Haywards Heath Music Society celebrates 80th anniversary.

Chairman Ian Barras-Hill said: “The members and the mayor of the town gathered to mark this amazing anniversary at St Wilfrid's Church Centenary Hall followed by a special concert by the all-female trumpet quartet Bella Tromba.

“Birthday cake and fizz were served to over 80 guests with speeches by Howard Mundin, the Mayor of Haywards Heath, and eminent tenor and musicologist Neil Jenkins, president of the society.

“The U3A Recorder Consort, led by Christine Colbourne – descant, treble, tenor and bass – played short selections of music to honour Shakespeare's 458th birthday.

“Founded in 1941 by Gertrude Lampson, the HH Music Society has organised music recitals in the town and the surrounding area bringing much-needed and affordable live music to Mid Sussex from September to April each year.

"Classical, jazz, choral, musicals, a full range of music styles is offered by the society, displaying the talents of gifted young professional musicians, both aspiring and established, many of whom go on to pursue international careers such as clarinettist Emma Johnson, Scottish virtuoso percussionist Evelyn Glennie, BBC Young Musician of 2012 cellist Laura van der Heijden and in 2021 BBC Proms piano soloist Pavel Kolesnikov.

“The society is particularly pleased to host the annual Young Musicians Showcase in March where young talent from local schools in the area share a platform to play their best.

"Concerts are held in the impressive surroundings of St Wilfrid's Church, offering beautiful acoustics and ambience or in the more intimate atmosphere of the Methodist Church in Haywards Heath. That evening the young virtuosos Bella Tromba dazzled us with their upbeat trumpet versions of Bizet's Carmen, Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite and a medley of jazz standards including I Got Rhythm, On the Sunny Side of the Street, My Funny Valentine and the foot stomping Bugle Call Rag.”