Established in 1964, South West Essex Choir is a large, friendly and sociable choir of mixed ability. We aim for high standards and pride ourselves on the quality of our music-making.
Our main repertoire includes major choral works by composers such as Vaughan Williams, Rossini, Bach, Verdi, Brahms, Fauré, and Mozart. We have commissioned new pieces, including Jonathan Rathbone’s Requiem for the Condemned Man (2000) and former Musical Director James Sherlock’s A Few Ways to Say Thank You (2017). In our 60th anniversary year, we sang the world premiere of Ed Nesbitt’s The Genuine History of the Life of Richard Turpin (2024) at Kings College Chapel, London, and Richard Blackford’s arrangement of Verdi’s Requiem for two pianos and timpani.
We perform with orchestras and collaborate regularly with the National Symphony Orchestra. We also work with many accomplished soloists.
Beyond classical music, we have performed jazz-inspired works by Will Todd, Alexander L’Estrange, and Duke Ellington’s Sacred Concert with the Blue Planet Orchestra. Our 2025 summer concert will feature further jazz-inspired works and include a jazz ensemble.
The choir has toured internationally, performing in the South of France in 2014, 2016, and 2019, with concerts in Sospel Cathedral and Breil.
It was inspiring and truly riveting… never heard them on better form… concert was of international standard.
John Lill – Verdi Requiem (2015)
Committee
SWEC is a registered charity managed by a committee, overseen by our chair, Anissa Msallem. The committee undertakes all aspects of running the choir, from membership, finance, publicity, and concert staging to working closely with the musical director in developing a programme of music for each season.
President: John Lill, CBE
Vice Presidents (Former Musical Directors) : John Rippon, David Temple, Stefan Reid, Ben Palmer, James Sherlock
Interested in singing with us? Visit the join us page to find out how to become a member!