Inspiring renditions stunned audiences at Lancashire Choir of the Year 2025 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.

Welcoming the finalists, their supportive family and friends, judges and VIP guests to Lancaster University's Great Hall on Tuesday, November 25, Compere Tim Uffindell kicked off proceedings with a rousing rendition of Piano Man. This was followed by an introduction of the judges – Perri Alleyne-Hughes (founder of Sense of Sound); Loz Kaye (Director of Lancashire County of Song), Emma McManus (Director of last year's winners, the Red Rosettes Show Chorus) and Janey Moran (Lancashire County Council's Cultural Development Manager).

Bold and imaginative community choir, the Lancaster Millennium Choir braved the stage first kitted out all in black with their signature brightly coloured scarves and ties in a mix of hues, including red, orange, pink, green, blue and purple.

Made up of more than 30 choristers, their timeless, classic rendition of Locus Iste set the tone for the competition, with a fantastic range of voices from this mixed-gender choir showcasing the best of traditional choirs. Juxtaposing this, they followed swiftly with the upbeat, For Every Child, featured uptempo, high female ranges with the lower tones of the deeper voices perfectly complimenting them, followed by rapturous applause.

The 18-strong young people's choir, Basics Vocalize Choir, who put a modern twist on classics, gave a hauntingly beautiful rendition of Pure Imagination, which sped up towards the end of the performance as a fun departure from the classics.

They then covered Madonna's Like a Prayer, complete with dance moves and clapping, all in black with eye-catching bright orange silk bows in their hair or vibrant orange ties. Smiling throughout, they looked like they were having a ball while belting out a memorable, fun performance and their energy was very catchy as the audience started to clap along and cheered raucously after they finished. Their musical director shared that she was 'inspired' by the choir, as the 'voices of tomorrow and of today.'

Traditional-meets-modern choir, the 24-strong all male Blackpool Male Voice Choir, dressed smartly in navy suits and cream shirts, filled out the stage as three rows of singers. Their classic performance of Bui Doi perfectly showcased their phenomenal range.

The Glory Train was a fun performance that featured a quirky introduction where the singers sang short quick notes quickly to sound like a train setting off, which made many of the audience members smile. They brought a positive energy to the song and at one point, individuals played lines off against each other in a confident, barbershop style. The chugging returned mid-song, and they clapped before returning to their rendition with an even bigger gusto, rising to a big finish with jazz hands, greeted with rapturous applause. Their musical director shared that she loves that they can help people with their mental health – and joked that it's fun to 'boss around 40 men at once!'

Founded to support mental health and help members to grow in confidence, the huge 43-strong mixed gender Lancaster Musical Theatre Choir performed in all-black and looked delighted to be onstage. Their spellbinding Wicked Medley built to a strong finish with soaring high notes.

You'll Be Back was an upbeat, fun song which didn't appear to have a note out of place and was clearly very well-rehearsed with a soothing lullaby-type quality.  With their songbooks shut, they ended with dancing which was joined in with by the audience. Their director shared that the group are 'her life and her family' and sees the chorus as a 'safe, supported space as friends.'

The biggest choir of the evening, dressed very smartly in black with yellow hospice pins, the vibrant St Johns Hospice Choir, have raised more than £82,000 for their inspirational cause. Their Sunrise, Sunset, had a haunting, melancholy quality and really suited the end-of-year evening event as the winter season creeps in. As such a large choir, they had a very strong range and the song perfectly showcased how adept they were at flitting from high to low notes and back in a heartbeat. Let the River Run went even higher, lifting them to a more upbeat finish. Their director enjoys 'different genres with fundraising as well' and loves that they contribute to the running costs of the hospice.

Three-part uplifting ladies choir The Capricorn Singers, who have previously scooped gongs two years running, sang a delicate, mellow, traditional performance of Here on These Branches wearing their customary, eye-catching hot pink shirts.

This was followed by a quirky, fun rendition of It's Raining Men, which many of the audience were tapping along and dancing to. The choir clapped along to the band with an enthusiastic, entertaining finish where they encouraged the audience to clap along, also leading to cheers as they came offstage. Their director said that they make her 'smile every time and they are a delight!'

The judges went out to deliberate while the audience were kept entertained with a sing-along of What the World Needs Now is Love, 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…

St John's Hospice 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 were announced next, taking the Third Place Runner Up, while Blackpool Male Voice Choir came second. Lancaster Millennium Choir were crowned the overall winners of Lancashire Choir of the Year 2025 and presented with the trophy by the council's 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 Alf Clempson praised the choirs for their performances.

He said: "It was a real pleasure to be here and experience the incredible performances from our six finalist choirs. There’s something truly uplifting about singing - whether you're listening or taking part - and I’m sure you’ll agree that we were treated to some outstanding vocal talent. The judges have certainly had a tough, unenviable job on their hands, and I’d like to thank them for their thoughtful deliberations and continued support of the competition.

"A heartfelt thank you goes to all the choirs who entered this year, especially our finalists. I’d also like to acknowledge the audience and VIP guests who travelled to show their support and of course, a special thank you to the choir directors, whose dedication and hard work in preparing their choirs truly paid off.

"This competition is a fantastic celebration of Lancashire’s musical talent, and I’d like to thank the staff at Lancashire County Council for organising and supporting this event and helping to nurture and promote our vibrant musical community."

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