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The Hull Choral Union was established in 1929, with the amalgamation of two existing choirs. It is made up of amateur singers from across the region. They perform an annual series of concerts, running from autumn to spring, in the splendid surroundings of Hull City Hall.

The choir is led by a professional musician and singer, Martin Hindmarsh. They are accompanied in concerts by local musicians and occasionally feature solo singers, both amateur and professional, as guests.

The work is mostly traditional choral pieces and extracts from operas. For many the highlight is the pre-Christmas performance of Handel’s Messiah, a tradition since the choir’s inception.

As well as the traditional works the choir has produced original material. To mark the opening of the Humber Bridge in 1981 they commissioned a piece called Bridge for the Living; a Philip Larkin poem set to music by Anthony Hedges.

Choir rehersal

For the chair of the choir committee, John Whisker, it is a case if trying to strike a balance between more challenging work and traditional favourites. β€œSometimes it is a question of marrying what we like to sing and maybe what an audience wants to hear. We could undeniably get more seats with repeat performances of Gilbert and Sullivan choruses, and that sort of thing, but we like to sing the full-blown chorus works.”

The choir has a problem in recruiting younger members, most of the choristers are 40 plus. They are trying to build on the current interest in singing, generated by programmes such as Last Choir Standing. They intend to launch a section aimed at young people. The hope is that this will provide the voices of the future to continue the choir’s long history.

Kathryn Ireland is the current chair of the choral society. She is the third generation of her family to sing; her grandparents helped set-up the choir. She remembers attending performances as a small child and said that the sense of belonging is an important part of the experience. β€œThere is a camaraderie, there is a shared enjoyment and I think that’s what is keeps it going.”