The Petworth Chorus:
singing for the joy of song
Who we are
Petworth Chorus is a non-audition sectional choir based in Petworth. It meets for singing, learning to sing and socialising.
This does not mean that the choir lacks ambition, just that if you are (or could be) an enthusiastic singer, you should come along and our inspired and inspiring Choral Director, Tom Colwell, will do the rest.
Our members vary in age from their teens to their nineties, hail from approximately a 20-mile radius of Petworth, have varying musical abilities, and whilst reading music is an advantage, it is not necessary; we learn whilst singing.
The choir is divided into sopranos, altos, tenors, and basses.
What we do
Our ambition is twofold:
To hold enjoyable rehearsals, during school term time, in the Herbert Shiner School in Petworth, every Monday evening. We meet at 7.15 for a 7.30 start, finishing at 9.15, with an interval of 15 minutes for a glass of wine and time to catch up with old and new friends.
To perform twice a year at (or near) the summer and winter solstices. In winter this includes our much-loved Carols by Candlelight concert and readings at St Mary’s Church in Petworth. In summer, we celebrate with a performance and alfresco picnics. Both events raise funds for a chosen charity.
Membership costs £60 per term, and you are welcome to attend two rehearsals free of charge before committing.
Dates
Spring Term Soirée:
Monday 23rd March 2026
Summer Concert:
Saturday 27th June 2026
Carols by Candlelight 2026
Thursday 17th December 2026
Spring Term 2026: Mondays, 12th January – 16th March
½ term: 16th February
Summer Term 2026: Mondays, 20th April - 22nd June (TBC)
½ term: 25th May (TBC)
Who’s who
Tom Colwell BMus (Hons) RNCM
Choral Director & Director of Music
Tom started singing as a chorister at St Paul’s Cathedral, singing on multiple recordings and taking part in many great occasions at the Cathedral. Notable highlights include performing at the Queen Mother’s 90th birthday celebrations and Jim Henson’s memorial service in the presence of Big Bird and the entire Muppets cast!
He then went on to Seaford College before completing his degree at the Royal Northern College of Music.
Since then, Tom has balanced his performing career with teaching and choral directing.
He has performed with Longborough Festival Opera, covering the principal roles of Marcello in La Bohème, and Yamadori in Madame Butterfly with English National Opera. He also sang the role of Marcello in OperaUpClose’s Olivier award-winning production of La Bohème and has appeared in multiple productions with The Opera Project, most recently in their production of Sweeney Todd for West Green House Opera.
Tom has performed extensively around the UK and internationally. He has recorded with the award-winning vocal ensemble VOCES8, singing on their album Winter. He has also toured the high seas singing on cruises in South America and around the Aegean.
He currently sings with the London-based professional choir and session recording group London Voices. Recent highlights include live screenings of the film Amadeus in Lucerne, recording soundtracks for Netflix films, the soundtrack for the upcoming Dune 2 film with music by Hans Zimmer, and the soundtrack for Marvel’s Spiderman 2 game for Sony’s PS5 console.
Tom teaches singing and is a choir director at Seaford College and St Edmund’s.
Outside music, Tom is a keen runner, loves rugby (Harlequins), jazz and greatly enjoys fine food and wine.
Kate Payne
Accompanist
Kate studied piano with Ruth Nye, Professor of Piano at the Royal College of Music and the Yehudi Menuhin School. She also studied violin with Pamela Spofforth and viola with Bridget Crouch, and was a Junior Exhibitioner at the Royal College of Music. Kate was a member of Pro Corda (the National School for Young Chamber Music Players), where she was coached by eminent musicians including Sir Colin Davis and the Delmé Quartet.
She has performed in venues across the UK, including the Barbican, Snape Maltings, and St John’s Smith Square. Kate has enjoyed an exciting career as a chamber musician and coach, accompanist and piano teacher. She currently works as a freelance accompanist, and as a piano teacher at local schools, including Seaford College.
Kate is passionate about sharing her knowledge and love of music with others, and is committed to encouraging music for all. She is delighted to be part of the local musical community with the Petworth Chorus.
In addition
The Petworth Chorus is run entirely by volunteers. In addition to Tom and Kate:
Arthur (Founder and Chairman) does admin, sums and used to serve wine at rehearsals
Pete (Founder and CEO) does website, printed materials and comms
Jennie and Tracy look after the Chorusters (members)
John looks after the music on the website, creates excellent practice tracks and plenty more
Sue extracts and counts subscriptions
And a plethora of others contribute as and when needed
What we sing + our performances
Music is chosen to support our two performances. Tom is in charge, but happy to take suggestions. The original plan was ‘From Mozart to Musicals’, which sums up our repertoire pretty well. So far, in addition to English, we have sung in French, Latin, Italian and American.
The links below are for Chorus members to access music.