Southend Bach Choir was delighted to share an unforgettable evening of music at St Alban the Martyr Church, Westcliff-on-Sea, on Saturday 15 November 2025, with a performance of Brahms’s Ein Deutsches Requiem.

This profoundly humane work, written to offer comfort to the living, formed the heart of the concert. From its opening message of consolation to its final sense of peaceful rest, the Requiem invited performers and audience alike into a space of reflection, hope and quiet reassurance. The programme also included Bach’s radiant motet O Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht and Brahms’s Geistliches Lied, two beautifully restrained works that set a thoughtful and contemplative tone for the evening.

We were joined by our wonderful guest soloists, soprano Talia Lieberman and bass David Townend, whose expressive singing added depth and warmth to the performance. We were also grateful to be accompanied by organist Stephen King, whose sensitive playing supported the choir throughout the programme.

Under the direction of our Musical Director, Roger Humphrey, the choir was proud to perform this deeply meaningful music in such a welcoming acoustic. We would like to thank everyone who joined us for the concert, and for sharing in such a special evening. We look forward to welcoming you again at one of our upcoming performances.

Southend Bach Choir presented a performance of Handel’s Messiah on Saturday 23rd November 2024 at Holy Trinity Church, Southchurch, continuing the choir’s long-standing association with one of the most beloved works in the choral repertoire.

Under the direction of Music Director Roger Humphrey, the choir performed this monumental English-language oratorio, which traces the prophecy, passion and resurrection of Christ across its three-part structure. From the opening Sinfonia and Comfort ye, through the drama of He was despised and All we like sheep, to the triumphant Hallelujah and concluding choruses, the evening offered a powerful and moving musical journey.

The performance featured four distinguished guest soloists: Elizabeth Dunlop (soprano), Ruby Bak (mezzo-soprano), Samuel Kibble (tenor) and David Townend (bass), with organ accompaniment provided by Stephen King. Together, they brought depth, clarity and expressive warmth to Handel’s arias and recitatives.

Holy Trinity Church, Southchurch, provided a fitting and resonant setting for this timeless work, which holds special significance for the choir — selections from Messiah formed part of its very first concert in 1943. This performance both honoured that history and celebrated the choir’s continuing vitality today.

It was an evening of musical excellence and shared tradition, warmly appreciated by a full and attentive audience, and a highlight of Southend Bach Choir’s concert season.