Welcome to Brighton Folk Choir!
Brighton Folk choir is a community choir specialising in the songs of the rituals and customs of the turning year. We sing bespoke arrangements in full four-part harmony and love performing at seasonal gatherings such as orchard wassails, May Day festivities, summer fairs and harvest festivals.
Do get in touch if you’d like us to sing at your event!
Come join our choir
We are a super friendly choir and we welcome new members all year round! Joining our choir is a great opportunity to sing, socialise and meet new people. Singing in a group has also been proven to increase happiness! The first session is FREE to new members so why not give it a try?
Everyone is welcome – no experience is necessary, no audition and no need to be able to read music. We all learn everything by ear, just the way people learnt these songs in the past. And as a choir member you will get access to recordings of all your parts to help you remember them between practices!
Join us on Facebook for regular updates and event announcements
Upcoming Gigs
When and where
We sing every Monday evening from 7 – 9 during term time at:
The Rose Hill Tavern
70 Rose Hill Terrace,
Brighton,
BN1 4JL
See term dates below
What they are saying
“I’ve so enjoyed your sessions and I’ve learned a lot both in starting to develop my ear for harmonies and the wonderful traditional and deeper rooted words, phrasings and melodies. “
Chris K – choir member
Read more testimonials to see what people are saying about Brighton Folk Choir!
Term times: AUTUMN:
Songs of Autumn: from Harvest Home to Halloween
Monday 4th September – Monday 16th October 2023 (7 sessions)
Songs of Midwinter, Mummers and Misrule: from Bonfire Night to Wren Day
Monday 30th October – Monday 11th December 2023 (8 sessions)
Autumn Term Fees: Advance block booking £7 a session (£105 for full 15 sessions) or£8 drop in
SPRING:
Songs of the Year’s beginning: from Twelfth Night to St Valentine’s
Monday 8th January – Monday 5th February 2024 (5 sessions)
Shrovetide Shenanigans and Easter Eggs: from Pancake Day to Pace-egg Plays
Monday 19th February – Monday 25th March 2024 (6 sessions)
Spring Term Fees: Advance block booking £7 a session (£77 for full 11 sessions) or£8 drop in
SUMMER:
Summer is a coming in: from Hocktide to Whitsun
Monday 15th April – Monday 20th May 2024 (5 sessions)*
* Please note there will be no session on Monday 6th May as it is a bank holiday, however, we will be celebrating the arrival of Summer at Jack in the Green in Hastings so come join us!
Midsummer Revels: Sheep shearing, Rush bearing and Lammas
Monday 3rd June – Monday 22nd July 2024 (8 sessions)
Summer Term Fees: Advance block booking £7 a session (£91 for full 13 sessions) or£8 drop in
Meet our choir leader Jo Burke
Our choir is lead with warmth, enthusiasm and good humour by Jo Burke, a qualified community musician and natural voice practitioner with 20 years of music teaching experience. Jo also arranges all the songs especially for Brighton Folk Choir.
The inspiration to start the choir came after Jo was asked to organise a Wassail for Ditchling Community Orchard in early 2022 which got her thinking – could we not celebrate the whole year long together in song?
Jo is also an internationally touring singer and multi-instrumentalist and a composer for both theatre and film. She is a former member of the Swiss band, Orchestre Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp, Mary Hampton Cotillion and the London Bulgarian Choir as well as being a highly regarded performer in her own right specialising in traditional music and song. To find out more about Jo and her music you can visit www.joburkemusic.com.
