARY: CHOIR MEMBERS SING AT ST THOMAS-AT-CLIFFE
On Sunday 21 July 19 choir members sang at St Thomas Church. The Revd Herbert Bennett sent this message to Mary:
The special service last Sunday with Bishop Will dedicating the plaque in honour of Brother George was a most marvellous occasion. However, it would not have been so marvellous for everyone without your huge contribution along with the East Sussex Community Choir. The two Anthems they sang were so generously given and I felt were most right for the celebration.
Mary, do please forward my sincere thanks, on behalf of St Thomas', to all your choir colleagues for their generous singing. It was wonderful to hear a choir in the church as part of our worship and I wonder if they might kindly be willing to consider visiting again in the future please?
Revd Herbert Bennett
Update 4 June
Hi everyone.
Thank you all for an excellent rehearsal last night in St Thomas Church. I think we all enjoyed returning there to sing again having not been there for a long time. It was lovely to see 22 of us meet at the Dorset Arms afterwards for a drink - enjoying the late evening light.
We sang nearly all the choruses, and will continue next week back in our regular venue, St John sub Castro. See you then.
Nick
CHOIR VISIT TO RYE
The choir visited Rye to give a concert in St Mary’s Church on Saturday 4 May 2024. It was a brilliant day in many ways. Rye is a very comfortable hour-long train ride away and because this was a Bank Holiday weekend, the town was absolutely buzzing with tourists. The weather was lovely and sunny (unlike today: Bank Holiday Monday - when it’s raining persistently and due to continue ALL day). Several of us visited Lamb House, the house of Henry James and E.F.Benson (who wrote the Mapp and Lucia stories set in Rye). Then I and Robin had lunch in a Turkish restaurant before heading to the church for rehearsal and concert.
The concert seemed well advertised and we had an audience of over 60 people. It’s a lovely church with a good organ and decent piano. Andrew Wilson accompanied us and also played an organ solo by Widor. The choir sang really well and confidently with good diction and projection. Angela Wilkes also sang a ‘My mother bids me bind my hair’ by Haydn - a very attractive song which she sang beautifully. Well done everyone!
It was a lovely day in many ways, not least because it’s nice to socialise with the choir. I think we all felt we had made a few new friends, or at least talked to people we’d previously only seen at rehearsals.
Nick
6 May 2024
Photo - Jose MartinezPardo
RYE CONCERT PROGRAMME
East Sussex Community Choir: Rye Concert - Saturday 4 May
Rehearsal in the church at 3pm
Concert at 5pm (ends 5.50pm)
Concert dress: Smart Summer clothes (see the photo of our performance in Rye in the ‘Gallery’ on our new website).
Programme order
Pitoni: Cantate Domino (sung twice) – from memory if you can please.
Farrant: Lord, for thy tender mercy’s sake
Haydn: The heavens are telling (with choir soloists: Angela Wilkes; Peter Hanson; Michael Bloom)
Soprano solo: Angela Wilkes: Haydn: My mother bids me bind my hair
Bruckner: Locus iste – again from memory if you can please.
Faure: Cantique de Jean Racine
Organ solo: (Andrew Wilson)
Bullard: Calm and deep peace
Bullard: 3 Shakespeare songs
Haydn: Achieved is the glorious work (longer version on p.99)
