Saddleworth

DONS OF THE VALLEY

SMVC are back where they belong - as champion male voice choir at the Don Valley Festival regaining the trophy last held in 2008.

There was little doubt among the sell-out audience that a winning performance had been given with our powerful rendition of “Glory and Love”, the Soldiers’ Chorus from Gounod’s “Faust”, followed by a moving and atmospheric take on Wilfred Shaw’s “An Evening's Pastorale”. The pin-drop silence at the end of Pastorale reflected an audience effect not matched by anything any of the other four choirs could offer. Not that there were any weak performances on the night, an observation made by the adjudicator, Gareth Green. I enjoyed Tideswell’s version of Leonard Cohen’s much recorded “Hallelujah” and New Mills’ lively “Johnny Come Down” but nothing quite matched the quality of SMVC’s singing on the night.

After the event the regulars at the Milton Arms in Elsecar were treated to some impromptu entertainment including a genuine stein-swinging version of Diridonda!

For anyone who missed it – it was a super night reflecting what SMVC does best – great singing and great camaraderie. Bring on the next festival!
Ian Smith

SAD NEWS...

It is with great regret that we have to report that Mr Clifford Cheetham, the choir Chairman, passed away in the early hours of 29th December 2010, having been ill for several months.

Cliff joined the choir over 20 years ago, and for several years had been Baritone Section Leader, and a member of the Committee, prior to being elected Chairman in May 2009. He was also the Wardrobe Master, and in addition single-handedly organised the annual Choir Dinner, which for years has been a very successful event, not least because he was also “Master of Ceremonies” for this, a role he always carried out with consummate ease and style.

He will be very sadly missed.
Ray Smith

STILL STILL FALLING SNOW...   

Whatever the weather the show must go on and indeed it did last Saturday at Holy Trinity Church Bardsley. SMVC performed a wide range of music on our return to this venue receiving an enthusiastic response from the audience who had likewise braved the elements.

Beginning with Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “ There is nothing like a dame” followed by the dramatic “Comrades In Arms”, an effective mood change brought “Still Wie De Nacht”. Our first part of the programme finished with “Let’s face the music” and “African Trilogy.” As someone commented during the interval, that’s four languages in one go:- English, German, Swahili and American!

Our second spot opened with “When the Saints” and “Gospel Train” finishing with the more seasonal flavour of “When a child is born”, “Infant Holy” and (back to the snow) “Still, still, still.”
Also on the bill were the members of Saddleworth School Brass Ensemble who opened with Three Hungarian Folksongs including the wonderfully titled “The Hungarians quarrel with the Austrians” (not again!) and “Now I’m Old and Bald” which is not going to be our new choir motto. After the interval they played four spirituals including “Swing low” and “Steal away”.

Charlie P’s reputation must be spreading because we also listened to the Saddleworth George Formby Society playing many of the toothy Wigan man’s hits – that’s George not Charlie. They unfortunately suffered from an over-loud backing track and a temperamental PA system which rather affected the quality of the vocals but their youngest member seems a bit of a star for the future.
We also raised the roof with some good carol singing and the concert finished with those Twelve Days of Christmas. Then it was back outside into that bleak midwinter...
Ian Smith

* A big thanks also to Robert Williams from the basses for all his efforts to ensure the concert happened and to Mrs W our MC for the night.

OH, WE QUITE LIKE TO BE BESIDE THE SEASIDE...
VENUE CYMRU is a splendid modern addition to the elegant Edwardian architecture of Llandudno’s promenade. This huge theatre/conference complex hosts a wide variety of events from Rotary conventions to Joe Pasquale; musicals (Cats, Sound of Music) to Derek Jacobi in King Lear.
Last weekend the rafters rang with the many and varied sounds of the North Wales Choral Festival including your own, your very own SMVC.

Competing against choirs from Scandinavia, Ireland, Wales and England – do the Scots not sing unless there’s a bagpipe handy? – we performed “Comrades In Arms”, “Still Wie Die Nacht” and “When The Saints” as our party pieces.

The quality of our singing is for others more qualified to judge but we didn’t make the top three, losing out to Fflint/Flint who, I am assured, were very good, Bolsterstone – a friendly bunch of blokes from West Yorkshire, tha knaws – and in top slot Amici Men. This decision, I think it’s fair to say, caused some contentious debate about level playing fields, etc. Amici are a group of a dozen trained singers of a professional level who are drawn from a wide area of England, who presumably have to audition regularly to a consistently high standard to stay in the group and who are, not surprisingly, very impressive in concert. I simply wonder whether like competed against like on Saturday when the other choirs were essentially amateur with a more open entry policy for prospective singers. Was the £500 1st prize ever going to go anywhere else?

Anyway, sour grapes swallowed, we had a good weekend, a few of us staying over in the hotel that had accommodated the Von Trapp children – beat that for mixing with the stars!
Ian Smith

A STAR TURN IN STAFFORDSHIRE
Biddulph Musical Festival
Saturday 2nd October, 2010

THE SADDLEWORTH Male Voice Choir entered the Biddulph Music Festival in Staffordshire last Saturday. In the Male Voice Choir Class they had a walk-over but the Saddleworth choir needed to attain a score of 85 marks to enable them to proceed to the festival’s major event, the Choral Recital Class. The Saddleworth choir sang the test piece Gospel Train followed by Comrades in Arms and gained 87 marks to go through to challenge the three other class winners.

In the Choral Recital Class the choirs are required to sing a 12 minutes concert repertoire of varying pieces and the Saddleworth choir sang When the Saints Go Marching In, Still Wie Die Nacht (sung in German), My Lord What a Morning and finished with the African Trilogy (partly sung in Swahili). Adjudicators Vivien Pike and Jeffrey Wynn-Davies placed the Saddleworth choir first with 339 marks, just pipping the Ladybrook Singers from Stockport by two marks.

The choir was presented with the T M Copeland Trophy and £100 and their rendition of the African Trilogy was voted the best performed piece in the competition.
John Watts

THERE IS NOTHING LIKE A DAME
St George’s Church, Mossley
Saturday June 26th, 2010

SADDLEWORTH Male Voice Choir’s concert at St. George’s Church Mossley last Saturday was the final appearance of the choir’s highly respected and much loved principal accompanist Sylvia Hoare who will retire at the end of the month. Sylvia first played for the choir in 1993 and became their principalaccompanist in 1997.

Her contribution to the choir cannot be measured. Her commitment, polished performances and empathy both with the music and MD Damian Cunningham have been instrumental in the choir’s successes during this period. On this special occasion it seemed only fitting that the choir’s guest was singer Shirley Harrison, Sylvia’s daughter.

After the concert the choir, together with wives, patrons, friends and Sylvia’s family returned to the Uppermill Conservative Club to celebrate the event. Following the presentation of a certificate by the Choir President Mr. Malcolm Hill to commemorate her appointment as a Vice President of the choir, Sylvia received gifts from the SMVC Ladies Committee, Damian Cunningham the choir MD and the choir.

The choir wished her well in her retirement but look forward to her continued invaluable support in rehearsing for and singing in their annual performance of Messiah.
John Watts

A LITTLE BIT OF SOUTH AFRICA IN DENTON
Christ Church, Denton
Saturday June 12th, 2010

THERE were no vuvuzela blasts – indeed the evening had been declared a football-free zone – but SMVC still brought something of the atmosphere of the World Cup to Denton last Saturday with a stirring rendition of African Trilogy as part of our concert at Christ Church.

As our accompanist Sylvia’s penultimate appearance playing for us SMVC’s programme contained some items at her request including My Dearest Dear and My Lord What A Morning as well as a choir tribute in the form of There Is Nothing Like A Dame with Andy Hufton in fine solo voice.

Shirley Harrison entertained the audience with an excellent array of songs both humorous ( such as Cole Porter’s I Hate Men from Kiss Me Kate) and poignant (my personal favourite, Donald Swann’s elegy to long gone railway stations Slow Train).

Despite the TV attractions of international football the church was packed – and those who came ultimately enjoyed a far superior set of performances than the England fans in Rustenburg. Sadly most of the England team don’t even seem to know the words of the National Anthem.
Ian Smith
 
THE END OF AN ERA
The Old School, Uppermill
Wednesday 9th June, 2010

BY WAY of a finale – in its present format at any rate – the ladies of Saddleworth Male Voice Choir Ladies Committee gatecrashed our recent rehearsal so that Chairman Carol Smith could present Damian with a conductor’s chair and a cheque for nearly £2,200. Carol also referred to the music which the ladies had bought for the choir – namely Let’s Face The Music And Dance – which they hoped would be ready for performing at our next concert! In return we showed our appreciation via renditions of There Is Nothing Like A Dame and Softly As I Leave You.

The contribution which SMVCLC has made to the choir over the years is huge, not just in terms of fundraising/financial support (at the last count over £17,000!) but also the help they have provided in organising refreshments at countless events as well as their encouraging attendance at all our concerts both home and away.

The existence of SMVCLC has given the choir an extra valuable dimension not enjoyed by many other choirs – this is something Chairman Cliff reminded us of some while back – and needless to say many choir members (and I suspect a few ladies as well) regret the decision to fold. I am sure however that their support for concerts and future social events will continue. Thanks again ladies for what you have done!

By the way, John Dumsday and his committee have come up with some excellent ideas for social events which I sincerely hope ALL members will support – see the notice board at rehearsals to sign up for these. Please pass on any further ideas you have of your own. I’ve signed up for the canal and brewery trips and for Oldham Coliseum in October – what about you? After all it’s YOUR choir.
Ian Smith

CHAPEL BELLES
Corpus Christi Church, Oldham
Saturday 15th May, 2010

THE rafters of Corpus Christi Church rang with the combined voices of SMVC and their special guests Chapel-en-le-Frith Ladies Choir in what was effectively a “return fixture” concert – we had sung with the ladies a couple of years ago. None of us, of course, looked a day older...

Our MD described the church acoustics as “generous” and what a pleasure it was to perform in such an auditorium. The notes left hanging in the air at the end of items like Anthem (SMVC) and Adiemus (Chapel Ladies) were quite spine-tingling and received terrific responses from the audience.

SMVC were in excellent form benefiting I am sure from the rigorous experience of recent festivals and competitions while the Ladies were both skilful and entertaining under the musical leadership of Lucy Crew. Particularly enjoyable I thought were their Cole Porter medley, their version of C Strommen’s Like An Eagle and J Watson’s witty A La Cart.

The evening ended with a combined rendition of Rhythm Of Life giving those acoustics another workout and sending the audience home happy. Oh, and Maurice shifted a few more CDs as well!
Ian Smith

FLAG WAVING IN UPPERMILL
A Concert For St George
Saturday April 24th, 2010

IT MAY be several centuries ago that (according to Shakespeare) Henry V gathered his troops outside the walls of Harfleur and exorted them into battle with his famous words “Cry, God for Harry, England and St George!” but his spirit of rousing patriotism lived again in Uppermill last Saturday.

Held together by a narrative revealing a number of hitherto unknown facts about our much travelled (according to our MD/MC) and maiden-rescuing Saint, the English warriors – plus a small band of Welsh mercenaries – of SMVC entertained an enthusiastic audience of flag wavers with a well received programme of music.

Our special guests for the night, the Oldham Tinkers, added an excellent mix of songs and humour to the proceedings. I enjoyed The Rochdale Mashers and the ballad about the now sadly defunct train stations between Manchester and Oldham. “Metro-link” somehow lacks the charm and romance of Miles Platting and Mumps... At least a tram shouldn’t present as much danger to any passing troops of elephants!

The evening came to a resounding finale with the usual Rule Britannia-Land Of Hope And Glory-Jerusalem medley, the hall awash with Union Jacks. I think Henry would have been proud.
Ian Smith

STUTTERING LOVERS AND DRUNKEN SAILORS
Eskdale Festival, Whitby
April 10th, 2010

THE blazer’s back in the wardrobe, the photo of Whitby harbour should look good framed and the farewell gifts from the seagulls removed from the car – so what to make of it all?

I’m not musically skilled enough to pass expert judgement on the various performances we produced and heard from others but I know what I liked. I enjoyed the ladies from Wakefield and their well rehearsed stuttering, I admired the smart black jackets of the blokes from York (memo to adjudicator: were they really so good that you had to put them first in every class?) and I thought SMVC won the audience response BAFTA (The Lord’s Prayer and African Trilogy) by a country mile. Respect is due by the way to our new superstar Peter Hatton – absolutely top performance of the competition.

OK, no trophy for us this time perhaps despite – in my humble opinion – our High Barbary knocking spots off any number of squiffy sailors but that’s the nature of competitions I suppose. All in all it was again a great weekend musically and socially. I know it’s to each his own and some members could only manage to attend the competition itself but to take part in the wider experience of being in SMVC is I think what it’s all about. Being in a choir opens up all sorts of opportunities not available to anyone else and the fun and fellowship of an SMVC weekend in Whitby is one of them.

Are we going again next year? I know what my vote is!
Ian Smith

SINGIN' THE BLUES
Don Valley Festival, Elsecar Heritage Centre
Sunday March 28th, 2010

SADDLEWORTH finished third in the Don Valley Festival’s Male Voice Choir competition, behind newcomers Tideswell and reigning champions New Mill.

The evening began with a bang as David Hirst led Strata Brass through three beautifully played pieces: Jubilee, Mack The Knife and the Appalachian Mountain Folk Song suite. Tideswell Male Voice Choir performed next, overcoming an understandably nervous start to What Would I Do Without My Music? before settling in to their rhythm and delivering a soulful performance of Psalm 126.

Then came SMVC, with renditions of Comrades In Arms and Albert Hay Malotte's The Lord’s Prayer. Though adjudicator Joan Foster praised the choir’s rhythmic awareness, success evaded them as New Mill delighted the judge with their choices: the swinging Li’l Liza Jane and Carl Bohm’s sweeping Still As The Night.

The audience was then treated to performances by winners from some of the festival’s other categories, before New Mill’s winning musical director Elizabeth Hambleton and accompanist Anne Levitt led all three choirs through With a Voice Of Singing, My Lord What A Mornin’ and Morte Criste. Strata Brass ended proceedings with aplomb with stirring renditions of Jerusalem and Elgar’s Land Of Hope And Glory, joined in fine style by a patriotic packed house.

WAY OUT WEST!
Christ Church, Croft, near Leigh
Saturday 20th March

SUPPORTING its second charity event of the season SMVC travelled to the rural flatlands of West Lancashire to sing at Christ Church Croft in aid of the NSPCC. Organised by local branch members the event brought the seasoned voices of the choir together with the youthful singing and guitar playing of 17-year-old Katie Drew which made for a fascinating and entertaining mix.

SMVC used the opportunity to give another airing to some competition pieces including a swashbuckling trip down the coast of High Barbary and an atmospheric rendition of R Lee Gilliam’s arrangement of My Lord What A Mornin’.

By contrast Katie gave the audience her own take on Bob Dylan’s beautiful Make You Feel My Love and other songs including an excellent version of the Eva Cassidy-inspired Somewhere Over The Rainbow.

The interval buffet supper was enjoyed by all, choir members abstemiously avoiding the wine on offer of course, and the raffle seemed highly profitable for a large number of us! An excellent night was rounded off by a visit to The General Elliott where we took over a room to ourselves – and learned that the concert had raised a terrific £600.

BRASS ’N’ VOICES OVER BLACKLEY
Higher Blackley Community Centre, Blackley
Saturday 6th March, 2010

SADDLEWORTH Male Voice Choir were the guests of Blackley Brass Band in what proved to be a most successful concert enjoyed by a packed house.

Concert of Remembrance, 13th November 2010.
Civic Hall, Uppermill.

The annual Concert of Remembrance with special guests Strata Brass was a huge success. The choir’s programme contained several new pieces which were sung for the first time and Strata Brass treated the audience to some great band music with the added dimension created by a trio of percussionists.
The Poem for the Fallen was read by the Rev. Howard Sutcliffe and the concert was attended by the Mayor and Mayoress of Oldham and the Chairman of Saddleworth Parish Council and his wife.
The choir was very fortunate to welcome to their concert two Chelsea Pensioners, Alf Hey (left) and Denis Shiels who had travelled to the area to attend the Oldham Borough Remembrance Day Service.
 Denis is one of the seven performers on the new Chelsea Pensioners ‘Men in Scarlet’ CD and prior to leaving London had been busy publicising the CD with the delightful Katherine Jenkins. Denis also appeared on the pre-recorded Remembrance Day Songs of Praise programme on BBC television.

John Watts

With an eye on forthcoming competitions (Don Valley and Eskdale) the choir included items such as Carl Bohm’s Still Wie Die Nacht, in a moving arrangement by Alwyn Humphreys, and a beautiful setting of the Lord’s Prayer by Carl Deis, while giving the male-voice staple Comrades In Arms its first public performance by the choir for some years. This mid-19th-century piece by Adolphe Adam, taken from his opera Les Enfants de Paris, prompted one audience member of senior years to comment: “Eee, it were nice to hear that Comrades song again” – another satisfied customer.

Blackley Band continue to improve in performance and technique under the skilled direction of Adie Smith. Last year the band was promoted to the 3rd Section where they are one of the leading contenders for competition prizes. The result on Saturday was a skilled and enjoyable playing of a variety of pieces including Neal Hefti’s Cute, two William Rimmer marches and a terrific Philip Sparke arrangement of Saint Saens Variations. The band also boasts some excellent soloists including Tara Bamford (flugelhorn in Concerto de Aranjuez), Chrissy Chalk-Williams (cornet, Share My Yoke) and Richard Sutcliffe’s horn playing in Come Back To Sorrento. When so many brass bands have, for various reasons, disappeared over the years it was good to see and hear a band still flying the flag.

This was the third time SMVC has shared a stage with Blackley Band and the sell-out audience with its departing comments reflected another excellent night’s music-making in which the choir has been involved.

CHARITY CONCERT SUCCESS
St Aidan's Church, Rochdale
Saturday 6th February, 2010

UNDER the auspices of Rochdale East Rotary Club Saddleworth Male Voice Choir joined forces with the young stars of Rochdale Youth Wind Band to entertain a 200-strong audience at St Aidan’s Church, Sudden – and in the process raised valuable funds for the Haiti Earthquake appeal.

£500 is now on its way to the Rotary ShelterBox headquarters in Cornwall to provide emergency equipment for the damaged island and its homeless people. Each ShelterBox contains a range of items selected for the particular needs of the stricken area – items such as a tent, thermal blankets, ground sheet, stove, a children’s pack, water purification system and basic tools such as a hammer, axe and saw. Many such boxes have been sent to Haiti already via the donations of other clubs as were many similarly when the tsunami struck south-east Asia.

The choir sang a fine selection of songs ranging from classical items such as Schubert’s Sanctus to the musical theatre of Anthem from Chess and the more pop-oriented Let It Be Me and Softly As I Leave You. The choir members were in excellent voice in their first concert of 2010.

The superb musicianship of the talented teenagers of the Wind Band is testimony to the quality consistently produced at Rochdale Music Centre. Under the skilful leadership of Cathie Brooks the appreciative audience were treated to a wide range of pieces such as Malcolm Arnold’s Fanfare For A Festival and Victor Lopez’s fine arrangement of tunes from the musical Chicago.

All in all a tremendous evening of music for a most worthy cause.

HALLELUJAH FOR OLDHAM MUSIC CENTRE
Civic Hall, Uppermill
Saturday 18th December, 2009
 
THERE was a significant Oldham Music Centre influence at the Saddleworth Male Voice Choir’s performance of Handel’s Messiah at the Uppermill Civic Hall on Saturday night. Damian Cunningham, the choir’s musical director was a student of the early music centre based at the former Westwood School.

The tenor soloist was David Shaw, a former member of the Oldham Junior, Senior and Youth choirs. David, who continued his musical studies at the Royal Northern College Of Music and has recently completed his Postgraduate studies, will be making his Glyndebourne debut in March 2010.
The baritone soloist was Nick Beever who also started his musical education at the Oldham Music Centre as a member of the Oldham Youth Choir and the Oldham Youth Orchestra. Nick gained scholarships to Chetham’s School Of Music and the RNCM where he is currently in his third year of studies.

Coincidental to the Music Centre trio performing together, the choir had invited Dr Eileen Bentley, the former Director of Music Services and a great influence on the three former protégés, to write a review of the performance. The choir presents an annual bursary to the Oldham Music Centre for the advancement of male choral singing.

CONCERT OF REMEMBRANCE
Civic Hall, Uppermill
Saturday 14th November, 2009

SADDLEWORTH Male Voice Choir and special guests Ashton Band joined forces for a Concert Of Remembrance.

The event, at the Civic Hall, Uppermill, was attended by the Mayor and Mayoress of Oldham, Councillors Jim McArdle and Kay Knox, and other civic dignitaries, who heard a variety of popular pieces in the first half, followed by a medley of war songs.

The Act of Remembrance was attended by Arthur Hinchliffe, standard bearer of the Uppermill branch of the Royal British Legion. The Bishop of Middleton, the Right Rev Mark Davies, read the poem For The Fallen. Also in attendance were Oldham’s Youth Mayor, Mohammed Adil, and Saddleworth Parish Council chairman Alma McInnes with her consort Councillor Ian McInnes.