Whitehaven Male Voice Choir profile picture

Whitehaven Male Voice Choir

About Me

A BRIEF HISTORY OF WHITEHAVEN: The historic town of Whitehaven is situated on the Northwest Coast of England in the county of Cumbria and nestles between the Irish Sea and the beautiful Lake District. Whitehaven was a town built on coal, the industry that the monks at nearby St Bees first developed in the 13th century, although the town itself was planned and built in the 18th century. The town centre now is predominantly Georgian, although there is evidence of Italianate and Gothic architecture to be seen. It was the seat of the Lowther family, whose family crest was incorporated into the town insignia and which the Choir proudly wear as their blazer badge. The town is built on the foursquare grid system typical of Georgian towns. The town has 'tons' of history, not all of it good. There are links with America, through George Washington (whose grandmother Mildred Gale is buried in Whitehaven) and John Paul Jones who was raised in the town, trained as a seaman and subsequently founded the American Navy, in a cruel twist of fate, he actually sailed his American ship Ranger to Whitehaven in 1778 and attacked the town. There are also links with the slave trade, tobacco, sugar and rum. The wonderful coastline was once home to smugglers! There is a history of shipbuilding, plus ancillary trades and the town was once the third largest port in mainland Britain after London and Liverpool. More recently, the biennial International Maritime Festival has put Whitehaven firmly on the tourist map, attracting large numbers of visitors to the town and the creatively restored harbour. Add to this the fact that at only half-an-hour away from the Western Lake District, it can be truly thought of as a gateway to the past, present and future. Take a tour of Whitehaven's Marina. WHITEHAVEN MALE VOICE CHOIR: Not only is the town itself steeped in history, but the Male Voice movement can also be traced back to the 1800's and can boast that in the early 1900's a local Miners' Male Voice Choir was formed, to raise funds during the Miners' Lock-Out. Founded in 1977, the present Whitehaven Male Voice Choir has established an enviable reputation among the musical world of male voices in Britain, along with appearances on local radio and television. During the Choir's thirty year existence, it has taken part in many musical festivals and proven its quality by winning many first prizes and has been joined in concert by world renowned soloists and choirs from Britain and America. The Choir have performed in many prestigious venues, such as The Royal Albert Hall in London; on three occasions, Cardiff Arms Park; twice and Sheffield Arena, to name a few. In June every year, the Choir hosts it’s prestigious ‘Annual Concert’ in Whitehaven Civic Hall, for which they engage the services of guest soloists or choirs of national/international renown. These ‘sell-out’ concerts have become a highlight in the annual calendar of Cumbria’s cultural and music scene; it is the only concert throughout the year, from which the proceeds are for the Choir’s own funds. Another highlight of the Choir year is their Christmas Celebration Concert, the proceeds from which are donated to a local charity, selected by the Choir. Every year the Choir raises thousands of pounds, through their sell-out concerts, for charities throughout Britain. The Choir's greatest delight, is to let their enthusiasm and love of singing well-over for the enjoyment of others, so relax and enjoy the sound of Whitehaven Male Voice Choir in their very own MySpace.

Create your own visitor map!

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 1/13/2007
Band Website: www.wmvc.co.uk
Band Members: Director of Music: Hugh Robinson FTCL, LTCL Deputy Director of Music: Barry Burns Accompanist: Joan Johnston Assistant Accompanist: Aileen Rule 1st TENOR: Peter Atkinson Len Chapman Harry Craghill John Hadfield Billy King Muir Lachlan Ron Lithgow Colin Moore Phil McSorley Chris Parish Steve Parker Russell Wigham Joe Wynne 2nd TENOR: Bob Adair Derrick Coid Gerry Camlin Richard Hardiman John Kerr Cyril McManus Don Messenger Bill Raine BARITONE: Harold Bainbridge Barry Burns David Clark Harry Graham Pat Kilbride David Proud Ian Smith Mike Smith Joe Tonepohl Harry Upton Neville Wadeley BASS: David Blake Ben Ingall John Knewstubb Sandy MacDonald Ian Morgan Selwyn Morris Brian Routledge George Rumney Graeme Wishart Non Singing Members: Ronnie Copeland Tom Wishart Adrian Worsley The Choir are always willing to warmly welcome new members. If you'd like to join the Choir, visit our website for more information - wmvc.co.uk
Influences: Traditional male voice choral songs. Opera/Operetta. Songs from the shows. Sacred/Religious songs. Pop hits, such as 'An American Trilogy' - Elvis and 'You Raise Me Up' - Westlife.
Sounds Like: Whitehaven Male Voice Choir
Record Label: Unsigned

My Blog

The Gibside Singers Annual concert review

Whitehaven Male Voice Choir were on their travels again last weekend, this time to Stanley, in County Durham, where they were the guests of the Gibside Singers, at their annual concert. The Gibside Si...
Posted by on Wed, 29 Apr 2009 07:29:00 GMT

Christmas Celebration Concert - 2008

The Choir's 2008 Christmas Celebration Concert will take place on Saturday December 13th at St James' Church, High Street, Whitehaven commencing at 7:30pm. The concert will feature a selection of the ...
Posted by on Wed, 22 Oct 2008 14:37:00 GMT

Annual Concert review - June 2008

Sunday June 8th 2008 was a jewel of a day in more ways than one. The day was warm and balmy and Whitehaven had basked in wall-to-wall sunshine. The evening weather continued in much the same vein, b...
Posted by on Mon, 16 Jun 2008 07:22:00 GMT

Choir to perform for Royal visit - June 5th 2008

The Choir at The Beacon in 2007 Whitehaven Male Voice Choir have been invited to perform in front of The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh during their visit to Whitehaven on Thursday June 5th 2008. The...
Posted by on Thu, 22 May 2008 00:20:00 GMT

Annual Concert - 2008

Whitehaven Male Voice Choir perform around twenty concerts a year for charities, charitable organisations, churches, community groups and other worthy causes. They charge no fee for their services, al...
Posted by on Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:40:00 GMT

Christmas Celebration Concert - 2007

A previous Christmas Concert. Whitehaven Male Voice Choir are nearing the end of what has been a very busy and exciting 30th Anniversary Year. Highlights have included a popular six week exhibition ...
Posted by on Sat, 17 Nov 2007 01:02:00 GMT

Miner triumph

By Margaret Crosby The unique setting of the old engine winding hall at Haig Colliery Mining Museum provided the perfect acoustics for a performance by Whitehaven Male Voice Choir.The concert was wel...
Posted by on Sun, 05 Aug 2007 16:17:00 GMT

Annual Concert Review - June 2007

By Sue RaineWhitehaven Male Voice Choir's annual concert, this year titled 'Come and Hear', was presented to a very full Civic Hall on Sunday 10th June in the presence of the Mayor of Copeland, Counci...
Posted by on Thu, 14 Jun 2007 07:47:00 GMT

W.M.V.C. 30th Anniversary Year History Exhibition

In recognition of Whitehaven Male Voice Choir's 30th Anniversary Year, they have been invited to display an exhibition of the choir history at The Beacon on Whitehaven's harbourside. This was official...
Posted by on Mon, 23 Apr 2007 11:00:00 GMT

25 Years of Song CD

The songs you hear on Whitehaven Male Voice Choir's MySpace are from their album '25 Years of Song' which was recorded in November 2002 by Priory Records, and released in 2003, in celebration of the c...
Posted by on Thu, 01 Feb 2007 03:37:00 GMT