The Present.

After eleven years of wonderful music making John and Val Underhill retired from the Society – but not before a splendid party. In 2008 we welcomed our new conductor and musical director, Sion Parry , and the Society goes from strength to strength. Under his baton we have performed six concerts to much acclaim, and the membership now stands at about 120. We hope we may continue to serve as part of the cultural life of Seaford and our membership are inspired with a love of beautiful music.

The end of the 20th Century

The Society has been blessed with a number of able Musical Directors, all of whom have brought their individual styles to the choir. One former musical director, Gordon Lawson, composed music specially for the choir, including a piece to mark its eightieth birthday. John Underhill, the current conductor and his wife, Val, who is the rehearsal pianist, have led the choir since 1997 and have introduced a number of innovations, including ‘Almost Instant’ performances of well-known choral works on Good Friday evenings in St. Leonard’s Church. Works such as Fauré’s ‘Requiem’, Stainer’s ‘Crucifixion’, Maunder’s ‘Olivet to Calvary’, Easter Music from Handel’s ‘Messiah’, Mozart’s ‘Requiem’, and Gounod’s ‘St Cecilia Mass’ have been sung over the last few years. These are fund-raising events for worthy causes of the Vicar’s choosing, when all participants, including soloists and audience, make a small donation to the Charity with a retiring collection in aid of ‘the cause’. Passiontide performances of the ever popular Stainer’s ‘Crucifixion’ have been given in Newhaven and Bishopstone churches. Retiring collections in aid of various charities have been introduced at the choir’s main concerts Combined concerts were given with The Heritage Singers, an Eastbourne-based choir founded by John and Val in 1992. Besides performances of Mozart’s ‘Requiem’, some neglected works have been introduced to local audiences, eg Parry’s ‘Invocation to Music’ and Liszt’s ‘Missa Coronationalis’ (‘Hungarian Coronation Mass’). The choir has also combined with Seaford Music Society for chamber and choral music concerts in the Roman Catholic Church of St Thomas More. Thus, string quartets may be followed by a work such as Haydn’s ‘St Nicholas Mass’ performed with full choral and string resources. Finally, to popularise the choir, members have taken part in Saturday afternoon ‘Workshop Road-Shows’ in various venues.Lesser known works have continued to be included in the choir's concert programming, and in 2004 Dvorak's 'Te Deum' and Hummel's 'Mass in E flat' were popular items with both singers and the Seaford audience. Carol-Singing in Seaford's mediaeval crypt, as part of Late Night Christmas Shopping evening and also with Seaford Silver Band in aid of various charities supported by Seahaven Lionesses, have become regular features of the choir's activities.

The Middle Period.

In early years, the choir generally gave one concert each year in Seaford Parish Church and was involved in the Lewes Music Festival. During the 1960s, the choir competed in individual classes such as the Madrigal, Part Song and Oratorio sections, and also took part in the final concerts, when works such as Brahms’ ‘Requiem’, Elgar’s ‘Dream of Gerontius’ and Bach’s ‘St John Passion’ were performed by all the participating choirs. These were conducted by such eminent musicians as Sir Adrian Boult, Peter Gellhorn and Dr Paul Steinitz. The choir reverted to giving two concerts per year in Seaford following the last Lewes Festival sometime during the 1970s.Programmes and press reports have been retained since the mid-1960s and the music performed covers a very wide range of the traditional Choral Society repertoire. Small venue concerts in local nursing homes etc became a feature of the choir’s activities in the late seventies and early eighties - including services of Nine Lessons and Carols in St Mary’s Nursing Home Chapel in Kingsmead - the subject of recent demolition threats.

The Beginnings.

There is tantalisingly little information available about the history of the choir in the period before World War II. In fact there are only two sources - a concert programme for a performance of Mendelssohn’s ‘Elijah’ on 15th May 1929 and a cutting from the ‘Seaford Chronicle,' dated 22nd March 1935. Nevertheless, from these two archive documents, we can establish that the Society was created in 1917 by Francis J. Foote, a London-based conductor, and he probably remained in the post until the choir ‘closed down’ for the duration of the War. The concert in 1929, held in the Queen’s Hall (now known as the Drill Hall in ‘upper’ Broad St.), seems to have been a rather grand affair - ‘The most distinguished and important musical event of the year …(locally)’- so quoted the programme. Seaford Choral Society is described as ‘a highly trained chorus’ - who would ever dare to describe it otherwise? - and it was to be accompanied by ‘an entirely professional orchestra.’ (Sir Henry Wood’s Queen’s Hall and Royal Academy Orchestras - every member being a highly trained soloist on his or her instrument.) In all, some 150 performers were involved and the performance was to be ‘given according to First Class London standards of excellence’. Presented in a town the size of Seaford, the event was ‘deserving of the utmost support’.
The Seaford Chronicle cutting refers to a number of Seaford Choral Society members travelling to Tunbridge Wells for a performance of Handel’s ‘Messiah’, conducted by Francis Foote. From these snippets of information we can surmise that Francis Foote ran a number of choirs in Sussex and Kent and presented many concerts in the South East.
The Society remained dormant during the 1940s but was reformed following a performance of Mendelssohn’s ‘Hymn of Praise’ by the combined choirs of Seaford churches’ as part of the 1951 Festival of Britain. The performance was conducted by Mr Montague Wheeler and some 70 singers and 30 orchestral players were involved. According to a press cutting, the Society’s first year (1951/2) ‘was difficult’ in that exceptionally bad weather affected attendance at the choir’s concert and, notwithstanding the enthusiasm of some 58 members, the Society made a loss for the year of £18 9s 11d. The choir joined The National Federation of Music Societies about this time and there is some suggestion that financial help was sought from this source to cover the loss. The outcome is unknown but one way or another the choir continued and has been an important part of the town’s cultural life ever since.