1988 saw the sad retirement of our Musical Director Roy Firth after 14 years of great service. A supper and entertainment was provided in the Town Hall, a sad but great night for a great man. But as one door closes as they say, enter Alan Jenkins a professional musician of great ability. He can sing, play the piano, arrange music, a real all-round musician.
A great honour that year was singing at Wembley Stadium for the first Rugby League Test match against Australia. The event instigated by the persistence of Stan Solomons, saw the choir singing to a crowd of 57,034. The choir sang the National Anthem, I Vow to Thee My Country and Australia Fair.
The choir entered the Male Voice Choir section of the festival and whilst it was a good social gathering for both choir and supporters, the musical outcome was a bit of a let down!
Huddersfield Town Hall
The downside to 1997 was the resignation of the Musical Director Alan Jenkins after nine years of what Adrian Smith of the Huddersfield examiner called great distinction. After the departure of Alan Jenkins, the choir engaged as Musical Director Sean De Burca, a young Irishman, a very talented musician, as he proved with some of his arrangements, particularly for the CD with the Royal Marines, 'The Pride and the Passion', brought out for the Rugby Union world Cup in 1999. After 2 years he decided he wasn't getting the support he should and he left the choir.
Following the departure of Sean De Burca, John Oldfield filled the breach admirably, before the return of former MD Alan Jenkins.
May 2000 saw the return of Alan Jenkins as our Musical Director and, along with John Oldfield and George Marsden, we saw our old team back together.
An afternoon concert in the Town Hall with guests, Sellers International Youth Band. This was in aid of the Forget-Me-Not-Trust, a fairly new charity raising money to build and run a Hospice for children in Kirklees and Calderdale areas. The choirs' official concerts finished with another concert for the Forget-Me-Not-Trust in the Holmfirth Civic on 18th December along with Sellers International Youth Band, the compere was Mr Gorden Kaye from 'Allo, Allo' who did a really good job. The concert raised over £2000.
Early January 2009 and our new team arrived, Keith Roberts our new MD and Sue Ogden accompanist. Thirty-six-year-old Keith having come to live in the area with his job as Choral Director for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Leeds. Originally from Kent he came with a wealth of knowledge with choirs but not make voice. On 28th April 2011, the choir set off to compete in the Cornish Music Festival. One good thing that came out of the competition, Keith our NMD won the prize as best conductor in the section. On our return Keith left us, as his day job had become far busier than he envisaged. A sad event as he had begun to put his stamp on the choir. Onward and upward, the choir now started the process of advertising for a successor, not an easy task.
A most pleasant evening was to take place in February. A Songs of Praise in Salendine Nook Baptist Chapel, this was to celebrate George Marsden's 75th Birthday and his 35 years as organist for the choir. George who had been organist for the Chapel as well as a number of other Churches in the area accepted a gift from the Chapel and Life membership of the Choir.
