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60 Years of
The Sound of Music
2025 marks the 60th anniversary of The Sound of Music soundtrack album
The Sound of Music soundtrack album was pressed at Decca Records in New Malden in 1965. It topped the UK album charts for an unprecedented 70 weeks in total between 1965 and 1968!
When Edward Lewis founded Decca Records in 1929 he acquired the Duophone Record Company, and with it its premises on Burlington Road, New Malden. This was to become the only Decca pressing plant in the UK and a major local employer, hiring hundreds from Kingston and the surrounding boroughs at any one time. Of the records pressed here in New Malden – at peak production up to 60,000 a day – many can now be found dispersed all over the world. Find out more about Decca's heritage.
To celebrate the legacy of this amazing music heritage, New Malden Residents' Association, The Community Brain and The Community Train are holding a free Sound of Music event on Saturday 13 September 2025.
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The event
When
Saturday 13 September 2025
What
A celebration of 60 years of The Sound of Music. We're inviting you to take part in a free community singing event, highlighting four key songs from the famous musical.
Locations
Meeting point: New Malden Methodist Church, 49 High St, New Malden KT3 4BY
Main event: New Malden Station Car Park, 14 Dukes Ave, New Malden KT3 4HL
Timings
13:30 Gather at New Malden Methodist Church before processing to New Malden station with marshalls
14:00 1st performance
14:15 Break between performances
14:45 2nd performance
15:00 Thank you and farewell
FAQs
Who can take part in the singing?
Anyone wishing to sing on the day can turn up and take part. The lyrics are available below and we will have some printed lyric sheets available. We will be singing in unison. There will be two performances at 14:00 and 14:45.
Will there be a rehearsal?
There won’t be a rehearsal on the day, but you’re welcome to listen to the recordings below and practice along at home if you’d like to.
Do I need to let you know I'm performing in advance?
You're very welcome to turn up on the day and take part, although it would be helpful for us to have an idea of numbers. You can RSVP in this short online form to let us know you're planning to join in. We will write to you with any updates about the event day, but only for this event. You can sign up to The Community Brain newsletter separately if you'd like updates about our other events throughout the year.
What songs will be performed?
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Sound of Music
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Do Re Mi
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My Favourite Things
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Climb Every Mountain
Can I just come and watch?
Yes! We’d love to have members of the community coming along to watch the performances.
What is the dress code?
To celebrate 60th anniversary of Sound of Music being pressed at Decca Records, we’re inviting everyone to dress as a nun for the performances. Find an easy method to make a habit.
You can change at the church when you arrive, but please be aware there is no storage for bags.
If you would rather not dress as a nun, please wear all black if you are joining the singing.
What time does the event end?
The second performance will finish at approximately 15:00.
Learning resources
If you'd like to practice the songs in advance, please take a look at the resources below.
Rodgers & Hammerstein have a Youtube playlist with the lyrics and soundtrack for all songs on the album (without the vocals):
Choir Leader: Jane Wilkinson
Jane trained as a lyric Soprano at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland gaining a BMus (Hons) and then at the Royal College of Music where she was awarded a graduate diploma.
At the Royal College of music she won the Godfrey van Someran competition for English song and was a runner up in the BBC Radio 3 Kiri Te Kanawa competition. Her solo recital work has taken her across the UK Europe and South Africa. She has performed at the Edinburgh Festival Theatre, the Usher Hall, Bridgewater Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Wigmore Hall among many others.
Operatic performances include Marriage of Figaro (Mozart), The Vanishing Bridegroom (Weir), Ronaldo (Handel), Cendrillon (Massent) and Dido and Anaeus (Purcell). She has premiered several lead roles; Louise in These things happen (Jonathan Pease), Romola in The Clown of God (Mander), Death in The Ancient Mariner (Mander), Woman One in Hey! Jack! (Nasseur) and Cynthia in The Dowagers Oyster (Mander).
Jane has an extensive and varied recording career; starting with the Early Learning Centre education CDs, to new compositions in the English song genre, all the way to lead vocals on four albums with the folk rock group Otherworld.
Oratorio plays a large part in Jane's singing career. She has been soprano soloist in Gloria (Vivaldi), Te Deum (Dvorak), C Minor Mass (Mozart), Requiem (Mozart), Messiah (Handel), Israel in Egypt (Handel), Magnificent (Rutter) and Nelson Mass (Hayden).
Jane’s work with chamber orchestra includes Egmont (Beethoven), Knoxville Summer of 1915 (Barber), Four Poems by Emily Bronte (Robin Walker), Shepherd on the Rock (Schubert) and the Coffee Cantata (Bach).
