20 Years and counting!

This is a big year for Concentus.  Twenty years ago in December we gave our very first concert as Concentus Chorale having got together for the first time as a choir in the September of 2005.  We have achieved so much in this time and been through a lot together.  There are now only 11 original choir members among our number including our Musical Director Adrian White, but the essence of the choir is still the same; to produce the best entertainment that we can whilst having as much fun as possible in the process.

The choir has sung in many venues including Eastbourne bandstand, on the pitch at Twickenham and in front of the Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square and is already looking forward to great things for next year’s summer concert, which promises to blow everyone away (that’s a small clue!).

As always the choir is raising funds for a local charity, and this year’s chosen recipient is Epilepsy Sussex who rely solely on donations as they receive no government funding whatsoever.   The retiring collection for both concerts will be in support of this very worthy local cause.

Concentus will be performing two Christmas concerts, as they always do; one in Seaford Baptist Church on 13th December, and one the following Saturday in St Saviour’s, Eastbourne

For more details about the choir and our concerts please visit the Concentus website at www.eastbournechoir.com. 

Tickets for both venues:

Adults £18, Children under 16 £9

Box Office 01323 912770 or from http://concentus.onlineticketseller.com

Staging for Hire

For a better view of the conductor, raked staging is a must. If you are putting on a performance in a venue that would benefit from either a higher platform or raked staging, ours is for hire and comes with its own team to assemble it. Prices vary according to how much staging is required and for how long. For more details contact Adrian on 07711492907.

Happy Birthday/Anniversary to US!

Concentus was born 20 years ago today. We can hardly believe it!

Since we first came together we have achieved many things, sung in many places, raised thousands of pounds for charity and seen many members come and go. Above all we have made many lasting friendships and had enormous amounts of fun.

At our core is our determination to be friendly and welcoming and gain as much pleasure as we can from being one big family. We only have a handful of original members from 2005 but are still going strong. We would love to continue for many more years and greatly encourage younger people to come and join us so that the choir has a bright and positive future, so if you or someone you know loves to sing and might be looking for a choir to join, why not try us? We rehearse on a Monday night from 7:15pm at Willingdon Community School, Broad Road, Willingdon. Further information is available on our website or by phoning 01323 912770.

In Loving Memory of our biggest supporter, Val White

It is with great sadness that we need to share the news that Adrian’s mum Val passed away on Saturday 2nd August after a short illness. She was Concentus’ number one fan from day one and she never missed a concert from our very first one until ill health prevented it this year, much to her frustration. She was also a very good friend to many of the choir and her smiling face in the audience will be sorely missed.

The Lord Bless You and Keep You Val. xx

Eastbourne choir Concentus raises more than £3,000 for local charity

Concentus selects a different local charity every year with the aim of raising as much as they can through the retiring collections at their concerts supplemented by cake and book sales throughout the year. In 2024 they nominated the Down Syndrome Development Trust (DSDT) as their beneficiary for the year. The choir was especially pleased to nominate DSDT as it has a direct connection through one of its own members.

At a recent choir rehearsal Sen Smallwood, founder of DSDT, and her son Finn were invited to accept the cheque from Jo Fowler on behalf of Concentus for the grand total of £3888.15, representing the generosity of both the choir and its audiences.  

Michael Ball, who sings with the choir, along with his wife Alison and daughters Pippa and Rose directly benefit from the support that the DSDT gives and were extremely proud of the choir's efforts.  

Alison and the girls are always present in the audience for choir performances, with Rose regularly happy to contribute to proceedings in some way (we love you Rose!).

Anyone with an interest in the charity can find out more about their valuable work at https://downsyndromedevelopment.org.uk/.

More information about the choir can be found at https://www.concentus-sings.com/.