Honley Male Voice Choir: Marking 90 years with commemorative rehearsal

The choir went on to establish a national profile, winning a string of competitions and performing with well-known names, as well as raising countless thousands of pounds for charity. Its 64 members continue to stage around 12 performances each year in West Yorkshire and the choir also offers an important social space for members.

Rehearsals are now held in nearby Armitage Bridge, but the one-off return will give performers an opportunity to pay tribute to their heritage and the pursuit of their founders’ central goal of “excellence in singing”.

Steven Roberts, choir conductor and musical director, said members came from all walks of life including singers aged from 18 to 92.

The group no longer took part in competitions to focus on being a concert choir. This allowed them to expand their repertoire to as many as 30 pieces ranging from traditional male voice standards to musical theatre and pop songs.

“The strength of our repertoire is that it can be pleasurable to almost anybody,” he said.

He said many choirs had struggled during the covid pandemic but it had held weekly online sessions to keep people connected before returning with new Find Your Voice workshops inviting men to explore their singing potential.

The approach had been so successful it had been repeated annually, securing a number of new recruits. He said there was a significant social side to the choir which gave singers “a sense of camaraderie, family and friendship”.

“We support each other through ill health or bereavement,” he said. “What’s really nice is this is a safe space for men who can just be themselves. It really is a family. It’s a wonderful experience.”

In 1936, members were initially charged 3d a week for rehearsal room rental and to purchase music. A few months before the outbreak of war, they won their first trophy at Cleethorpes Music Festival.

Further competition victories followed, although by the mid-1950s meeting minutes reveal criticism of members “apathy, carelessness and lack of concentration” amid suggestions of banning smoking during rehearsals. The choir survived and by 1966 began wearing evening dress for performances.

They appeared for the first time on television for Yorkshire TV’s Stars on Sunday at Leeds Town Hall and also staged a number of concerts with the Royal Marines Band, Portsmouth.

Members won the first National Male Voice Choir Championship in 1991 and the Champions of Champions contest a year later. A key part of its role remains fundraising for charities. Choir chairman Stephen Broadbery said it had been an “incredible journey”.

The choir’s Christmas with Honley concert is at Huddersfield Town Hall with Carlton Main Frickley Colliery Brass Band on December 6.