Energetic performances wowed audiences at Lancashire Choir of the Year 2024 finals

Six very different performances at the live Final from some of the best singers from across the county showed what a diverse range of talent there is on our doorstep, writes Danielle Thompson.

Compere Tim Uffindell welcomed the finalists, their friends and family members to the glittering Final at Lancaster University's Great Hall on Thursday, November 28 with an atmospheric performance of You're Just Good To Be True. This was followed by an introduction of the judges - Councillor Phillippa Williamson (Leader of Lancashire County Council), John Garrett (Director of last year's winners, Pendle Ladies Choir) and Loz Kaye (Director of Lancashire County of Song).

Kitted out in head-to-toe black, the Song Rooms Choir started off the show with a pared-back version Viva La Vida that allowed their range of voices to shine. Their second song Believer was a much more energetic and jolly performance, featuring feet stomps and bold dance moves. It sounded as if they had taken a chart song by an artist like Tom Walker and mixed it with a traditional mixed gender choir performance. We haven't seen anything like it before in the two previous Choir of the Year competitions and it was definitely memorable!

The Capricorn Singers

In their customary hot pink and black outfits, the all-female Capricorn Singers, who came second last year, started with Mary, Did You Know? This was a lovely, traditional performance of a classic, which suited the cold late-November evening event as it is often performed as a Christmas carol. The choir hit some very high notes and as a big choir, with 33 singers on the stage, they had a very large range.

Their second song, One Night Only, also featured very soft, high notes and was a spellbinding example of an all-female performance that had been rehearsed so there was not a note out of time. The light, delicate notes were nicely juxtaposed with the rather coy tone of the song and the rather cheeky ending!

The Basics Vocalize Choir

The youngest choir, the Basics Vocalize Choir, are a mixed gender choir aged just 13-19 years old and were dressed all in black with eye-catching orange ties and big orange bows in their hair.

They are known for putting their own spin on classic songs or expressing their shared love for musical theatre and music of today.

Their version of Hello Hallelujah saw some of the young singers singing the main verses while the rest served as a mixed range of backing vocals, overlapping with some high and some low voices. This had a lingering quality but managed to also sound upbeat and very positive at the same time.

Unwritten was a very youthful, fun performance with a dancey vibe. The teenage singers mostly performed separate sections, coming together as the end for a lively finish which received a round of vigorous applause from the audience that began before they had even finished!

The Rossendale Festival Choir featured around 40 mixed singers in black with red ties and floral pins.

Interestingly, this choir was formed 40 years ago, when members of the Rossendale Male Voice and Rossendale Ladies’ choirs joined forces to support their local music festival. Over the years, they have teamed up to sing in competitions across the region, but are not a regular choir.

Their heartwarming, traditional performance of Verleih uns Frieden was followed by African Alleluia, which saw the use of a traditional African djembe drum and overlapping, rising Alleluias. This was a spellbinding performance, with the audience enraptured and a big finish which got a long applause!

One of the biggest choirs that have taken part in Choir of the Year, the all-female Red Rosettes Show Choir glittered in shimmering black and sparkly outfits, outdoing themselves with not one but two acapella songs, which are sung with no backing music at all.

Maybe This Time was simple and lilting and the quieter parts of their song had the audience waiting with bated breath for the next line as a few seconds of silence built up expectations.

The simplicity of the performance allowed some of the best singers' individual voices to rise above the others and showcased some very unique vocal talent. This built to a crescendo which also received rapturous applause.

Their second song Sing, was a faster pace but was equally lovely and saw the singers push themselves more in terms of a performative display. This had great engagement from the audience, who cheered and whooped at the end.

Rounding off the evening's performances in a cheery pastel display of pinks, lilacs, blue and green, the Barton Road Community Choir first performed a traditional and very well-rehearsed version of Better Place, which was seamless and had clearly been rehearsed to a very high standard.

Their arrangement of the A-ha classic Take on Me was a very high-energy performance with a fantastic vocal range. The conductor and singers encouraged audience participation, with other choirs and guests clapping and waving their arms. Their enthusiasm was infectious and they clearly don't take themselves very seriously with sections of the song sung in a way that made the audience laugh, including one that was 'instrumentalised' by the singers. They were very cheerful and the perfect end to the final, with the loudest and rowdiest clap of the night!

The judges went out to deliberate while the audience were kept entertained with a sing-along of Bring Me Sunshine, led by Tim Uffindell and the talented musicians of the on-stage band. After short interlude, the volume dropped in the Great Hall as the judges took to the stage to make their announcements…

To rapturous applause, Barton Road Community Choir were named as the winners of the People's Choice Award, as voted by members of the public in an online poll.

The Capricorn Singers took the Third Place Runner Up, their second year of scooping a gong, and the young Basics Vocalize Choir came second. To a screaming applause, the Red Rosettes Show Choir were crowned the overall winners of Choir of the Year 2024 and presented with the trophy by the council's Vice-Chairman, Councillor Alf Clempson. 

The winning choir were awarded a professional recording session, and the runners-up and People's Choice choirs were offered a professional vocal workshop.

Councillor Peter Buckley, Lancashire County Council's cabinet member for Community and Cultural Services, and the instigator of the competition said:

"It was wonderful being in the audience for this year's contest. The standard of performance just gets better each year and it was so hard to guess who would be crowned the winner. Every single performance was so expressive and full of talent and energy giving the judges an extremely difficult decision to make.

"Congratulations to the Red Rosettes Show Choir, whose performances were inspiring and unforgettable.

"My compliments to everyone who took part and especially the finalists, who showed us what an unstoppable force of talent we have in Lancashire. I am already excited to see what next year will bring."

To find out more about this amazing competition, go to Lancashire Choir of the Year - Lancashire County Council