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“What a lovely evening, the choir performed beautifully and it was very moving…”
ABOUT US
Come and Join Us!About Farnham & Bourne Choral Society
President: David Victor-Smith MBE
Musical Director: Ben de Souza
Since 1925 the Farnham & Bourne Choral Society has been bringing choral music to Farnham. The choir was originally an offshoot of the Farnham & Bourne Music Club that was formed in 1922 to provide opportunities to see and hear professional musicians perform.
The choir performs the major choral repertoire and normally has three concerts a year at Farnham Maltings and St.Thomas-on-the-Bourne Church, Farnham.
The choir membership is usually over 100. We meet to rehearse every Wednesday evening (during school term time) between September and May at South Farnham School (Rehearsal Dates and Location>>). We do not audition new members; all you need is enthusiasm, although we do hope you can sing! Basic understanding of music is a benefit, although not essential. We are very keen to encourage new members to learn the delights of collective singing for two hours a week.
Musical Director - Ben de Souza
Ben de Souza is a British choral conductor and accordionist. He holds an MMus in Choral Studies from Cambridge University, where he studied conducting with some of the world’s leading choral musicians, including Stephen Layton, Graham Ross, Andrew Nethsingha and Sarah MacDonald.
Ben is currently choir director at Clare Hall, Cambridge and Musical Director of Farnham & Bourne Choral Society. He also works with choirs at the John Lewis Partnership, Finchley Children’s Music Group and Taplow Choirs. Ben has previously worked with the Choir of All Souls, Langham Place as well as London-based chamber choirs Invicta Voices and Invicta Upper Voices.
As a choral singer Ben has sung with the award winning Taplow Youth Choir (Gillian Dibden MBE) and Magdalene College Chapel Choir, Cambridge (Graham Walker), and held a choral scholarship with King’s Voices, Cambridge (Ben Parry). He has performed in some of Europe’s most prestigious choral music venues, including La Basilica di San Marco (Venice), Montserrat Monastery, Barcelona Cathedral, St George’s Chapel and the Chapel Royal (Windsor), Southwark Cathedral and King’s College Cambridge. He has also appeared on recordings with a handful of the country’s finest choirs, including the Gabrieli Consort (Paul McCreesh), the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge (Sir Stephen Cleobury), and Voces8.
Ben completed his undergraduate studies at the Royal Academy of Music as a classical accordionist, studying with Owen Murray, and continues to have an active accordion career across England as a recitalist and teacher. He has performed at venues across the UK and has appeared with the Philharmonia Orchestra.
You can keep up to date with Ben’s work at www.facebook.com/desouzaaccordion
Musical Director
Ben de Souza
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