Ashington Male Voice Choir

The Choir was founded in October 1916 by Mr. W. H. Batey, a fine local musician. The Council minutes of September 22nd, 1916, record . . . "A letter was received from the Ashington Male Voice Choir asking for the use of the Council Chamber on Wednesday night of each week for practices. The object of the Choir was for advancing musical education in the district and for helping local authorities. lt was agreed that the use of the Council Chamber be granted on the usual terms.” Mr. Batey laid the foundations of successful choral singing of a high standard winning many contests and earning a fine reputation for the choir.

The leadership of the Choir has been taken up by Neil Morton. Neil is a long-standing friend and past leader who returned to the role of Musical Director in 2018 to assist the Choir in meeting its commitment for the foreseeable future.

He is no stranger to the Choir and brings his musicality, experience together with his unusual wit and charm that makes performances and rehearsals a pleasure.

Neil reflected ‘We have a book in the choir. A register of Choir subs and attendance going back over the years. I was shocked to see, on a page from a bygone year, my own name appears. I flicked through and found the tick acknowledging my first rehearsal in 1992 when I was a lad of 14 years.

‘They say time flies when you’re having fun. As I look back over my time with the choir, spread out over the last three decades, some sitting with the bass section, some behind the piano and several standing at the front, I see what they mean. A proud history of local service and comradery, hundreds of concerts and fun filled Thursday nights sharing the love of song.’

https://www.ashingtonmalevoicechoir.org.uk/