Rehearsals

Rehearsals are held on Thursday evenings between 7:30pm and 9:30pm, in the Barn, Causeway, Horsham, RH12 1HE, and although we work very hard, we’re very sociable too! We welcome new singers in all voice parts.

Director of Music - Stephen Hope

Stephen Hope was educated at Canterbury Cathedral Choir School and the King’s School, studying organ with Allan Wicks and piano with the eminent pianist Ronald Smith, before continuing his training as organ scholar at Bristol University, specialising in Keyboard performance and conducting. Since then, he has worked extensively both as pianist and conductor with a number of societies and orchestras including the English National Orchestra, English Northern Philharmonia, London City Ballet, Northern Ballet Theatre and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. He has also worked with such artists as Marilyn Hill-Smith, John Noble, Frank Edgerton, Jack Brymer, Ronald Smith, Sir Harry Secombe, Clarence Myerscough, Freddy Kemph, Roy Castle, Neil Jenkins, Dame Felicity Lott, Dame Ann Murray, Sir Willard White, Dame Emma Kirkby, Dame Sarah Connolly, James Bowman and David Wilson Johnson.

In 1989 and 1990, Stephen was awarded a coveted Fellowship to the Conductors’ Institute of America where he studied with a number of distinguished conductors including Morton Gould, Lukas Foss, Daniel Lewis and Harold Farberman. In addition, he maintains a parallel career as an organist in his posts as Director of Music at St Martin’s, Dorking and pianistically as an accompanist and a member of the music staff at Laine Theatre Arts in Epsom. Stephen regularly engages orchestras and artists for shows and concerts and created the Alkan International Piano Competition in 1988. Stephen has worked as a radio presenter on CFM Radio, and as a guest on the Clive Bull Show on LBC. His own one-man show ‘Face the Music with Hope’ has been presented throughout the UK with great success. Stephen conducted highly acclaimed performances of Nabucco, Masked Ball, Carmen and Turandot with Bel Canto Festival Opera during his four years as Music Director. He has worked extensively in the theatre, directing many of the leading operatic societies in the South of England. In 2002, Stephen formed the Sinfonia da Chiesa and in 2003 created the Sussex Festival Choir, whose performances at Arundel Cathedral have raised in excess of £185,000 for the hospices Stephen has toured extensively in Europe and has organised several overseas trips for the Sussex Festival Choir, visiting Florence, Rome, Bruges, Rouen, Venice, Barcelona, Bologna, Krakow, Saltzburg and Prague over the past 15 years.

In 2012 he was invited to Dallas to conduct a series of workshops and master classes in the University.

Stephen is currently Music Director of Sussex Chorale, Basildon Choral Society, Sinfonia da Chiesa, BOES singers, Sussex Festival Singers, and Southern Strings.

In 2011 Stephen formed The Orchestra of the 19th Century and the Wind Orchestra of the 19th Century.

In 2015, Stephen conducted a rare performance of Mahler’s epic 8th Symphony at Fairfield Halls.

Plans are now in place for a major tour to Italy in 2025 giving concerts in Florence, Siena and Venice.

Accompanist & Organist - David Moore

David hails from Sussex and was educated at Warden Park School and Ardingly College. He read music at Oxford as organ scholar of Corpus Christi College and has also held organ scholarships at Sherborne Abbey and Truro Cathedral. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists.

Now living back in Sussex in the Horsham area, David teaches at The London Oratory School, Coloma Convent Girls’ School and The Royal Russell School and is Organist at St Mary’s Beddington, having previously been Assistant Director of Music and Director of the Junior Choir at Hampstead Parish Church 2008 - 2019.

In addition to being accompanist to Sussex Chorale, David is also accompanist to Arun Choral Society and the West Sussex Philharmonic Choir.