Rehearsals  Concerts  History  Musical Staff  Patrons

Rehearsals
Arun Choral Society rehearses every 7.30-9.30pm Monday term time at
Arundel CofE Primary School, Jarvis Road, Arundel, BN18 9HT

We are always looking for new members to make music with us. If you would like to join this friendly society,
please contact our Membership secretary: Sarah Gittus
Phone 01903 773516
or email Sarah Gittus

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Concerts



Concerts take place in Arundel cathedral. The annual programme usually includes a performance of a major work in the Spring and Autumn and two carol concerts, with local schoolchildren, in December although this may vary depending on the choir's other commitments.

A charity concert of lighter music is usually performed in the summer. Links with a choir in Germany have enabled the choir to perform in Berlin and in the future it is hoped that a trip to the South of France can be arranged.

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History



Choir of 1948

Founded in 1912. The choir is made up of approximately 120 singers from the age of 17 upwards. Singers come from a wide variety of backgrounds, many with a choral music interest of long standing but others more recently attracted to the enjoyment of choral singing. Over a period of years the choir has typically performed major concerts in the spring and autumn of each year and carol concerts on two consecutive Sundays in December, when children from schools in the Arun community join with the Society. Additionally, the last twenty years has seen the choir performing charity concerts on a regular basis and in that period the Society is delighted to have raised in excess of £50,000 for local and national charities.


Choir of 1984




The majority of the choir's concerts in recent years have been performed in Arundel Cathedral with the support and co-operation of the administrators of the cathedral and its personnel and the society continues to be extremely grateful for the assistance it receives.







Choir of 1992


During the last decade Arun Choral Society has developed links with a Berlin choir and this year saw the latest of four exchange visits. Members of Arun Choral Society travelled to Berlin this summer, when they joined with Kantorei Marienfelde in their performance of Elijah, conducted by their Musical Director, Peter-Michael Seifried, and Kantorei Marienfelde made a return visit this October. In addition to the pleasure of performing music together, the exchange has led to the forging of many new friendships. www.kantorei-marienfelde.de

Our concert in March 2009 included Bach’s Magnificat, Vivaldi’s Gloria and Beethoven’s Mass in C. Works performed in previous years include the Requiems of Brahms, Rutter, Fauré, Verdi, and Duruflé; Bach’s Mass in B Minor, St. John Passion and St. Matthew Passion; Haydn’s Marie Thérèse Mass, Creation Mass, and The Creation; Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius, The Kingdom, The Music Makers and Spirit of England; Mendelssohn’s Hymn of Praise and St. Paul; Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem and Handel’s Messiah, Israel in Egypt, and Dixit Dominus.

We have a smaller, but developing, repertoire of more modern music. In 2006, we gave the UK première of a Requiem composed by Jil Bartley, an English composer who lives in France. We have also performed Blake’s Benedictus. A representative group of members performed Rutter’s Feel the Spirit, conducted by the composer in Carnegie Hall, New York, on Easter Day. In August, together with other local choirs, we took part in the Arundel Town Festival, giving a performance of a very modern and different work by Stephen Montague – Dark Sun: August 1945.

As an organisation the Society sees enjoyment and having some fun as key to success but is also committed to developing musicianship and working towards as professional an approach and appearance as possible.


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Our Music Staff

Musical Director: John Henville
He studied at the college of St. Mark and St. John Chelsea, where he obtained his degree from London University and his Teacher's Certificate from the Institute of Education. John has spent the whole of his teaching career in schools in West Sussex latterly as Head Of Music at Littlehampton Community School. He started to play the organ whilst still at school and has held the position of organist and choirmaster at a number of churches in the vicinity, including Aldwick and Arundel Parish Churches. Recital venues have included Chichester and Arundel Cathedrals and several churches in Berlin where he has been a guest of the German Lutheran Church. John has been associated with Arun Choral Society for over a decade. Following a period as acting Musical Director, he was appointed to his present position in March, 1995. Works for which he has directed the choir include the Requiems of Brahms, Durufle, Mozart, Rutter,Verdi, Bach`s St John and St. Mathew Passions : Carter`s Te Deum : Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius : Haydn's Maria Theresa Mass and The Creation : Vaughan Williams' A Sea Symphony : Mendelssohn's Elijah : Fanshawe's African Sanctus : Handel's Judas Maccabaeus : Mozart`s Vesperae Solennes de Confessore , Vesperae de Dominica: Rutters Magnificat :Blake`s Benedictus and Poulenc`s Gloria.


Assistant to Musical Director: Ian Stearn
Ian studied organ with Richard Latham and Nicholas Danby and piano with Alastair Graham at the Royal College of Music. He has been Director of Music at Dorset House School and organist of Bury Church since 1979. He has sung with Arun Choral society for a number of years and was appointed Assistant to John Henville in 2004. Ian likes to relax with crosswords, jigsaw puzzles and good books and is looking forward to retiring sometime to a house with lots of gardening to do!



Accompanist: Julie Mackrill
Julie Mackrill began accompanying by playing for choirs whilst still at school. Since then she has specialised in accompanying singers and choirs both here in the South and further afield. As well as teaching piano she has been Musical Director for many shows with different companies and plays for Arun Choral Society, festivals and other groups.



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Patrons
AN INVITATION TO BECOME A PATRON OF ARUN CHORAL SOCIETY
If you are a regular concert goer, you may like to consider the advantages of becoming a Patron of the Society.

For an annual subscription
a) you will be entitled to one complimentary ticket and programme for each of our two main concerts and in addition a ticket to one of our two carol concerts.
b) you will be able to take advantage of the reserved seating near the front of the Cathedral at our two main concerts, if you so wish.
c) your name will be added to the list of Patrons detailed in these programmes and you will be sent details of future concerts and other Society events.

In this way, whilst attending our concerts, you would also be encouraging our endeavours to maintain a part of our English choral tradition and your support as a Patron would be greatly valued. We want to continue giving concerts of high quality, but for this we need a sound basis of support, and your interest and help would be much appreciated, and put to good use.

Please contact our Patrons' Secretary: Mrs Helen Baines
8 Foxglove Way, Littlehampton, West Sussex, BN1 7 6UN
or email patrons@arunchoralsociety.co.uk

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