At Sunday’s concert, we bid a fond farewell to our amazing Music Director & Conductor, Alison North MBE after 9 wonderful years of magical music making.
In that time the choirs have achieved so much – we have won 9 classes at Mrs Sunderland Festival and at least 4 classes at Holmfirth Music Festival; Young Voices got through to the semi-finals of the BBC Songs of Praise Choir of the Year (only to have their moment of glory scuppered by COVID); the Youth Choir took part in the CBBC programme ‘Creeped Out’; composers such as Bob Chilcott and Don Besig have congratulated our performances of their music; Vocalise have performed with Huddersfield Choral Society in pieces such as Britten’s War Requiem & Saint Nicolas & Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 and our joint choirs have joined them regularly for their annual Christmas concert; we’ve taken part in 5 Brass & Voices concerts as guests of Thongsbridge Bowling Club alongside our great friends Hade Edge Band and been guests of Lindley Band for 2 of their annual Christmas concerts. Not to mention Concert on the Hill, Colne Valley Lions charity concert, The Greatest Show with Honley Ladies Choir, carol singing in Sainsburys, Morrisons, National Coal Mining Museum, Joys Coffee House (Kirkburton), Huddersfield Outdoor Market & Outlane Bowling Club – plus 3 of our own concerts every year! We even took part in a marriage proposal flash mob – and she said yes!
Leading us every step of the way has been Alison – with her special kind of musical magic! She fills these youngsters with confidence, love and enthusiasm and her passion for music is truly infectious. She’s like the pied piper of choral singing – children will follow her every move! Yet its not just children; as the one-time children of the Young Voices become the teenagers of Vocalise their performances grow with them and some of the music they now produce is of such quality it is sometimes simply breathtaking. We can certainly be confident she is leaving the choirs in wonderful shape ready for the next chapter.
We would like to wish Alison, Lee, and their wonderful family all the very best for the future – whatever it may hold!
And Alison, this is not goodbye, but so long & see you soon! Â Â Â Â Â Â HAPPY RETIREMENT!
