Mid-Sussex Coro Nuovo choir welcome new music director

Matt, who lives in Brighton, takes over from Andrew Rees who was a co-founder of the choir and directed it for the past nine years.

Matt is director of music at Cumnor House school and has run music departments at Taunton Preparatory School, the International School of Padua, the Chichester Cathedral Choir School and St Paul’s Junior, London.

Matt is also the founder and artistic director of the Brighton 16 choir and was the deputy director of the London Gay Men’s Chorus.

He is relishing his new responsibilities with Coro Nuovo: “What I really like is that you get a real sense that this is a group with a real sense of community about them.

"And I do find that very appealing.

"Obviously they do concerts but they also have the young Sussex Musician of the Year competition and they do functions and they do all sorts of other things. They have a genuine commitment to the community that they are based in. They really aren't just putting on concerts.

"They operate at a lot of different levels within their area and I love that.

“Sometimes classical music can take itself a little bit too seriously and become perhaps a little bit separated from the people that the music is for. Obviously they do not do that at all, and that is great.”

To an extent Matt will now be feeling his way. There is a particular pressure when it comes to taking over from a founder of a choir.

“I think the key is that you just have to be yourself.

"One thing that came through that I could see from the choir is that they are very proud of the work they have done so far, and when you are taking over from a founder you have a sense that it is that founder’s baby.

"But at the same time things do come to a natural end and there is a quite cyclical world with choirs.

"Choirs have to be quite open to change and a new repertoire and to be working with different people, and I certainly sense that this choir is, that they are very open and transparent and ready for change even though perhaps they weren't demanding that change themselves.

"What I definitely won't do is come in and throw all the toys out but I am aware that things do develop.

“So to start with really I will be feeling my way.

"You've got to get to know your people absolutely and one of my first projects will be taking stock of where we are, and after that trying to form some plans will be all part of the journey.

"Hopefully it's a question of diversifying the repertoire. You have to do that all the time otherwise you risk turning into some staid cycle of familiar music.

"It is important to change the repertoire but the really tricky thing will be to balance the programme that will bring people in to listen but also include pieces that will stretch an audience and give them something that they are perhaps not familiar with.

"That will be the balancing act.”