This is a choir with both a great history and, we believe, a great future. In 2024 we will celebrate a hundred years since we were founded by Fred Tomlinson. He took a group of local singers and made of them a choir which, among other honours, would go on to win the Llangollen Eisteddfod an unprecedented THREE CONSECUTIVE TIMES (1952-54)
Fred led the choir for over 50 years before handing the baton to his son, Ernest, an accomplished arranger and composer. We won more competitions later under the 24-year leadership of Beatrice Wade, and her successors, until our current maestro, Matthew Thomas, took over the reins in 2015. Matthew has brought a 21-st century approach to our repertoire, adding a more theatrical element and delivering excellent performances at concerts and competitions, winning “Song of the Competition” at the Cornwall International Choir Festival 2019, and more recently, the Lancashire Choir of The Year Award 2022.
But it’s not only competitions we take seriously. Our love of singing starts here in the Valley, where we regularly perform to raise funds for local charities, which also gives us the chance to let our hair down a little and really entertain our friends and neighbours. As well as our true choir repertoire Matthew has now developed “The Irwell Shantymen”, a parallel group offering a more varied menu of musical offerings.
Many of us also join with our sister choir, the Rossendale Ladies Choir, to form the Rossendale Festival Choir, especially for our Christmas and charity performances.
Choir History
Read the ebook of our history,
covering the period 1924-2001
(It’s 156 pages, so may take a
couple of minutes to load).
Choir Legends
Honorary Life Members
Ken Heys
Rossendale Male Voice ChoirBy Geoff Whitehead
Ken Heys was made an Honorary Life member of the Choir recently and it gave me an opportunity to ask Ken about his life in the Choir which has spanned more than 60 years. He has had the dubious ( Ken’s words !) honour of singing under every Musical Director since the formation of the Choir in 1924 including the great Fred Thomlinson ‘the silver haired maestro’ as Ken called him.
He was there at some of the RMVC greatest moments : winning at Llangollen International Eisteddfod in 1958 (a unique 4th victory) in front of over 8000 people (with 30000 more on the hills outside) when they were described as a world beating Choir by the Caernarvon Times . He remembers the Cork International Music Festival and the choir so big it took 2 DC 3 Dakota aircraft in a stomach lurching flight – another victory followed and a pint or two of Beamish stout, the best Ken ever tasted; the International Koorfestival in Holland in 1973 ( and all the repertoire ) when they were narrowly beaten by the Helsinki University Choir – made up of music graduates.
Ken remembers BBC TV and Radio appearances throughout his time in the Choir – getting time off work for rehearsals: Mahler’s symphony No8 in Liverpool Cathedral in 1964 stands out. Reaching the final at the Festival Hall in London of the BBC radio’s Let the People sing – robbed of victory as Ken remembers by Bromley the local choir!
And it goes on… Celebrity concerts at the Picture House in Rawtenstall, trips to Bocholt, sailing and singing down the Rhine to Cologne, his iconic solo Nothing Like a Dame at the Bridgewater Hall in more recent times and his last trip to Cornwall in 2017…it is difficult to sum up a lifetime of singing but what comes across powerfully, in speaking to Ken, is the importance of the music and the magic of the togetherness of the choir to produce great singing – to improve and be the best – an inspiration as important now as ever!
Ken, a top class baritone in his day, singing semi – professionally in clubs across the Northwest spoke highly of his fellow choristers and musical directors. He wanted to thank the RMVC for giving him, as a working man in Rossendale , opportunities and friendships he may not have enjoyed without it . We too thank you Ken for giving so much to the choir over the years!
Syd Crowther
Rossendale Male Voice ChoirBy Peter Beetham
Syd joined in 1947 under Fred Tomlinson, at the tender age of 19, as a Second Bass but quickly moved to the Baritones which suited his higher range.
He hadn’t been in the Choir very long when, at a concert in Morecambe, John Kay, who was the recognised soloist, couldn’t come, so when the Choir arrived in Morecambe Fred said to him, “you’ll do the solo tonight won’t you Syd”? In those days Syd was quite shy, but you never refused Mr T, so he sang “Love Could I only Tell Thee” and “The Holy City” to rapturous applause, and from then on Syd became a regular soloist in Choir performances. The highlight of which is his famous and beautiful Baritone solo, Loch Lomond on The Valley of Song LP.
Another highlight of Syd’s long service with the Choir was without doubt Llangollen International Festival in 1951. The Choir only intended going to watch as a Choir day out, but then decided that if they were going they might as well sing. They didn’t have any proper uniforms, going on stage in open neck shirts with no bow ties, which were the normal uniform for choirs in those days.
Unbelievably, they went on to win the Male Voice class with the Manchester Evening News reporting, “These Lancashire comedians walked on, and turned the Marquee into a Cathedral”
High praise indeed and the Choir went on to win the prestigious Llangollen Eisteddford 3 years on the run, the only Choir to ever achieve this. He has never felt anything like it when the adjudicator announced that they had won, Syd said “we were on our knees in tears of joy, very emotional”
Syd was a committee member for a while and during one particular Committee Meeting, Fred dropped a bombshell and announced that he was going to retire, because the cold nights and driving at night was making it difficult for him. Syd told him that if he agreed to stay on, he would chauffeur him to all the rehearsals and concerts. Fred accepted Syd’s offer and happily stayed on for a further 8 years.
A slight downside to this arrangement was that Fred was also President of the NAC and this involved Syd driving him to different parts of the UK for meetings.
To sum up, Syd’s love of singing has been a big part of his life. He also sang with Rawtenstall Operatic Society, sang the Desert Song in 1950 with Bacup Amateur Operatic Society and performed Gilbert & Sullivan Operas with Goodshaw Baptist Chapel, but without doubt his long service singing with RMVC has meant a tremendous amount to him and given him enormous pleasure and a lifetime of happy memories.
CONTACTS
Secretary: Peter Beetham, peterbeetham@hotmail.com