Whitehaven 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, Councillor Anne Faichney. It had been a very warm day and the hall was stiflingly hot, but that didn’t stop the choir performing well or the audience enjoying a really good show. It must have been hard work for the men on stage, dressed as they were in full uniform for the first half of the programme, coping with the heat from the stage lighting as well.

This year saw a return to Whitehaven of Kate Woolveridge, a Welsh born mezzo-soprano, with an impeccable musical pedigree. She alone looked as though she was undeterred by the heat in the hall, giving us, in turn, opera, stage, traditional and show music. Her timing was enviable, her stage presence warm and welcoming, her flirtatiousness with the choir pitched just right and all delivered with a warm Welsh sense of humour. It was good to see her back. Her programme, which included Habenera, from Bizet’s ‘Carmen’, George Gershwin’s Embraceable You, and Richard Rodger’s Bewitched, was well chosen for the occasion and clearly delighted the audience who requested her back for an encore.

The choir, whose programme was introduced by their Musical Director, Hugh Robinson, continue to surprise their followers with the range of their performance, switching with seeming ease between operatic choruses, (Gounod’s Soldiers Chorus from ‘Faust’, Richard Wagner’s Prayer from ‘Lohengrin’, and Dvorak’s Goin’ Home), songs from the shows (Some Enchanted Evening by Richard Rodgers, Rhythm of Life by Cy Coleman, and All I Ask of You by Andrew Lloyd Webber), and spirituals (Hand me Down My Silver Trumpet, Shall We Gather at the River, My Lord, What a Mornin’). Add in some ‘middle of the road’ (Unchained Melody, Alex North, You Raise Me Up, Graham & Lovland, My Dearest Dear, Ivor Novello) and jazz, (Alexander’s Ragtime Band, Irving Berlin), and you get a sense of their repertoire.

I almost forgot to mention the accompanists Joan Johnston and Aileen Rule, and Alan Jackson who accompanied Kate Woolveridge. Each gave of their best throughout the evening and without whom the evening would have been lacking.

Once again we were treated to a concert that was varied in content, professionally performed, and delivered with obvious pleasure and which included a soloist of excellence. Well done, all of you.