Hastings Philharmonic Choir will present their annual Carols For All concert on Saturday, December 14 at Christ Church, Silchester Road, St Leonards starting at 5pm.

With Marcio da Silva conducting, accompanied by the Cromwell Brass ensemble, Francis Rayner on piano, and the choir of Ore Village Primary Academy, the choir will perform a range of carols. They include William Mathias’ Wassail Carol and Ring Out Ye Bells written by local composer Duncan Reid as well as such favourites as O Come All Ye Faithful, O Little Town of Bethlehem and Hark the Herald among others. As always, there will be audience participation in the carol singing and a Christmas raffle.

Adults £15/£12.50/£10. £3/free under 18s, students, universal credit/JSA recipients. Available from the choir website or at the Bookkeeper 1a Kings Road St Leonards on Sea.

The choir can trace its history back to 1928 when the organist at the Wellington Square Baptist Church merged his choir, the Wellington Square Choral Society, with the St Mary in the Castle Centenary church to celebrate the centenary of St Mary in the Castle with a performance of the Messiah. The concert was so successful that it was repeated the following year and there began a highly successful Town Choir that Hastings Borough Council was pleased to promote alongside the prestigious Hastings Municipal Orchestra for the traditional Good Friday performances of the Messiah at its newly built White Rock Pavilion.

Through his work with the choir since 2012 and as artistic director of Hastings Philharmonic Orchestra and the HPO Singers (both founded under the umbrella of Hastings Philharmonic Choir in 2016 but now operating separately), Marcio da Silva has made a significant contribution to the musical life of the town, offering a range of high-quality choral, orchestral and chamber music performances each year.

Cromwell Brass was formed in 2018 from graduates of both the Royal College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music. Individually, the members of Cromwell Brass have performed with the likes of the London Symphony, Philharmonia, London Philharmonic and BBC Symphony Orchestras.

Francis Rayner has a longstanding relationship with the Hastings Philharmonic Choir. He has been their accompanist since 2005 and has played under three different musical directors. Francis has performed as soloist in works such as Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto. He is well known as a performer in Hastings, frequently appearing in HPO (previously Hastings Philharmonic) chamber concerts.