Leeds Male Voice Choir marks 110 years of hitting the high notes
It’s the male voice choir which has now been hitting the high notes for more than a century.
Leeds Male Voice Choir was founded in 1916 as the Broom Excelsior Male Voice Choir at Broom Colliery in Middleton by colliery electrician Thomas Crossland, the choir’s first musical director.
It developed an excellent reputation in the 1920s performing for charity and appeared on local radio programmes throughout northern England – even travelling to London in 1924 to sing at the Cenotaph on Whitehall.
As membership expanded across the city, the ensemble adopted the name Leeds Male Voice Choir in 1947.
Over the last decade, under the direction of Tim Knight, the choir has grown to more than 70 singers and established itself as one of the most recognisable male voice choirs in Northern England.
Leeds Male Voice Choir’s performances now stretch from Lancaster Priory in the west to Bridlington Priory in the east, and from Carlisle Cathedral in the north to Doncaster Minster in the south.
The choir is set to mark its milestone of music-making with a landmark anniversary concert at Pudsey Parish Church on Saturday, March 21, at 7.30pm.
The anniversary programme reflects the choir’s trademark breadth with music by Charles Wesley, Vaughan Williams, Clara Schumann, Felix Mendelssohn and Sarah Quartel alongside pieces made famous by film and musical theatre in what will be a unique musical celebration in the city.
Robert Butler from Leeds Male Voice Choir said: "It’s going to be a really special celebration with a rich mix of music, both with a nod to the past and music to inspire the future.”
* Tickets are available at: https://leedsmalevoicechoir.co.uk/tickets/