History

Belford Singers started life in 1995 as the Belford Community Choir under the direction of Chrissy Lloyd. The repertoire in those days was mainly lighter music.

In 2001 Chrissy moved on and her place was taken by Bryan Gardner. Bryan gradually changed the repertoire to include Tudor sacred music and madrigals and rapidly expanded both the range and complexity of the music. At the same time there was a move towards unaccompanied performance pieces and within a few years these made up the entire concert programme. In recognition of the changing repertoire and the development of its distinctive sound, the choir was renamed the Belford Singers.

Concerts were at first organised in various parish churches in North Northumberland. As the choir's repertoire and confidence grew, so the range of venues expanded to include Brinkburn Priory (English Heritage), Wallington Hall (National Trust) and Paxton House. A regular feature of the choir's year is a very popular, "sellout" Christmas concert at Wallington Hall.

Though the degree of musical complexity has increased, the main principle in selecting a concert programme is to choose music which communicates directly and melodically to an audience. Another aim is to include pieces which are familiar or have long lingered in the memory while balancing these with less familiar pieces. But always there is the desire to communicate through beautiful melody and harmony.

Belford Singers - Gibside Chapel July 2011

Belford Singers - Wallington Christmas 2007  

(Photograph courtesy National Trust/Graeme Peacock)