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The Wallasey Choir
was formed in 2002 from members of
'The Wallasey Girls' Choir' who wanted to continue singing after the death of
their Director Beryl Beckingham.
Peter Mills, a prominent musician and pianist of the original choir, agreed to
become Musical Director of the Wallasey Choir and has lead the choir to
achieve a high standard of musical excellence.
The choir is run by an elected committee of choir
members. Committee meetings take place on the first Monday of each
month with choir members being able to submit ideas and suggestions at
any meeting.
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2007
The choir had a quiet start to the year with no concerts in the
early part of the year. Two very successful concerts were held later
on at Pacific Road theatre and for the British Heart Foundation in
Eaton Hall, Chester. Christmas was very busy,requests for concerts
have had to be refused.
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2005 A busy year
with the choir performing at St Stephens in Wallasey, St Mary's College
and St John's Hospice and also singing at many weddings including one in
the beautiful chapel of Mostyn House School, Parkgate were the bride and
groom left by helicopter.
2004 The first trip abroad for the newly formed Wallasey Choir,
visiting Malta. The girls' raised money for the trip by
doing car boot sales as well as a disco and a sponsored sing. (See photo
Gallery) The tour included performances at Malta Cathedral
and also the Razzett Centre.
Our annual Christmas Carol singing to raise money for St John's Hospice and
Claire House took place in Birkenhead precinct and Port Arcades in
Ellesmere Port.
This is the first year the choir held their own 'Summer
Concert' at St Hilary's Church Wallasey to raise money for the choir
itself. The choir sang a number of spirituals as well as
'Summertime' by Du Bose Heyward and Ira Gershwin, and
the showboat
classic by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein - 'Can't help lovin'
that man of mine'.
Christmas saw the choir carol singing in Birkenhead precinct and
Port Arcades in Ellesmere Port as well as nursing homes in Hoylake and
Chester.
 Wallasey Girls' Choir History
WGC
Slideshow Please open the slideshow for a
photographic history of the choir,
Trips & Tours
During the 35
year history, the Wallasey Girls' Choir undertook many trips, both at
home and abroad, with the first trip taking place in 1969 to Holland.
In both 1979 and 1986 the choir travelled to the Swiss Riviera on the banks of Lake
Geneva to take part in the Montreux Rose Bowl competition The
competition takes place every spring in the world famous Stravinsky
Concert Hall, with choirs from all over the globe taking part.
In 1981 the younger
members of the choir joined with the Oxley School choir to take part in
the Lindenholzhausen
International Harmony Festival in Germany.
In
1982 the choir visited the land of the midnight sun, Finland.
Most of this tour was spent swimming in many of the lakes or barbequing
on the shore. The most memorable occasion was singing at the Sibelius'
monument in Helsinki.
In 1988 the choir
set it's sights on Canada with maple trees and mounties They
performed many concert while there but the most memorable one must have
been at Kingston Heights were the temperature soared to the high 90’s.
It wasn’t the concert that was memorable but the paddle in the fountains
in full choir uniform to cool down afterwards.
In 1990 the choir
went to the USA singing in five different states, New York,
Maryland, Pennsylvania, Washington DC and Florida. The day they sang
at the United Nations building will go down in world history, not for
the choir signing but as the day War broke out in the Gulf. When they
sang at the White house both Margaret Thatcher and George Bush (Senior)
were present.
The choir
has sung in many unusual places but the strangest was when we visited an
Amish village of Intercourse Pennsylvania and sang to it’s occupants.
The Amish people keep very much to themselves living a simple life
without machinery. The choir had to sing all unaccompanied songs for
that particular concert.
Disneyland Florida was
another one of the stops of the tour. The choir felt a little strange
being led to the stage by Alice in Wonderland and the White Rabbit but
even stranger showering next to Mini Mouse!
In 1992 the choir
did Europe! Well, four different countries, France, Belgium
Luxembourg and Germany Singing in three Cathedrals , Cologne, Chatres
and also in Luxembourg Cathedral as well as the L’eglise de St Jacque
in Paris, The tour also took to sing in the newly opened Disneyland
Paris this time the stage was a large open story book right in front of
Sleeping Beauty’s Castle.
The choir
decided in 1994 to
stay nearer home and visit the birth place their Director, Beryl
Beckingham - Scotland. Whilst there they performed many
concert, one of them being with a duo from Hawaii. If any of you have
seen this choir perform before you know we like to add the occasional
dance routine but can you imagine this lot swaying their hips to a hula
beat!
In 1995 the choir
sang for the International Soroptimist in Harrogate to celebrate
their 61st Annual Conference This was the first and only time a tour was
paid for by the organisers and not the girls themselves.
1999 was the choir's
first trip to the Mediterranean, to the beautiful Islands of Malta
Gozo and Comino. The choir led the congregation of Malta
Cathedral in the capital, Valletta in Sunday worship with President of
Malta in attendance. They also performed the Razzett Centre to raise
money for local Maltese charities a. The Wallasey Girl's Choir
enjoyed the hospitality and friendliness of the country and it’s people
so much they returned in 2001.
In
it’s 35 years the choir raised money for over forty charities, sung for
Presidents Prime Ministers, Ambassadors and MP’s, performed in many
prestigious venues, the White House, the United Nations Building,
Disneyland Paris and Disneyworld Florida, Castles and Churches not
forgetting a dozen or so of the worlds most famous Cathedrals.
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