Busy December for Mid Sussex-based choir Coro Nuovo
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Chair Kate Kent said: “We are doing a Sussex Christmas-themed concert at St Mary’s, Balcombe on December 7 with lots of music which has connections to our county plus readings from Copper Family memories of a Sussex farming family from over 100 years ago.“We've been there a few times before and we always get a great welcome. We go wherever we're invited and when we are not invited, we do our own thing but this one is organised as a fundraiser for the church and we're delighted to do it.
“Lots of composers like Vaughan Williams used to record old melodies that rural people used to sing and dance. He would record them and then adapt them as carols to include the melodies. We've got a couple of those. Holst lived in Hove for a while and is buried in Chichester Cathedral. We're doing some of his as well.
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Hide Ad“And also the Copper Family have got a book about 100 years of Sussex farming and life and we have some lovely descriptions of Christmas 150 years ago on the Sussex Downs. Some of them are quite amusing and they make a lovely change to the usual Kipling and Belloc. It will be a lovely concert.
“We've got 40 singers on our books and for this concert it will be about 35 and that's the right number. When you are going to churches you don't usually have a great amount of room, and I think we will make a lovely sound with that number of voices. It's about getting the balance right.”
And then, breaking new ground, they will be singing at Petworth House on December 15 in the courtyard: “It is weather dependent. Because of the decorations inside, they have not got a huge amount of space for choirs so we will be in the courtyard next to the Christmas tree and that's fine if it's dry but they were saying that we could expect about 200 people listening which would be lovely. It's a different area for us. We have not gone as far as Petworth to the west of the county before. It is good PR for us and it will be a nice social time for us as well. We don’t always get the longer time together where we can hang out together. But for this we have got two sets one is 11am for 30 or 40 minutes and then one at 2pm for about the same time. That means that we've got lunchtime there and we can be together and we can go around the house. It will be lovely.”
Another new initiative for the choir is that they have formed a small evensong choir from within Coro Nuovo, Brighton Festival Chorus, members from Baroque Collective and other choirs to go round to Sussex churches where there is no choir to sing a choral evensong. The churches can ask for donations towards a cause of their own when the choir performs.
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Hide Ad“There are many rural parishes that don't have their own church choirs which means that they can't do choral evensong so we thought it would be rather nice if we could supply the choir for them. People love choral evensong. It's a time to sit and listen or perhaps drift off into your own thoughts but it's also a way to get people together that people love. It's a really nice thing to do. We're going to Amberley in February and Ditchling in May. People can contact me through the (Coro Nuovo) website, and if there is a small choir at the church already then they are very welcome to join in with us.”
Also early next year, the choir will be launching its Sussex Young Musician competition for 2025. Coro Nuovo are hoping to raise sponsorship for a first prize of £2.5K.
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