About Us

About Poynton Male Voice Choir

We sing a wide range of music -  hymns, opera choruses, spirituals, songs from the shows  and pop songs modern and old.  We perform four or five concerts each year , usually in combination with a local ladies choir.

We currently have about thirty members with a good balance of first and second tenors, baritones  and basses.

Social Events

The choir has a lively social programme with four or five events in the year including a dinner , a quiz night, a social evening with members' cabaret and a lunch at a country restaurant in the summer.

History

It was in the Spring of 1934 that the men of Hockley Methodist Church, Poynton, were invited to sing at a Men’s Sunday service. A visitor was so impressed he invited them to sing at his Alderley Edge church, and, soon after, 36 men met to form Hockley Male Voice Choir with George Braddock as conductor.

The choir gave several concerts that year and continued to do so until 1940 when the war intervened. When the choir resumed after the war new members were attracted from beyond the church and the singers became Poynton Male Voice Choir (PMVC).

“I doubt those who got together to sing for that church service could have dreamt there would be a flourishing male voice choir here in Poynton 90 years later,” says president Maurice Hargreaves, who has sung with the choir for 50 years.

Maurice succeeded Joe Tinsley as president. “Joe was a Poynton legend,” he says. “In his 50-plus years with us he did every job, including being an incomparable concert compere.   At rehearsals, long-serving choir librarian Jean Yarwood would sustain us with sweets. Wonderful generous characters, and many more, who have been vital to our 90-year story.”

Over the years the choir has taken part in music festivals with some success. However, the main focus has always been staging concerts, raising thousands of pounds for local charities.

Massed choir events have been among past highlights for the Poynton men, including concerts at the Free Trade Hall, the Bridgewater Hall and with 1,000 voices in the G-Mex. Further afield, the choir travelled to Germany as part of an exchange with a Dortmund choir.

Research continues to show the benefits of singing in a choir as a boost to health and wellbeing. And it’s not just for retirees. Recent studies point to singing’s ability to revitalise and relieve pressures for those in the hard-working middle years.

“We really enjoy singing – together. That’s it simply,” says Maurice. “And this extends to a thoroughly entertaining social side. It’s always been a very friendly crowd. I joined as a nervous first tenor. Novices come along and soon find their voice with support from experienced singers, accompanist Kath Buckley who followed her mum Joyce Deighton in the role, and musical director Eileen Rigg.”

The choir has had just six conductors in 90 years. Stanley Hadfield and David Mosley spanned more than 50 years and were much loved. Tom Steer, a well-known pianist on BBC TV and radio and soloist with the Northern Dance Orchestra, opened new doors when he took the baton. Celebrity musicians such as Halle Orchestra leader Martin Milner and flautist George Galway, brother of James, were among guest performers at PMVC concerts.  The choir also took part in the long-running radio show Sunday Half-Hour.

The Singing Waiters continues to be a popular choir offshoot, entertaining a variety of organisations and at retirement and care homes.

The anniversary event on April 20 will be followed on May 11 by a concert with the Laurence Singers at Cheadle Hulme United Reform Church. PMVC rehearsals are on Monday evenings at Poynton Methodist Church. For more information contact our secretary at secretary.pmvc@gmail.com.