Welcome to

Sevenoaks

Philharmonic

Society

Welcome to

Sevenoaks

Philharmonic

Society

Welcome to

Sevenoaks

Philharmonic

Society

welcome to Sevenoaks Philharmonic Choir

Our 2024/25 season saw Sevenoaks Phil give three fine performances which were each well supported by good-sized and appreciative audiences.

The season started with another great performance of Messiah, proving the enduring popularity of this masterful work. Our Spring concert showcased two contrasting settings of the traditional choral mass by french composers Gabriel Faure and Maurice Durufle at Pamoja Concert Hall – each a beautiful setting in its own right, but completely different in style and musicality from the other. We completed our musical year with a wonderful performance of Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony collaborating again with Sevenoaks Symphony Orchestra under the baton this time of their conductor, Darrell Davison at a well-attended Stag Theatre. As part of our preparation for this concert we ran another successful Singing Development Day with the London-based Jack Apperley which was attended by over 100 singers, with 25 visitors opting to augment our own numbers in the concert. Overall, another massive year for the Choir!

We begin our 129th Season with a celebration of John Rutter’s 80 years of musical genius and we are pleased to be joined by the Senior Choir from Weald of Kent Girls Grammar School when we perform his Mass for the Children at Pamoja Concert Hall on Sunday 30 November when we will experiment with a 3pm start. We plan another Singing Development Day with Jack Apperley as part of our preparations for a performance of Mendelssohn’s Elijah on 29 March 2025 and plan to round off another varied concert season with a performance of classics from West End and Broadway at Stag Theatre on Saturday 27 June 2026 as part of Sevenoaks Summer Festival.

As we start the year (and at the beginning of each terms rehearsals) we have the opportunity to take additional members in all voice parts. We are a friendly choir who enjoy ourselves in rehearsal and give high-quality concert performances.

So if you are newly working from home in Sevenoaks or want to return to singing the best of the classical choral canon blended with newer and exciting pieces then please see the “Join Us” page for details of membership.

We sing a varied repertoire of sacred and secular music, accompanied by the Sevenoaks Philharmonic Orchestra and professional soloists, all under the musical direction of Robyn Sevastos.

We perform three concerts each year: in March/April, in June and in November/December, with venues including St Nicholas Church, The Pamoja Hall, Sevenoaks School, Trinity School or the Stag Theatre providing a range of acoustics to match the musical programme. Our summer concert is usually given on the opening weekend of the Sevenoaks Summer Festival and in alternate years this is a collaboration with Sevenoaks Symphony Orchestra, conducted in rotation by the Orchestra’s Conductor, Darrell Davison and our own Music Director, Robyn Sevastos.

John Larner

Chairman, Sevenoaks Philharmonic Society

some of our latest reviews

Vaughan Williams’ Sea Symphony

My husband and I were entranced. The theatre seemed a world in itself, the whole audience enthralled by the music. A truly memorable evening

excellent effort…and a fine performance of VW’s wonderful Sea Symphony- it was a really memorable evening

a wonderful event last night, with a great audience

Mikado

We thoroughly enjoyed your “Mikado. I was intrigued as to how it would be presented, with your large choir/chorus and the opera requiring some space, plus the orchestra was on stage. It all worked rather well! Congratulations on doing something different

….a wonderful performance – congratulations to the choir, orchestra and cast

brilliant fun. Well done to Robyn for pulling it all together – a real tour de force

Well done for the amazing performance yesterday!

What an entertaining evening. Soloists were excellent and their voices were clearly heard and appreciated. The colourful choir performed with great distinction. Orchestra were also excellent and balanced. All in all, a notable occasion

That was a great evening yesterday, The atmosphere was terrific from the start, and that just continued the whole evening. Well done SPS!

Brahms’ German Requiem

The entire evening was a great success.  I felt Brahms would have been delighted with the choir’s performance as you coloured it beautifully, with the lighter sections in pastel shades and the dark sections very grey indeed.

 I wanted to congratulate you, it was such a wonderful experience.

It was gorgeous

That was a great performance

Karl Jenkins’ – The Armed Man

Amazing! Profoundly moving. Your performance was exquisite. Both choir and musicians were excellent and a great credit to Robyn

an inspired performance…lovely to see the Stag so full

I was very moved by this performance…

The concert last night was superb! The introduction and anthem set the scene, followed by a programme that was equally profound, moving and visually riveting

Mozart Requiem and Haydn Nelson Mass

It was a real treat to sit in a concert hall, after so very long, and listen to such beautiful music.
The soloists were wonderful and we can only say we are already looking forward to your next
concert in June.

A joy to listen to

The concert was fab!

Christmas Oratorio and Vivaldi Gloria

I want to say how much I enjoyed the concert – “cum sancto spiritu in gloria Dei Patris” was stunning

Such a happy pleasure – a delightful programme and singing and orchestra were in great form!

join us for our next concert

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