About us

The Bach Winchester Voices have their genesis in Jon Newman’s Crawley Bachistas, who have been performing Bach’s cantatas at St Mary’s Church in Crawley (near Winchester) since 2015. The choir originally consisted mainly of singers from Orlando Chamber Choir, London, but has now expanded to include Bach enthusiasts from across England and further afield.

Over some twenty-five “Bach weekends”, the Crawley Bachistas have sung more than 75 of the approximately 200 surviving Bach cantatas, as well as two of the Lutheran Masses. In 2022, the choir joined forces with the Oxford Bach Soloists and director Tom Hammond-Davies for an extended five-day “Bach week” at St Stephen’s House, Oxford, resulting in a triumphant performance of the Mass in B Minor at St John the Evangelist Church. The Crawley Bachistas also travelled to Leipzig with director and Bach specialist Barbara Höfling to perform some of the great composer's motets at St Thomas’s Church, where he was Kantor during his most productive years.

In more recent performances, the Crawley Bachistas have been joined by professional soloists and instrumentalists. The Sunday afternoon sing-throughs have become true concerts, often too large for Crawley’s church and therefore performed at St Paul’s Winchester – whence the name Bach Winchester Voices. Andrew Hayman has become the group's principal director, building on Jon’s enthusiasm to deliver inspired and polished performances.

The Bach Winchester Voices have organised sell-out performances of the St John Passion at Winchester College Chapel (March 2024 and April 2025) and of the Christmas Oratorio at St Paul’s Winchester (January 2024 and 2025). They made their Stockbridge Music debut in December 2025. Plans for 2026 include a horn-themed Bach weekend late January – and there are plans for a St Matthew Passion in the summer months!

"Fine ensemble singing ... excellent diction throughout ... infectious enthusiasm of the choir. The evangelist was sung with conviction and a crystal-clear tone by Sebastian Hill. A wonderful afternoon celebrating Bach's genius and massive congratulations to Andrew Hayman."
Hampshire Chronicle after Wachet auf!
St Peter's Stockbridge
7 December 2025

"We adored yesterday's superb Bach-fest ... sheer joy."
An audience member after Rejoice, Joyful Voices
St Paul's Winchester
7 September 2025

"The best amateur choir I've ever worked with."
One of the soloists after the Christmas Oratorio
St Paul's Winchester
19 January 2025

"That's what is so marvellous about your Bach performances – the words are clear."
An audience member after the Christmas Oratorio
St Paul's Winchester
19 January 2025