Mousehole Male Voice Choir is the second oldest Male Choir in Cornwall.
1909: Formation date. Formed in the autumn by a small group of men and boys.
An old net loft in Mousehole was used for a practice room with the purpose of learning carols to sing during the Christmas season.
Mousehole Choir 1911
1927: The Choir comprised thirty members.
Involved in concerts and with success at music festivals.
1932: The Choir made its first radio broadcast and since then it has broadcast on well over 100 occasions.
1933: The Choir began its highly successful Summer Festival Concerts which over the years feature guest artistes prominent in the world of concert music including Bryn Terfel, Benjamin Luxon, Valerie Masterson, Alan Opie, Dame Felicity Lott and Bonaventura Bottone.
Mousehole Conductor – John C Potter 1940 – 1945
1956: Mousehole – The first appearance by a Cornish Choir on national television…In Town Tonight… Conductor Sampson Hosking
1960: The first recording and since then several more have been made.
Mousehole Diamond Jubilee year in 1969. Eric Dale conductor
1980: Frank Harris, Accompanist.
1983: Took part in the 1,000 Voice Concert at the Royal Albert Hall.
1995: The Choir featured on the BBC’s Songs of Praise which was televised from Mousehole harbour.
They have also appeared on television in Highway, Country File and Westcountry Live.
2004: Stephen Lawry, Musical Director.
2009: The Choir’s Centenary, a significant milestone for both the Choir and the community. Many special events took place to celebrate including the publication of a Choir history book, a workshop led by Alan Simmons, and a special Flower Festival, and concerts at midsummer. At Christmas a commemorative stone plaque was unveiled close to the building where the choir first met in November 1909.
2010: The Cornish Gorsedh awarded the choir with the prestigious Bournemouth Cornish Association Cup for the best music group in Cornwall.
2010: Appeared on ITV’s Countrywise at Christmas.
2011: Stephen Lawry, Musical Director at the Cornwall International MVC Festival.
2011: Annette Turton, Accompanist at the Cornwall International MVC Festival.
2013: Stephen Lawry, Musical Director at the Cornwall International MVC Festival.
2013: Annette Turton, Accompanist at the Cornwall International MVC Festival.
The Choir continues to make concert tours within the region and further afield. More recent destinations have included Germany, Brittany, Wales, The Royal Albert Hall London, and for the 90th anniversary year a tour to Grass Valley, San Francisco, U. S. A. The Choir has also had the honour of being the first and only Cornish Male Choir invited to perform at the Royal Albert Hall, as part of the Festival of Welsh Voices.
June 2011: Two representatives of the choir were presented to her Majesty the Queen on her visit to Penzance. This was in recognition of the many thousands of pounds the choir has collected for various charities since its formation.
2012: The choir performed a lunch time concert at the York Minster in Yorkshire, and they also sang to the Archbishop of Canterbury at a special service at St. Mary’s Church, Penzance.
July 2016: The choir sang at the 25th anniversary of the Children’s Hospice South West at Exeter Cathedral in the presence of the Duchess of Cornwall.
During 2016-2017: The choir entered competitions after an absence of over 20 years. It came first at the Camborne Music Festival and Cornwall Music Festival, Truro. At the International Male Voice Festival, the choir came third in the large class and was voted the best overall Cornish Choir.
April 2017: The choir sang at the opening of the Solomon Browne Memorial Hall, Mousehole, in the presence of H. R. H. the Duke of Kent.
2022: Choir membership currently stands at about 80.
Photograps have been taken from the Choir’s with Tim James’s, Secretary, permission.
More information can be found about the choir on its website: http://www.mouseholemalevoicechoir.com/
If you would like to amend or add to this page then please leave a comment and we will be in touch.
This is a part of the Cornish National Music Archive (CNMA) project to Collect, Preserve and Share our Cornish Heritage and Culture.