KBC 50 years

We asked some of our members for their thoughts and memories

Our founder, John Sloboda:

'I am delighted that the choir I founded in 1975 is celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year in such good health. I am happy to offer a few memories of the years when I was most closely associated with it.'

Read what John has to say here.

See a list of all concerts performed

List of KBC members

Our Memories

Andrew Smith:

I served a year as chair in 1999-2000, following Andor Gomme's retirement.

I have some very happy memories from my years with Keele Bach Choir.

I joined for the Christmas Oratorio in 1997, a superb period performance under our then conductor Marion Wood. Another highlight was singing Brahms' Requiem four times in 1998: two performances in Keele chapel and two in Czechia. After a mammoth but memorable bus trip to Czechia with the Keele Philharmonic, a trailer full of instruments and great craic from some singers from the Belfast Philharmonic Choir, enlivened by tour guide and polyglot tenor Paul Brown, we gave our rendition in the splendours of the Casino Hall, Mariánské Lázně, and in the romantic setting of the Dvořák Hall, Prague, across a moonlit Vltava from the castle.

After KBC joined an impressive festival chorus of Staffordshire and Erlangen singers in The Dream of Gerontius for the finale of 1999's North Staffs Triennial Music Festival, I was asked to chair the choir for a year on learning of Andor Gomme's retirement. It was a time of transition as Marion Wood had moved to London and the choir had just engaged Christopher Hand from Worcester as conductor.

Pressures of work brought an end to my time with KBC, but not before I had time to enjoy singing a double Bach Magnificat concert (JS and CPE settings), thus bookending my time with two of the most joyous and singable (with practice!) of the works of the great JSB."

Marjorie Seddon (1975- date):

The choir is still going strong after five decades with around 40 members drawn from across Staffordshire and surrounding counties and I was at the first rehearsal ! Yes!

I have been singing with this choir for 50 years …..

I turned up in trepidation for the first rehearsal because I personally wasn’t a member of Keele, and I found the most wonderful musical collaboration. It was one of those chance meetings that changed my musical life.

Initially the appeal for me was the repertoire and the way that John Sloboda took the rehearsals - for me he was the perfect conductor. It was all about his style of training the choir and his musical integrity, which is continued with our present conductor Neil Taylor.

I am still singing with Keele Bach Choir after 50 years because of the challenges to the musical ability of all its singers. This is especially true for our Golden Anniversary concerts ! We hope you can join us.

Jim Howell, bass

Jim's thoughts

I joined the choir in March 1989. I had been to the performance of Monteverdi Vespers and was so impressed that I thought I might give it a go. My friend and colleague Denis Dixon took me to the next rehearsal and the rest is history. I had sung in a cathedral choir as a treble and played the double bass in high school, but had never sung as a bass. I took a break from 2003-2016 after Christopher Hand’s tenure and so regrettably missed Matthew Willis and Matthew Hamilton. I was lured back in 2017 by Alison Hendricken just after Neil started.

“I joined in 1990” says Sue Coffey who sang soprano in the choir. For me it was the quality of the singing that made me join KBC. I always thought it was a bit more special and had a certain quality of performance with high standards, and choir members had to be auditioned - we just didn’t take anybody ! I was also attracted by the fact that the choir did a lot of interesting music that is challenging and not always mainstream”.

Others to follow ...

See the list of all our concerts.