The first meeting of Bearsted Choral Society was held in the schoolroom
of Bearsted Village School (now Bearsted
Library) in November 1970. About 20 Bearsted residents met to plan a music
programme and choose a committee. Rehearsals began in the new year and the
inaugural concert was performed on 17 May 1971.
From the original 20 members the choir has grown to around 66
enthusiastic people. About 20% of members live in Bearsted but the majority now
live further away in Maidstone and
surrounding towns and villages.
Over the years the Society has given concerts in a variety of venues in
Kent and now presents 3 or 4 major concerts each year, 2 of them at Holy Cross
Church, Bearsted, with the others and various shorter events taking place in
similar venues around North Kent.
For the past 12 years we have been very ably led by our conductor Peter
Ashley. Martin Hogben travels from London to accompany
our concerts on the organ and piano and additional professional artists are
invited to sing or play instruments as the programme requires. Trevor Brearley
has recently joined us as rehearsal pianist and will also sing with the basses
in our concerts. Rehearsals are held in the Methodist Church, Bearsted on
a Monday night starting at 7.30pm.
In 2008 the choir made a bold break with tradition and forged links with
a nearby French choir, Chorale des 2 caps from Wissant, a coastal town close to
Calais. With
reciprocal concerts in April and June on both sides of the Channel we decided
to maintain this activity and establish regular joint performances in June each
year alternating annually between France and England as part of
our concert calendar. Odd years
they will join us in England, even years we will join them in France
History