About Sound Waves Hastings Community Choir

‘Sound Waves’ is a community choir based in Hastings, East Sussex.

Everyone is welcome to join us: no previous singing experience or ability to read music is necessary, no auditions required!

We generally meet once a week (except during holidays) but please check details for specific sessions on this website as rehearsal night and/or venue and timings can change.

The first rehearsal of any session is a ‘taster’ (try before you buy) and costs just £2 if booked in advance via the website, or £3 if you just turn up;  payment taken on the door.  A set of sessions is based on £3 a week and must be booked in advance via the website and paid for in full at the second week.

Payment options are available for those unable to pay the full amount up front.

We have a written Constitution and an Organising Committee. The Committee comprises: Chair – Marie Casey; Treasurer – Jan White; Music & Programme Organiser – Madeleine Ehm; Membership Secretary – Gwyn Boulter; Meetings Secretary – Marly McLeod.  In June 2011 Linda Twort was co-opted onto the Committee specifically to help with administration.

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In the choir’s short history (since 2009) we have sung jazz, light classical and ‘world-influenced’ music.

At Christmas 2009 we had a successful concert with MD Louise Winter, joining other community choirs, and went on in 2010 to sing jazz with Liane Carroll performed for friends and family. July 2010 saw us joining with the ‘Hastings Big Choir’ to perform at the ‘Battle & Hastings Proms’. the ‘Hastings Singathon’ in Alexandra Park and the ‘Musica Sacra’ in the White Rock Theatre led by MD Roger Wilcock.

Our Christmas concert in 2010 where we raised over £600.00 for Macmillan Cancer Care.

In March 2011, we performed our ‘Shanties & Sea Songs’ set at St Mary-in-the-Castle and raised an amazing £737.80 for the Hasting RNLI. We also performed again as part of ‘The Party on the Pier’ celebrations on Saturday 12th March and understand that a figure of around £2,000 was raised during the course of the day. We have gone on to perform our Sea Shanties at Ore Village Day, at the Shipwreck Museum, at the Hastings SeaFood & Wine Festival and lastly outside the Stade Hall on a beautiful sunny Sunday in September.

At our performance with Mike Hatchard on 24th May, we raised £391 which was donated to The Music Well – a Rye-based charity.

Our concert of Gospel and Music of the deep South led by Juliet Russell on 21st July raised £1000.  This was the highest ever in our history at that point and it was a memorable evening for everyone.

On 1st October approximately 35 of us enjoyed a very memorable workshop with Nick and Susie Prater.  If we manage to arrange for them to come back sometime next year, don’t miss the opportunity to join in with this fun and inspiring event.

At our Christmas concert in 2011 we broke our own record by collecting £1,118 to be divided between two chosen charities – Surviving Christmas and Care for the Carers (Young Carers Project).  Our programme for this concert was Forgotten Carols and Seasonal Songs in which we were led by Peter Osborn and Mike Rosenberg.   All Saints Church was packed and we’d like to give our thanks to everyone who took part in that evening.

Following our success, we went on to perform on two further occasions:

• On 17th December we were asked to visit the RSPCA Mallydams Enchanted Woodland Walk and to sing to an audience (over the afternoon and early evening) of about 200 people.  A huge campfire at the end of the walk provided lots of warmth and atmosphere. Comments made to RSPCA workers and volunteers by members of the public included “…….a real antidote to the consumerism of Christmas”: “……..has put the magic of Christmas into the whole family” and “…. an afternoon of real Christmas textures”.  Nearly £500 was raised for the Mallydams in collections from the audience and we felt privileged to have taken part in such a lovely event.
• On 20th December, we joined customers at The Ship Inn, Winchelsea Beach and gave another performance of our Seasonal Songs.
• Both venues have asked us to return next year ……………