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About the Choir
Warrington
Male Voice Choir is one of the oldest choirs in the United Kingdom, tracing its
formation back to 1898. During its
long history the choir has performed in many famous concert halls and cathedrals
throughout Great Britain, Ireland, Europe and Canada. The choir has taken premier honours at all the principal
music festivals in the North and, during the past decade, has demonstrated its
choral quality and consistency by outstanding success in national and
international competition.
See also Programme
Notes for concert organisers/promoters.
Choir photograph taken in front of
Warrington Town Hall with the magnificent gates in the background.
The
choir is a vigorous organisation, regularly touring and raising significant
funds for other charities. Since
the IRA terrorist bombing of Warrington town centre in 1993, the choir has been
particularly active in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, promoting
reconciliation and an end to sectarian violence. Close links have been forged with Irish peace groups and
choir events have come to symbolise hope, raising expectations, strengthening
faith and reaching across divisions. Messages
of appreciation have been received from the late Princess Diana, from two Irish
Presidents, from two British Prime Ministers, from President Bill Clinton, and
from the Primate of All Ireland. The
choir has encouraged ‘grass roots’ reconciliation activities with young
people in the divided interface areas of West Belfast through its Warrington
Fund, and is known in Ireland as a ‘Choir for Peace’.
Fellowship
within the choir is legendary and is the foundation for choristers’ attempts
to build bridges of understanding, respect and tolerance.
In 1996, Terry Waite CBE became Patron in recognition of the humanitarian
role adopted by the choir and, in turn, has encouraged performances in prisons,
in England and in Ireland, to assist rehabilitation programmes.
Prison concerts have become a regular feature of the choir’s Christmas
activities.
At the
beginning of the 21st Century, choir membership had risen to over one hundred voices and
the Warrington Male
Voice Choir was recognised as one of the largest male choirs in the British
Isles. Choir membership in 2008 is of the
order of seventy voices. The choir is renowned for
its great dynamic range and thrilling concert performances.
The repertoire is varied, ranging from sixteenth century motets to
twenty-first century compositions, from grand opera to songs from the shows,
from shanties and spirituals to the classic male choral hymns.
Concert programmes have something for everyone, young and old.
The choir
rehearses twice weekly in Warrington and draws its members from a 20-mile
radius, from throughout the Cheshire and Merseyside region.
The current age range is from eighteen to eighty-eight years.
Three major concerts are performed each year in Warrington’s Parr Hall
(in April, September and December) when guests of national standing join with
the choir. Tickets are always in
great demand, and the hall is usually filled to capacity.
The
choir is made up of four sections or ‘voices’ - First Tenor, Second Tenor,
Baritone, Bass - and has an ambitious recruitment target of over one hundred members by
the end of 2008.
If you enjoy singing and would appreciate being part of a great
fellowship, then contact the Choir Secretary, Ian
Scholes, or come along to a
Monday or Thursday evening rehearsal at Alford Hall, Manchester Road, Warrington
(A57).
You
will be made very welcome.
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