The Deal and Walmer Handelian Choral Society is 80 years old this year. Read about our founder Dr James Hall and the lasting legacy he left to Deal’s cultural life

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The Society was the vision of Dr John Hall, together with his wife Cynthia, and Ernest Stride, Keyboard Professor at The Royal Marines School of Music. Known locally as ‘the lifeboat doctor’, Dr Hall was awarded an OBE for his bravery in treating patients at sea in ‘The Downs’ off the Deal coastline; he was also a respected Handelian scholar and an enthusiastic amateur conductor. The post war austerity of 1946 meant that resources were scarce, so rehearsals were held in his home, and he advertised for music scores ‘by any composer’ in The Mercury newspaper.

It must have taken enormous drive to juggle his medical, musical and academic lives; one Handelian (sadly no longer with us) remembered Dr Hall receiving a call from Deal Hospital during a rehearsal, dashing off to perform an appendectomy, and being back before the end of rehearsal!

As a Handelian scholar, he compiled one of the finest private collections of Handel materials, which was purchased after his death by Princeton University in 1974. The collection consisted of 325 contemporary music scores as well as 43 librettos and related material, about half of which were contemporary with Handel himself.

Dr Hall’s obituary in The Times on the 18th February 1975 concluded that, “Few men can in their time have refreshed so wide a variety of bodies and minds”

We are honoured that Sir George Zambellas, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, has agreed to be our honorary Patron for the year of our 80th anniversary. Read about this, and how a former Lord Warden became our honorary Patron in another significant anniversary year.

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“I was delighted to be asked to stand as Honorary Patron for The Deal & Walmer Handelian Choral Society in 2026, their 80th Anniversary year” says Sir George. “I first heard The Handelians sing when they performed Brahms Requiem last year, and was struck by the energy of the choir, and the enthusiasm of the audience in St George's Church in Deal. My wife, Amanda, and I are great fans of choral music, and to find a thriving and accomplished classical choir 'on the doorstep' of The Lord Warden's official residence at Walmer Castle is wonderful.”

“I offer The Handelians huge congratulations on their 80th Anniversary, and hope that they will continue to bring the joy of choral music to the communities of Deal & Walmer for many decades to come.”

Sir George is not the first Lord Warden to offer his support to The Handelians; In 1985, Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother (then Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports), agreed to be Patron of The Deal & Walmer Handelian Society for the year. Being 84 at the time, The Queen Mother had made it a general rule to restrict her patronage, but made an exception for The Handelians. She requested that the Society send her the programmes from its concerts that year, and acknowledged each one with a charming letter via her Treasurer, Sir Ralph Anstruther.

What could be more appropriate for our 80th anniversary concert than a whole programme of Handel? Alongside the magnificent ‘Dixit Dominus’, the programme features many famous and much-loved Handel works; with five soloists and an orchestra, it will be a memorable evening, and we are especially thrilled that BBC broadcaster Petroc Trelawny will be introducing the programme.

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As part of the Deal Festival, The Handelians will co-host a singing workshop with renowned vocal coach and conductor Joanna Tomlinson. She will work on choruses from Verdi’s epic Requiem – this is likely to be a popular event and early ticket purchase is advised.

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Our final concert for our anniversary year is Verdi Requiem. Conductor Hans von Bülow memorably described the Requiem as “Verdi’s latest opera in church vestments.” Think epic choruses and fabulous arias, and buy your tickets in good time!

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The Handelians has compiled a book of charming memoirs and photographs contributed by choir members past and present, conductors, Royal Marines musicians, The Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, and our founder’s grandson.

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The Handelians Remember 80th Anniversary edition is a look behind the scenes of a choir over 80 years, from the perspective of the many and diverse people involved; what motivated our founder James Hall to form The Handelians; the many Conductors who have steered the musical direction of the choir; singers both experienced and inexperienced who have benefited from the camaraderie and thrill of learning and performing a piece, and the musical collaborators, especially the Royal Marines School of Music, which formed such a strong partnership with The Handelians over decades.

The memoirs paint a powerful picture of the effect that singing has had on so many of our lives. There is really nothing like the high of a performance that exceeds expectations, but there are also some insights into when it all went wrong!

Copies will be available for purchase from 1st June 2026.

In celebration of our 80th Anniversary, The Handelians have commissioned an arrangement of Handel’s much loved ‘Where’er you walk.’ This famous tenor aria from the opera ‘Semele’ has been arranged in four-part harmony by Robert Tapsfield, a former Director of Music of the choir, and its current Rehearsal Accompanist. The debut performance of the arrangement will be at our 80th Anniversary concert on 27th June 2026.