Bexley Phoenix Choir - 2021

Bexley Phoenix Choir is from South-East London and grew out of Bexley Youth Choir which their Director, John MacKenzie, conducted for twenty years until he relinquished the post in September 2007, when he founded the Bexley Phoenix Choir. All the original members of the choir had left school, many of them still at University, and all had been in the Youth Choir at some time or other. Many original members have since had to find employment away from Bexley, some abroad, and fourteen years on, many have married and are raising families all over the country. More than 40 babies have been born to the original members, yet some of those members still manage to sing with us when they can. A number of people who had no association with the Bexley Youth Choir have joined us in the intervening years, but about half of this tour choir were in the Youth Choir.

The Choir aims to perform a wide range of different types of music, from early sacred and secular works, through the Classical and Romantic periods to folk, gospel and popular songs. As a rule - but not in the last two years of course - the Choir meets for three intensive rehearsals throughout the year to learn a programme for a tour in August. We also have two or three Singing Days each year, culminating in a concert, which only requires a commitment for that one day, so that those who cannot commit to the tour still have an opportunity to be involved.

John retired in 2007 knowing that he could not maintain the weekly commitment of rehearsals with Bexley Youth Choir, but it occurred to him that over 40 members had left the choir in the previous two years. If people were up for rehearsals in holiday times, when they were back from Universities and Colleges, they could learn a programme of music and go on tour just as they did in the Youth Choir. They were up for it!

So Bexley Phoenix Choir was born, with the idea of undertaking a Summer tour each year, followed by concerts in and around Bexley. Tours are kept to the UK to make them affordable and following their successful first tour to in 2008, the Choir have toured in , North Wales, Somerset, the Yorkshire Dales, Cumbria, Dumfries and Galloway, The Isle of Wight, the East Midlands, The North Yorkshire Moors and Hampshire. On these tours they have given concerts at many venues, including , Bolton Abbey (Yorkshire), Cartmel , Drumlanrig Castle, , Carisbrooke Castle, Burghley House, and also the Cathedrals at Bury St Edmunds, Liverpool (RC), Ely, Ripon, Wells and Durham. This year’s tour to High Wycombe and St. Albans should have taken place in 2020, but we are delighted that it is all in place a year on.

Whilst in the Youth Choir, members had a wide experience of repertoire and concert venues, including the Royal Festival Hall, the Barbican Hall, Fairfield and the Queen Elizabeth Hall. They also performed in various Cathedrals, including Rochester, Norwich, St. Davids, , Coventry, Lichfield, Carlisle and Exeter. Some of them were privileged to work under the direction of eminent conductors, including Laszlo Heltay in Brighton, Sir David Willcocks in Cambridge and Bob Chilcott in Hemel Hempstead. Tours were undertaken to Paris, Ghent, Maasmechelen (Belgium), Kilsyth, Keswick, Norwich, St. Davids, Gloucester, Market Bosworth, Dumfries and Devon.

John MacKenzie was the Head Teacher of a Primary School in Bexley before moving on to the Bexley Music Centre in 1987, where he was the Centre Administrator and Company Secretary for twelve years. He continued directing orchestras and choirs - including Bexley Youth Choir - until September 2007. Bexley Phoenix Choir is now his only regular conducting commitment and he considers it to be a great privilege to direct people who have a great feeling of camaraderie and a strong desire to keep singing! Our lovely accompanist, Christine Diggens was a music teacher in Bexley and the Choir is fortunate to have her services so readily available.