East Sussex Bach Choir staged a series of events exploring J S Bach’s great masterpiece, his St Matthew Passion, in March 2024, culminating in a performance in Lewes Town Hall with The Baroque Collective and soloists including Sir John Tomlinson as Christus.
Brighton Early Music Festival and Handel: Messiah for Doctors for Nepal
John Hancorn will conduct the Baroque Collective Singers and BREMF Players in a programme of Bach and Buxtehude for the Brighton Early Music Festival on 28 October 2023. Full details and tickets available here.
The Baroque Collective Singers and The Baroque Collective will perform Handel’s Messiah on 17 December 2023 in a special charity performance in aid of Doctors for Nepal in Lewes Town Hall directed by John Hancorn. Tickets available from 1 October 2023 here.
Sing & Discover Online and Live Workshops 2022
John Hancorn and Richard Wigmore continue their hugely successful series of choral workshops with one online and two live workshops in 2022. They explore Bach’s Magnificat and Handel’s Dixit Dominus in an online workshop on Saturday 22 January. Haydn’s Creation follows live in Lewes on Saturday 12 March, followed by Handel’s Four Coronation Anthems on Saturday 16 July, preceding the Baroque Collective Singers’ performance on Saturday 23 July as part of Lewes Baroquefest. Tickets now on sale. Full details here.
Schütz Christmas Story at Brighton Early Music Festival
John Hancorn conducted Heinrich Schütz’s The Christmas Story in BREMF@Christmas, , the Brighton Early Music Festival’s large-scale Christmas concert, on 18 December 2021 at St Martin’s Church in Brighton. The performance featured the BREMF Singers and Players with The English Cornett and Sackbut Ensemble.
Lewes Baroquefest 2021
John Hancorn is co-artistic director for Lewes Baroquefest 2021, featuring vocal and instrumental recitals by top international musicians and culminating in a performance of Handels’ Dixit Dominus with his Baroque Collective Singers. Full details here.
Sing & Discover Spring / Summer 2021 Series now on sale
John Hancorn and Richard Wigmore continue their successful series of online choral workshops with Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Brahms, starting on Saturday 20 March 2021. Full details here.
Sing & Discover with Richard Wigmore now ONLINE
Saturday 20 June, 4-6pm: Handel’s Saul and Samson
Saturday 11 July, 4-6pm: Bach’s Magnificat and Mass in B Minor
Join John Hancorn and Richard Wigmore for these two-hour online workshops. John and Richard will look at the origins and cultural background of these magnificent works and explore the music in some detail, with recorded illustrations. Participants will then join in with several choruses.
Each session costs £10 (plus booking fee) and tickets are available from Trybooking – click on the links below:
Saturday 20 June, Saul and Samson: https://www.trybooking.com/uk/SNK
Saturday 11 July, Bach: https://www.trybooking.com/uk/SNQ
John Hancorn is music director of the BREMF Singers, Baroque Collective Singers, East Sussex Bach Choir and Eastbourne Choral Society. He leads workshops and masterclasses specialising in baroque repertoire including regular visits to Early Music Fora. He teaches at the University of Chichester and East Sussex Academy of Music and is a specialist examiner for Trinity Laban. https://www.johnhancorn.com
A former professional singer, Richard Wigmore works as a music writer, lecturer and broadcaster for BBC Radio 3. He writes for Gramophone, BBC Music Magazine and other journals, appears frequently on BBC Radio 3’s CD Review, is in demand for pre-concert talks at the South Bank, Wigmore Hall, King’s Place etc, and is a regular lecturer on Martin Randall Cultural Tours. His publications include Schubert: The Complete Song Texts and Pocket Guide to Haydn. http://wigmoresworld.co.uk
Homelink Concert at Glyndebourne a huge success
John Hancorn was Artistic Director for Sussex charity Homelink’s Gala Concert at Glyndebourne on 17 November 2019. The concert was sold out and raised over £35,000 for the charity. John put together a brilliant showcase of local professional and amateur talent, including soprano Dame Felicity Lott, mezzo-soprano Rebecca Leggett, conductor Sian Edwards, recorder virtuoso Piers Adams, violinist Julia Bishop, the Lewes Prison Staff Choir, the Choir with No Name, and school and community groups.
Photograph by Sam Stephenson, 07880 703135, www.samstephenson.co.uk.
Homelink Concert: artists confirmed
John Hancorn is artistic director for Homelink’s fundraising concert at Glyndebourne Opera House on Sunday 17 November 2019. Featured performers include Felicity Lott, soprano; Piers Adams, recorder; Sian Edwards, conductor; the Baroque Collective and Baroque Collective Singers; Lewes Sings Gospel; Lewes Youth Band; Chitone.
The event will be MC’d by Steve Coogan and Katie Derham.
Full details here.
BREMF Singers live-streamed across Europe
John Hancorn conducted the BREMF Singers and the BREMF Community Choir in a sold-out concert in Brighton celebrating European Early Music Day. Repertoire included extracts from Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas and the opening movement from Handel’s Dixit Dominus with the BREMF Players.
The concert was live-streamed across Europe.
Video here. Purcell at 1hr 5mins; Handel at 1hr 20mins