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This small group of dedicated young singers quickly became renowned across the North of England for the high standard of their performances. As their fame spread, so did the locations of their concerts. In 1956 the choir found themselves on their first, of what would become many, trips abroad. They had been invited to attend the twinning ceremony of Doncaster with St. Germain-en-Laye in France. This exciting experience whetted the choir’s appetite and European tours became an important part of the choir’s development. The most exciting of its tours was in 1994 when it was invited to sing in South Carolina, U.S.A.

Countries Visited

During its history the choir has visited: Ireland, France, Spain, Sweden, Holland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Hungary and U.S.A. Some of these countries on more than one occasion.

Artists Appearing with Choir

Over the years the choir have appeared many times on radio and television. They have also shared the stage with many famous celebrities including, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Sir Harry Secombe, Moira Anderson and many more. An annual event in the choir’s calendar is a joint concert in Doncaster with a celebrity performer or band. The first of these was in 1953 and it continues today.

Change Of Direction

The choir remained under the musical direction of John Barker until his death in 1982. At this point it was his wife who took up the baton as conductor. She initially led the group from the piano but Ken Jackson was appointed accompanist in 1985. Both Mrs. Barker and Mr. Jackson remained with the choir until their resignation in 1999. The role of Musical Director then passed on to an ex-singing member - Ula Weber, a music graduate from Hull University, who held this position for the next two years, bringing a new freshness and enthusiasm to the group. More recently, however, she has taken up a teaching position in Birmingham and regrettably had to hand over the role of MD to Angela Needham, a Doncaster peripatetic music teacher. Angela is accompanied by Simon Corner, another Hull University music graduate. Ula remains as deputy MD, and Valentina Davis is the deputy accompanist.

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