Ralph Vaughan Williams 'A Sea Symphony'

‘Behold The Sea Itself.’

So opens Vaughan Williams’ majestic A Sea Symphony. In setting poetry by Walt Whitman, Vaughan Williams paints an evocative musical portrait of sea life - the ships, sailors, those who gaze from the shore in the moonlight and of course, ‘the sea itself’. This glorious work is much loved by singers and audiences alike, so join Lewisham Choral Society on November 14th for a real musical treat.

Our nautical theme extends with an absolute choral gem - Herbert Sumsion’s beautiful They that Go Down to the Sea in Ships. And what better orchestral work could complete the programme than Benjamin Britten’s atmospheric Four Sea Interludes from his opera Peter Grimes.

The choir will be joined by two superb soloists:

Louise Kemény is a British-Austrian lyric soprano, acclaimed for her “warm timbre” (FAZ) and “brilliant coloraturas” (Das Opernglas). Louise has performed with many leading opera companies around the UK and abroad and made frequent appearances as a soloist on the concert stage. Her debut recording - a collection of early songs by Samuel Barber - was released by Resonus Classics in 2022. LCS are delighted to welcome Louise back following her outstanding performances with us as soprano soloist in Mozart’s Mass in C minor and Orff’s Carmina Burana.

Jonathan Brown, Baritone, made his debut with Sir John Eliot Gardiner as the baritone soloist in a concert of Bach cantatas and thereafter became a regular soloist with performances in Zurich, Brussels and Paris. He has since built an extensive portfolio of choral and operatic performances around the UK, Europe, America and Australia and made several recordings. We are delighted to welcome Jonathan back to LCS following his performances as soloist in Brahms’ German Requiem in 2025 and Carl Rütti’s Requiem in 2026.

Dan Ludford-Thomas is a conductor, composer and singing teacher working with many organisations around the UK. Dan is Head of Vocal Studies at Dulwich College and directs several choirs, including LCS. He is Musical Director of the National Children’s Choir of Great Britain and Principal Conductor of vocal group Vox Urbane.

Keyboard player Cliodna Shanahan, tonight’s organist, is in much demand as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician, performing regularly with leading orchestras. She has a passion for contemporary and 20th century music and has made several recordings.

Lewisham Choral Society are one of London’s most accomplished community choirs with over 150 members. The choir performs regularly in major venues around the capital and has toured abroad to Paris, Berlin and the Netherlands. We stage four concerts a year and have taken part in many other singing events and collaborations, most recently the sell-out London Oratorio at the Royal Festival Hall. Under the professional direction of Dan Ludford-Thomas the choir’s repertoire ranges from the Renaissance to the 21st century.

We are delighted to be joining forces once again with the Forest Philharmonic, one of London’s leading community orchestras, with players drawn from London and the South East. Based in East London for over 50 years, the orchestra has gained an impressive reputation for their high quality and vitality, as can be attested by their sterling performance in Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem with LCS earlier this year.