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About us.
The Kemsing Singers, founded in 1964 and based in the village of Kemsing, draws its membership from the broader Sevenoaks district.
Rehearsals take place each Monday (September to May) in St Edith Hall, Kemsing.
The choir gives at least four main concerts each year under its musical director, Brenda Ross, with pianist Edwin Davis.
The choir's large repertoire includes the major choral classics, but rather than rely on extended choral works, each concert includes shorter items, many on the lighter side of classical music and contemporary arrangements of songs and carols with opera and musicals also represented.
Singers and audiences alike enjoy the variety.
New members are always welcome, anyone interested should contact
the secretary, Margaret Holgate on 01732 454 448
or the Musical Director, Brenda Ross on 01732 451 632
The Kemsing Singers are members of the Sevenoaks Community Arts & Theatre CIC (SCAT) and supporters of the STAG Theatre.
The Choir's Christmas concert in the STAG on 21st December 1983 was the first concert in the newly openned STAG of any local society. The choir subsequently performed in the STAG at Christmas almost every year until 2004.
Our Musical Director
Brenda Ross, GNSM, LRAM, ARCM, studied music at the Northern School of Music as a pianist and singer with Kendall Taylor and Ellis Keeler, followed by advanced post-graduate studies in Education. She was Director of Music at Bromley High School until 1999, and then at Francis Holland School. She has directed her choirs in Europe, Canada, South Africa and Australia, and conducted major choral works in London at St Martin in the Fields and Southwark cathedral. Prior to her appointment as Musical Director of the Kemsing Singers, she conducted the Royal Tunbridge Wells Mixed Voice Choir. Brenda examines regularly for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music and she is a member of their panel of choral specialists. Recently she has returned from an examining tour in India, and is looking forward to working in the United Arab Emirates and Malta next year.
Our pianist (and organist)
EDWIN DAVIS Edwin’s father was a vicar and his mother a teacher and a reluctant organist from a musical family. Edwin learnt piano and trumpet at school and first played the organ for a church service aged 12. Edwin completed a Physics degree at Sheffield University and then spent 4 years as an electronics engineer.
After being made redundant he worked as a school pianist and piano teacher in the evenings.
A PGCE in secondary school music at Leeds University led to 2 years as a middle school music teacher in schools in Bradford and Suffolk and a period at Walthamstow Hall School as a piano and recorder teacher. For 10 years Edwin has worked as piano teacher for Bromley Youth Music Trust combined with some Brass teaching. He is currently the Ightham Parish Church organist.
Edwin is a keen supporter of Halifax town but usually manages to cheer up again in time for Monday evenings with the Kemsing Singers.
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