Review: Steeton Male voice Choir at King's Hall, Ilkley, Saturday, October 21, 2017

STEETON Male Voice Choir, with guests Otley Brass Band, filled the King's Hall Ilkley with joyous music on October 21.

No surprise that the SMVC again invited this band to guest at their Annual Concert, the band chooses a repertoire, not of technical, competition pieces but one aimed at pleasing the audience and complementing the choir. Led by Musical Director, Sam Watson, it was something they did again in splendid style, with a range from Joyce Eilers’ Irish Blessing to John Williams’ Jurassic Park.

The Choir’s M.C, Tim Bastow, said it was the new M.D, Catherine Sweet’s first Annual Concert. The Steeton Male Voice Choir is unused to change, Catherine being only the fifth Musical Director in well over 100 years. Of course, much hasn’t changed; the splendid venue of King's Hall Ilkley, that happy conjunction of Brass Band, Choir and big, enthusiastic audience best exemplified when the audience rose to its feet, waved its Union Jacks and rendered full voice to Land of Hope and Glory in the finale.

Elsewhere was fresh handwriting; a new presentation of Choir and Band; soloists fronting the Choir, David Barraclough in The Longest Time and Ian McDonald in Today; full band accompaniment for the first number, You Raise Me Up; with a less traditional programme to follow.

The choristers’ response to their new M.D, clearly is, ‘something tells them they’re into something good’ – and by next year they might be singing it.

by John Roland