History

The choir was founded in 1969 with just 5 members. Today, membership stands at around 50. Turnout for concert performances regularly exceeds 40.

Major Concerts

We usually hold our Annual Concert in April or May in Harrogate, when we invite guest soloists or instrumentalists to join us. We also hold an annual Christmas concert at St Aelred's Church.

In recent years we have we have joined other Male Voice Choirs in the Yorkshire Festival of Music organised by Yorkshire Cancer Research every 3 years, usually at the Royal Albert Hall. The latest in this series was a Festival of Brass & Voices on behalf of Cancer Research UK, at The Royal Albert Hall on October 31st 2009, featuring two major brass bands and over 1000 choristers from all over the UK.

We have also held joint concerts with other Male Voice Choirs at various locations. In October 2006 the Forest of Dean Male Voice Choir joined us for a concert in Harrogate. We returned the visit with a tour to the Forest of Dean in October 2007, when we sang joint concerts with the Forest of Dean choir at Ross-on-Wye and with the Churchdown Male Voice Choir at Westbury-on-Severn. The Churchdown choir visited us for 2 joint concerts in October 2008.

Our major concert in 2009, our 40th Anniversary year, was held at the Royal Hall on 24 October, with an audience of over 700. Our guests on that occasion were the Glenn Miller Orchestra. We also held a joint concert with the Low Fell Ladies choir on 13 June. In December, in addition to our annual Christmas concert at St Aeldred's Church, we took part in Carol Concerts at St Anne's Cathedral, Leeds, and at Ripon Cathedral.

Special Occasions

The choir performs at a variety of private functions, including weddings, anniversaries and corporate events.

If you would like us to sing at your event, please click here for further details.

Community Concerts

The majority of our concerts are held in support of a local charity. These are held in churches, village and community halls, mainly in the Harrogate area, but also elsewhere in Yorkshire. Over the years the choir has helped to raise substantial sums for many worthy causes.

Our repertoire in a mixture of religious and secular music, and includes modern items as well as traditional male voice choir numbers.
As well as choral items, our concerts include a number of solo items and monologues, linked by one of our inimitable comperes.
A typical concert programme is -

Song of the Jolly Roger The Fishermen of England Solo Down among the Dead Men Last of the Summer Wine Monologue Deep Harmony Non Nobis Domine Solo Ride the Chariot Gwahoddiad INTERVAL

Eli Jenkins' Prayer Amen (This Little Light of Mine) Solo My Love is like the Red, Red Rose Can't Help Falling in Love with You Monologue The Rose Rose of England Solo Like an Eagle Softly, as I Leave You Morte Criste

We would be delighted to hear from any charitable group who would like to consider booking the choir for a fundraising event. Please contact the Concert Secretary for further details.

Join us

New members are always welcome (especially Tenors). We do not hold formal auditions for new members, but an ability to sing tenor, baritone or bass is obviously required. An ability to read music is helpful, but not essential.

We rehearse every Tuesday (except during August) from 7.30 to 9.30p.m. at Woodlands Methodist Church Hall on Wetherby Road, Harrogate. Anybody interested in joining us should contact any committee member, or simply turn up at a rehearsal. 

Friends

For those who are unable to join the choir, but who would like to show their support for the choir's work, we run a Friends scheme. Friends are invited to join the choir in a number of social activities throughout the year. See the Friends page for further details.