THE excellent acoustics of St Helens Parish Church were put to the ultimate test when York Street Band and Haydock Male Voice Choir presented their annual joint concert.

Dubbed 'Brass and Voices', it spelled a night of superb entertainment for an appreciative audience, with York Street's repertoire including such rousing numbers as 'Aces High', 'Tritsch Trasch Polka' and 'The Great Gate of Kiev.'

Haydock's renderings were equally spell-binding, and featured such well-loved scores as 'Londonderry Air', 'Eli Jenkins' Prayer' and the hilarious solo 'Polly Perkins of Paddington Green' by solo baritone Albert Hardy.

Instrumental expertise was also amply demonstrated by Janice Frith (cornet) and Gillian Lea-Wilson (horn), with an evening of sheer musical splendour reaching its climax when York Street and Haydock mergered with a lump-in-throat offering of 'Gwahaddiad.'

Presentations were made to the band's retiring musical director, Trevor Sutherland, and to bandmaster/euphoniumist Jack Unsworth on completion of 50 years service to the world of brass.

Both groups are seeking to boost membership and further details may be obtained from YSB secretary Philip Southward on St Helens 609762, while HMVC inquiries should be made to Bill Ireland on 0151 426 6721.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.