Information for singers

Festival rehearsals fall into two groups:

For the Spring concert in March, weekly rehearsals are held in the period leading up to the concert on Saturday / Sunday afternoons. It is expected that all singers will attend most of these rehearsals, which are taken by our Chorus Master and accompanied by our Festival Accompanist. The Festival Conductor usually attends one or two, as well as taking the final mandatory rehearsals on Saturday / Sunday afternoon immediately before the concert.

For the main two-day Festival in April, choirs rehearse and prepare independently for the most part. However, any choir member wishing to participate in a Festival concert must have sung in the combined rehearsals for that concert (below). There are three combined rehearsals lasting two hours for each choir group, each accompanied by the Festival Accompanist. The final afternoon rehearsal on the day of each concert is also mandatory. These rehearsals are the opportunity for the Festival Conductor to prepare the combined choirs for their performances at the evening concerts.

Rehearsal schedule

Festival: Friday

Will Todd's Passion Music and Jazz Missa Brevis

Choirs: Beare Green & Newdigate, Bookham, Buckland & Betchworth, Holmbury St. Mary, Horsley and Mickleham

Concert on Friday April 11th 2025 19:30 in the Grand Hall, Dorking Halls, Reigate Road, Dorking, RH4 1SG

Festival: Saturday

Elgar: Dream of Gerontius

Choirs: Capel, Dorking, Epsom, Leatherhead and Oxshott

Concert on Saturday 12th Apr 2025, 19:30 in the Grand Hall, Dorking Halls, Reigate Road, Dorking, RH4 1SG

Spring Concert

Handel - Messiah

This event is open to singers belonging to Leith Hill Music Festival choirs and independent singers

Concert on Sunday 9th March 2025, 19:30 in the Grand Hall, Dorking Halls, Reigate Road, Dorking, RH4 1SG

Book Singer ‘tickets’ here

  • In the Grand Hall, Dorking Halls

    Please make sure you register at the tables in the corridor on the right of the tiered seating (seating plan here)

  • In the Grand Hall, Dorking Halls

    Please make sure you register at the tables in the corridor on the right of the tiered seating (seating plan here)

  • In the Grand Hall, Dorking Halls

    Please make sure you register at the tables in the corridor on the right of the tiered seating (seating plan here)

  • Morning

    09:30 - Choirs to be ready in the Grand Hall

    9:40 - Choirs on the stage for a warm up and the draw for the order for choir recitals and ensembles

    9:50 - Warm up including Song for a Spring Festival

    10:00 - LHMF Competition begins

    c.12:00 - Recitals competition finishes

    c.12:05 - Ensembles competition begins

    c.12:30 - Adjudication

    12:45 - LHMF Competition ends

    Afternoon

    14:00 - Choirs to be ready in the Grand Hall to load onto the stage

    14:15 - Choirs seated on the stage

    14:30 - Rehearsal with soloists and orchestra begins

    c.15:45 - 15 min rehearsal break

    16:00 - Rehearsal with soloists and orchestra continues

    c.16:40 - rehearsal for the choirs finishes

    Evening

    19:00 - Choirs to be ready to go on stage

    19:15 - Choirs start to load onto the stage

    19:30 - Start of concert

    20:15 - Interval (20 mins)

    20:35 - Second half of concert

    21:25 - End of concert

    Dress Code for Concert

    • Ladies: black trousers or long black skirt, white blouse with long sleeves, plus small black handbag if required.

    • Men: black trousers. white long-sleeve dress shirt with black bow-tie (no jackets)

    Seating plan

  • In the Grand Hall, Dorking Halls

    Please make sure you register at the tables in the corridor on the right of the tiered seating (seating plan here)

  • In the Grand Hall, Dorking Halls

    Please make sure you register at the tables in the corridor on the right of the tiered seating (seating plan here)

  • In the Grand Hall, Dorking Halls

    Please make sure you register at the tables in the corridor on the right of the tiered seating (seating plan here)

  • Morning

    09:30 - Choirs to be ready in the Grand Hall

    9:40 - Choirs on the stage for a warm up and the draw for the order for choir recitals and ensembles

    9:50 - Warm up including Song for a Spring Festival

    10:00 - LHMF Competition begins

    c.12:00 - Recitals competition finishes

    c.12:05 - Ensembles competition begins

    c.12:30 - Adjudication

    12:45 - LHMF Competition ends

    Afternoon

    14:00 - Choirs to be ready in the Grand Hall to load onto the stage

    14:15 - Choirs seated on the stage

    14:30 - Rehearsal with soloists and orchestra begins

    c.15:45 - 15 min rehearsal break

    16:00 - Rehearsal with soloists and orchestra continues

    c.16:40 - rehearsal for the choirs finishes

    Evening

    19:00 - Choirs to be ready to go on stage

    19:15 - Choirs start to load onto the stage

    19:30 - Start of concert

    20:15 - Interval (20 mins)

    20:35 - Second half of concert

    21:25 - End of concert

    Dress Code for Concert

    • Ladies: black trousers or long black skirt, white blouse with long sleeves, plus small black handbag if required.

    • Men: black trousers. white long-sleeve dress shirt with black bow-tie (no jackets)

    Seating plan

  • We use the Dorking Halls Box Office system to enrol singers to sing in this event. So please buy a ‘ticket’ and you will see the next page asks you what voice part you are singing and choose whether or not you need music. Assuming you are just registering yourself put ‘1’ in the appropriate voice part. As you navigate through the following pages select E ticket because this is a free option and we are not actually issuing tickets.

    Buying a ‘ticket’ enrols you as a singer and entitles you to come to every rehearsal.

  • We will be using the Watkin Shaw edition and the performance is as follows:-

    Part One

    1 Sinfonia (Overture)
    2 Comfort ye my people
    3 Ev’ry valley shall be exalted
    4 And the glory of the Lord
    5 Thus saith the Lord
    6 But who may abide the day of his coming?
    7 And he shall purify
    8 Behold, a virgin shall conceive
    9 O thou that tellest good tidings
    10 For behold, darkness shall cover the earth
    11 The people that walked in darkness
    12 For unto us a child is born
    13 Pastoral Symphony
    14 There were shepherds abiding in the fields
    And lo, the angel of the Lord
    15 And the angel said unto them
    16 And suddenly there was with the angel
    17 Glory to God
    18 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion
    19 Then shall the eyes of the blind
    20 He shall feed his flock
    Come unto him
    21 His yoke is easy and his burthen is light

    INTERVAL

    Part Two

    22 Behold the Lamb of God
    23 He was despised
    24 Surely he hath borne our griefs
    25 And with his stripes we are healed
    26 All we like sheep have gone astray
    27 All they that see him laugh him to scorn
    28 He trusted in God
    29 Thy rebuke hath broken his heart
    30 Behold, and see if there be any sorrow
    31 He was cut off out of the land of the living
    32 But thou didst not leave his soul in hell
    38 How beautiful are the feet
    40 Why do the nations so furiously rage together?
    41 Let us break their bonds asunder
    42 He that dwelleth in heaven
    43 Thou shalt break them
    44 Hallelujah

    Part Three

    45 I know that my redeemer liveth
    46 Since by man came death
    47 Behold I tell you a mystery
    48 The trumpet shall sound
    53 Worthy is the Lamb that was
    lain

  • In the Martineau Hall, Dorking Halls

  • In the Grand Hall, Dorking Halls

  • In the Martineau Hall, Dorking Halls

  • In the Grand Hall, Dorking Halls

  • In the Grand Hall, Dorking Halls

  • Afternoon

    14:00 - Choirs to be ready in the Grand Hall to load onto the stage

    14.30 - Rehearsal with soloists and orchestra begins

    16.30 - rehearsal for the choirs finishes

    Evening

    Concert starts 7:30

How do I get my music?

For the Spring concert:

When enrolling for the Spring concert you will have the option to include music hire within your fee and you can collect your music at the first rehearsal. It is important to use the correct editions when singing at the Festival which will be advised when the concert is announced.

For the April competitions and concerts:

The music to be sung at the Festival in April is chosen by a Music Committee chaired by Jonathan Willcocks.

The music is announced well in advance and is sourced and distributed to Choir Librarians by the Choral Librarians, to ensure consistency of editions and fairness for all and to help with the cost.

Competitions

Each choir will present an ‘own-choice’ recital (max. 15 mins), to include:

i. A piece with accompaniment

ii. A piece sung unaccompanied (a cappella)

iii. A piece written by a living composer

Ensemble Competition:

As a ‘prelude’ to the Competitions, there will be an optional Ensemble Competition each day where groups of between 4-12 singers will perform a single unaccompanied piece, selected by the Music Committee. Choirs may enter as many groups as they wish.