Choir to mark its centenary

They've been delighting audiences in the Midlands for 100 years – and now a male voice choir is planning to mark the historic occasion.

Cradley Heath Male Voice Choir has not just been singing for a century – its members have also raised thousands of pounds for charity and won scores of competitions. The choir will fittingly celebrate its centenary with a fundraising concert at Brierley Hill Civic Hall on April 21 at 7pm in aid of Mary Stevens Hospice in Stourbridge.

The choir was first formed on February 12, 1912, after a meeting inviting any men interested in taking part in a musical society.

Its first public performance as the Cradley Heath, Old Hill and District Male Voice Choir took place at the Whitley Memorial School in the May of that year. The choir had entered the Birmingham Festival contest and this first concert was seen as a rehearsal.

The fledgling choir eventually took second place in the competition.

It continued performing and staging charity concerts until the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 when all competition was suspended.

The choir returned at the end of the war and in 1919 took first prize in its first post-conflict competition, which was held in Halesowen.

In 1924, the choir was chosen to take part in a broadcast at the BBC's Birmingham studios before winning a competition held in Stourbridge.

The choir's long-term conductor Alfred Hickman, who had held the position since 1912, was also awarded a gold medal for his skills. He eventually resigned in 1934. The choir continued until 1939 when the First World War broke out and many of its members joined the armed forces.

By 1940 there were no longer enough people to hold rehearsals but the choir returned in 1944 and by 1947 returned to competitions, winning the Birmingham Music Festival on May 31. It retained the trophy the following year.

The retirement of many older singers left the choir facing a membership crisis in the 1950s. A newspaper advert in 1956 boosted numbers and in 1957 the choir changed its name to its current title.

In 1970 it moved to the Ragged School, in Colley Gate. Choir numbers fell again in the late 1970s and at a meeting in 1982 members discussed whether to continue.

They decided to carry on and the choir began to thrive.

In 1992 it was one of 155 choirs participating in the World Choir at Cardiff Arms Park on May 23.

In 1998, Philippa Brettell became the group's musical director and Cynthia Partridge became accompanist. Choir spokesman Terry Lawrence said: "The group has a very interesting history and we are delighted to be celebrating its centenary this year."