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The choir performs about 16 concerts per year, the highlight being the Annual Charity Concert, which each year raises £2000 to £3000 for a chosen charity. Although most of our concerts are given in the Midlands, the choir has also performed at venues further afield. Alongside concerts, the choir has had numerous successes at music festivals. In the prestigious BBC 'Sainsbury Choir of the Year' competition, the Warley Male Choir reached the final 16, out of over 350 entries.
The choir has also entered the 'Llangollen International Eisteddfod' on two occasions, achieving encouraging results, and has twice participated in the '1000 English Voices' festival at the Royal Albert Hall. Outside the UK, we have sung in Germany, France, Belgium, and Holland.
The choir has visited Cornwall three times to help raise money for the Royal Lifeboat Institution. We also recently toured North Yorkshire raising funds for the RNLI.
We have undertaken several concert tours in the UK and overseas, enjoying both fellowship and music as well as raising money for the RNLI and local charities. You will see from our Concert Diary of Events that we are shortly looking forward to performing on our latest tour in Portland, Seaton and Boscombe at the End of May 2008.
In addition to our regular commitments, the choir is a member of the English Association of Male Voice Choirs (EAMVS), through which we are involved in an annual Gala concert. In 2006 the Choir were given the responsibility of organising this Gala concert in the magnificent surroundings of the recently refurbished Great Hall of the University of Birmingham which raised £3000 for Charity. A total of seven choirs performed, resulting in around 250 voices on stage. The award-winning ladies' choir, Second City Sound, also took part as guest performers.
Now led by a young team of enthusiastic musicians, the Choir has introduced a more dynamic and modern approach to its music. We have welcomed several new members and look forward to an Exciting Future.
WHY NOT JOIN US?
If you are reading this, you may already belong to a male voice choir or are thinking of joining one.. You may think that you don't have a good enough voice to become a member, but surprisingly, there are few people who, with practice, can't hold a tune.
"I can't read music" is another reason for holding back, but again, many men who have joined the choir over the years have started with only basic knowledge of music.
The Warley Male Choir is always looking to encourage men who may think they would like to have a go, so do just that, "have a go", you will probably surprise yourself!
We meet for rehearsals on Thursday nights at Warley Woods Methodist Church, Abbey Road, Smethwick. You will be made very welcome, so come along and try it out.
Our ladies are not forgotten either, as we have a thriving ladies' section that meets once a month.
Over any twelve month period we travel to all sorts of venues to give concerts and raise money for charity with our singing. Above all, we believe that we have a wonderful and satisfying hobby, and we would like to share it with you.
Contact our Musical Director, Stephen Allen, on 0121 561 5774, or our Concert Secretary, John Larwood on 0121 422 6862, or via e-mail: johnlarwood@beeb.net
Go on! It makes sense! .
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