Published on 1st January 2026

Billingshurst Choral Society (BCS) held its Autumn Concert at St Mary’s Church, Horsham on 29 November 2025. The Society performed with guest soloists, as well as professional musicians from Hastings Philharmonic Orchestra. After an opening instrumental piece, Mozart’s Divertimento in D Major, the choir sang Mozart’s Vesperae Solennes de Confessore, which featured the additional vocal talents of soprano Helen May, tenor John Twitchen, mezzo-soprano Lydia Ward and bass baritone Lawrence Gillians.

 After the interval, the Society took centre stage to perform French composer Gabriel Faure’s much-lived Requiem. For members, singing alongside classically-trained vocalists is just one way in which current Musical Director Marcio Da Silva elevates performances. 

Theresa Gilsenan, who recently joined BCS from another choir, said: ‘What particularly impressed me initially was the male section, as it’s lovely to sing alongside such a strong bass and baritone section. As an alto, we harmonise below the sopranos and tenors, and Marcio is very precise when it comes to blending each section of the choir. When we begin rehearsing a new piece of music, it can feel like we are stopping too much sometimes, but that is just Marcio’s way of refining the choir, ensuring the phonetics are correct.’ 

ACCESSIBLE SOUNDS

Brazilian-born Marcio began his studies at the tender age of nine with piano and singing lessons. As a child soprano, he performed as a soloist in Germany, Italy and Brazil, before studying in the United States, where he graduated from the renowned Phoenix Boys Choir. In 2006, he received his Diplôme d’Études Musicales in voice from the Conservatoire de Toulouse, France.  

As well as being a renowned baritone and counter-tenor, he completed a Master’s in orchestral conducting at the Royal College of Music in London in 2013. He was also Music Director of Woodhouse Opera from 2012 – 2018 and founded his own company, Ensemble Orquesta, specialising in baroque opera. Today, he conducts Hastings Philharmonic Choir, is MD of Grange Choral Society in Dorset, and since 2021 has led BCS. 

Marcio said: ‘The Society had to rebuild after the retirement of its (long-serving founder and first MD) George Jones, followed just a couple of years later by the Covid pandemic. Since then, we have been slowly growing our audience. For me, it’s important that classical music is accessible, so with my orchestra in Hastings, we hand out free tickets so that all in the community can enjoy concerts. I want people to enjoy classical music, and it’s important for those in the choir to perform to a large audience too.  

‘BCS used to perform concerts in Billingshurst, but when we had to find a new venue, St Mary’s in Horsham made sense. The town has a very knowledgeable audience that regularly attends concerts by other choirs and orchestras, and it’s also a lovely place to perform. We want to continue growing as a Society and I feel St Mary’s is the place for us to achieve that.’

ARMED FORCE

Billingshurst Choral Society was founded in 1986 by a group of friends, including founding MD George Jones. After 29 years, George retired from BCS in 2015, with Cathal Garvey taking the reins. Covid brought about major changes and had an impact on membership, but the Society rose again with a new MD in Marcio, as well as a new accompanist, Jeremy Weaver.  

The Society rehearse at Billingshurst Community and Conference Centre in Rowan Way, every Tuesday evening from 7:30 - 9.30pm. It usually hosts three concerts a year, which have previously been held in Billingshurst. However, with Billingshurst’s churches lacking space and the sports hall at The Weald proving too expensive to hire, the Society held all its 2025 concerts held at Horsham’s Parish Church.  

At the culmination of one concert, the choir rehearse for the next, with a repertoire ranging from classical music by Handel, Beethoven and Bach to the operas of Verdi and Puccini, with contemporary works by the likes of John Rutter and Karl Jenkins occasionally included too. The BCS have gone on tour too, playing prestigious venues, including a performance of Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man at Carnegie Hall. 

 Keith Paul, Chair of BCS, said: ‘The Armed Man was composed in 2000, but it’s only in recent years that the work – particularly the Benedictus – has become a very well-known piece of music. One of our members heard it shortly after its première and played it to our former MD, who loved it too. We then formed part of the first amateur performance of The Armed Man at Arundel Cathedral. 

‘Since then, we’ve performed it on several other occasions. Along with members of Angmering Chorale, some of us travelled to New York to be part of a 2006 performance at Carnegie Hall, conducted by Jenkins himself. We later returned to New York to perform the same piece at the Lincoln Centre. We’ve also sung it in Berlin, at an event marking the centenary of the start of the Great War.’

‘Jenkins also wrote another composition called Stabat Mater, which isn’t as well-known but is also a beautiful piece of music, which we sung with Leicester Philharmonic Choir. These are amazing concerts to be involved in, and have meant we’ve been lucky enough to sing in beautiful and famous venues.’ 

SOCIAL SCENE

Social aspects of the Society are important and members organise activities too, including regular walks and a summer garden party, raising money for good causes. Many members have been on tour, including a 2025 trip to Saumur, France, where the choir performed in the medieval walled village of Montreuil Bellay. Previously, BCS have visited Freiburg, joining seven German choirs in a performance of Mendelssohn’s Elijah, while a 2017 Dublin tour saw them perform at Christchurch Cathedral. 

Catherine Nye, a long-serving member of the choir, said: ‘Tours are held over three or four days and usually combine sightseeing with performances. Itineraries can be intense, as we squeeze a lot in, but the trips bring the choir together. In rehearsals, you find yourself largely confined to your own singing section, so we don’t mingle as much as we could. So, trips are a great way of getting to know people and I have made many friends this way, as there’s always a good atmosphere.’ 

New members are welcome and occasional ‘Come and Sing’ events provide a gentle introduction. These offer people the chance to sing a major choral work, with the next focusing on Haydn’s The Creation, which the Society will perform at its 2026 Spring Concert.  

Paula Mills sang with BCS before moving to the Isle of Wight, where she now performs with Cantata Choir. While she can’t commit to regular BCS rehearsals, the ‘Come and Sing’ events offer a chance to catch up with old friends. She said: ‘I joined the recent BCS workshops as I wanted to see Marcio in action. It’s interesting to see how different conductors approach a familiar piece of music, as you learn things to help you improve as a singer. I had fun and was so impressed by the workshop that I returned to hear the Requiem in concert at St Mary’s.’ 

CLASSICAL EDUCATION

As well as performing works by well-known composers such as Haydn, Sibelius and Fauré, the choir have performed lighter works, including the hits of Gilbert & Sullivan, and works by contemporary composers such as Morten Lauridsen. However, the focus is on classical works, which suits members such as Simon Moore. 

He said: ‘I have sung in other choirs, but sometimes they change their repertoire and I have no interest in singing songs from the musicals. My passion is the music of the great composers such as Mozart and Brahms, so the BCS repertoire caters for me. However, we have performed more recent works by the likes of John Rutter and (Canadian composer) Imant Raminsh and they too have been interesting, as it’s good to be introduced to beautiful contemporary music.’ 

Such sentiments are echoed by one of the younger members, Izzy Wilson. She said: ‘I’ve never fancied doing things like hand gestures or dance moves whilst singing, as some choirs tend to do. I prefer focusing on singing and have loved learning Faure’s Requiem for this concert, as it has a beautiful melody that flows through the entire composition. 

‘Marcio’s extensive experience as a singer helps to elevate our performances too. As he is an amazing singer himself, he pushes you to be better. As a soprano, I feel he encourages me to explore different techniques, as he has insight as a vocalist, which is unusual for a conductor. He doesn’t coach you individually, but even when addressing the entire group, he often suggests things that we can all take away to help us improve as a choral group.’  

WORDS: Ben Morris / PHOTOS: Alan Wright 

Further information: To enquire about membership, visit www.billingshurstchoralsociety.org.uk