Bishop’s Stortford Choral Society rehearsing at St Joseph’s Church in Windhill from January 9 ahead of spring concert

Bishop’s Stortford Choral Society (BSCS) is on the move in 2025 as it leaves the Water Lane United Reformed Church for a temporary rehearsal space while the venue undergoes building work.

But the group is not going far as rehearsals, which restart on Thursday January 9, will now take place a few minutes’ walk away at St Joseph’s Church in Windhill.

And it’s all change on the music front too. Following their sell-out performance of Verdi’s Requiem in the run-up to Christmas, the Stortford music makers will be turning their attention towards Easter by learning JS Bach’s baroque masterpiece St Matthew Passion - a powerful musical retelling of the story of the last days of Jesus including the betrayal, crucifixion and burial.

“The URC (United Reformed Church) has been our home for many years, so it’s going to be a wrench to leave it, if only temporarily,” says BSCS chair Helen Miller.

“But there are very exciting times ahead and a fantastic spring concert lined up. We are hugely grateful to St Joseph’s for helping us out while the URC is unavailable.”

The spring concert is at the end of March at Bishop’s Stortford College’s Memorial Hall and will include a period orchestra playing traditional instruments as well as a cast of professional soloists, including the internationally acclaimed tenor James Gilchrist in the central role of the Evangelist. Tickets will go on sale in January.

BSCS rehearses from 7.45pm to 10pm on Thursdays in term time and is always on the lookout for new singers in all voice parts: soprano, alto, tenor and bass.

The choir, which draws its core membership from Stortford, Sawbridgeworth, Stansted and the villages, could especially do with some more tenors, but all voices are welcome. There are no auditions and new members can be assured of a very warm welcome.

You can find out more at www.singwithbscs.org.uk and on the choir’s Facebook page. If you are interested in joining, contact the choir for more detailed information using the form in the About Us section of the website or email comms@singwithbscs.org.uk.