Rotherhithe & Bermondsey Choral Society

 Summer greetings from RBCS!


RBCS is a friendly non-audition mixed-voice amateur community choir based in Rotherhithe, Southwark, south-east London.
Our aim is to practise and perform good music to suit a variety of tastes, and have a good time in the process.

Rehearsal time: 8.00–9.45 pm every Tuesday during term-time.
Summer term 2025 begins on Tuesday 3 June. We’ll be singing a seasonal selection of madrigals, folk songs and other part songs, for our Summer Concert concert  on 19 July. 5.30pm at St Mary’s Church, Rotherhithe.

Rehearsal venue: St Mary’s Church, Rotherhithe, Saint Marychurch St, London SE16 4HZ (subject to occasional change – please check your choir emails for up-to-date information).

New members are always welcome for all voice parts. If you enjoy singing and are interested in joining us, please contact us, or just come along to the next rehearsal. See our Join us page for details of membership.


REPERTOIRE 2024–2025

Summer term 2025, beginning Tuesday 3 June

Spring term 2025, beginning Tuesday 11 February

  • John Rutter’s Requiem plus a selection of motets by Brahms, Bruckner and Franck for our Spring Concert on Saturday 17 May at  St James’s Church, Bermondsey.

Autumn/winter term 2024 (17 September – 17 December)

  • JS Bach’s Christmas Oratorio (excerpts) and John Rutter’s Jesus Child, plus carols from around the world – for our Christmas Concert on Saturday 21 December at St Mary’s Church, Rotherhithe.


HEALTH AND SAFETY
After months of Zoom meetings, it was a great relief to get back to in-person rehearsals. But as an intergenerational choir, we’re conscious that we still need to be especially careful to keep everybody safe. Choir members are encouraged to take extra precautions during the flu season.

 

NEWS

  • CHRISTMAS PAST (AND CHRISTMAS FUTURE?)
    Here’s a (pre-Covid) video of RBCS singing carols under the tree in Trafalgar Square – courtesy of France 3 TV News.
    We’re hoping to be back in Trafalgar Square this year!

PAST EVENTS

  • SUMMER CONCERT 2022
    The Making of the Drum by Bob Chilcott (‘A contemporary hero of British choral music’, The Observer) plus songs to celebrate local hero Ada Salter, London’s first woman mayor.
    Saturday 16 July
    St James’s Church Bermondsey     
  • SPRING CONCERT 2022
    Haydn’s Nelson Mass (Missa in Angustiis, 1798)
    Saturday 9 April
    St James’s Church, Bermondsey     
  • WINTER CONCERT 2021
    Clive Jenkins’ Mayflower Pilgrims cantata
    Saturday 13 November
    St Mary’s Church, Rotherhithe
  • CHRISTMAS CAROL CONCERT 2021
    Saturday 18 December
    St Mary’s Church, Rotherhithe, SE16 4JE
  • SPRING CONCERT 2020 (CANCELLED OWING TO COVID)
    Requiems by Maurice Duruflé and John Rutter
    4 April 2020 
  • CHRISTMAS CONCERT 2019
    Benjamin Britten, Ceremony of Carols
    14 December     
  • Southwark Park 150 Year Anniversary
    16 July 2019
    Southwark Park
     
  • SPRING CONCERT 2019
    Brahms, A German Requiem
    13 April
    St James’ Church, Bermondsey

  • CHRISTMAS CONCERT 2018
    Alexander L’Estrange, Wassail! Carols of Comfort and Joy
    Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Messe de Minuit de Noël
    15 December
    St Mary’s Church, Rotherhithe, 
  • SUMMER CONCERT 2018
    Songs from Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story,
    and more
    14 July
    St. Peter’s Church, Bermondsey,
    Paradise Street, SE16 4QD
  • Pictures from our Spring 2018 performance
  • SPRING CONCERT 2018
    JS Bach, St John Passion
    with RBCS Chamber Orchestra
    Saturday 14 April 
    St James’s Church, Bermondsey     
  • CAROL SINGING ROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE
    in Trafalgar Square
    Thursday 21 December 2017, 7–8pm.     
  • WINTER CONCERT 2017
    Seasonal music including Francis Poulenc’s Christmas Motets
    (Quatre motets pour le temps de Noël)
    Saturday 2 December
     St Mary’s Church, Rotherhithe 
  • ILLUMINATE ROTHERHITHE 2017
    On 23 November, members of RBCS took part in the Mayflower Concert at St Mary’s Church – part of the inaugural Illuminate Rotherhithe festival.
    Click on the image below to watch a video of the concert.

 

 

  • SUMMER CONCERT 2017
    Carl Orff’s  Carmina Burana and music from mediaeval Europe

RBCS Community Choir
directed by Sue Heath-Downey
plus the wonderful Boutcher Primary School Choir
with soloists Kirsty McLean (soprano) and Panos Ntourntoufis (tenor)
accompanied by percussion and two pianos

TIME: Saturday 8 July 2017, 7.30
PLACE: St Peter and the Guardian Angels Church,
Paradise Street, SE16 4QD
(off King’s Stairs Gardens, near The Angel pub)

Download a flyer here.

 

 

 

 

  • RBCS IN THE COMMUNITY

Funday1_cropOn Saturday 19th September 2015, members of RBCS sang at Cherry Garden TRA Fun Day, to celebrate the refurbishment of the TRA Hall.

The organisers said, ‘A great big thanks to you and all your singers for your brilliant contribution to our Fun Day. It was such a lovely finale!‘Funday2_crop

Thank you, Cherry Gardens TRA, for inviting us! We thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

 

 
RBCS and friends sing Verdi’s Requiem at St James’s, Bermondsey, 5th April 2014
Photography by Thea Downey

 

Singing in Brunel’s Thames Tunnel, May 2013

 

We are proud and honoured to have won a Southwark Civic Award for our community activities.

Civic_award_2013

Please click on the image to see a full-scale version.