Three long-standing members of the Hallé Choir were each presented with commemorative pins this summer to mark 50 years of service singing in the Hallé Choir. The Hallé’s Principal Conductor, Kahchun Wong, marked this huge achievement by presenting the pins during a rehearsal at The Bridgewater Hall in July.

Vin Allerton (bass), Clare Knight and Sue McKinlay (altos) all joined the choir in 1975 and have treasured memories of their half a century singing in the Hallé Choir.

 

Sue McKinlay says the best thing about singing in the choir is the friendships she has made: “The friendships were very important. When I started, I had a 3-month-old baby and a 3-year-old toddler and for me to have some time to myself, singing, was just so important. That continued while I brought up the family and had a full-time job, there was always choir and singing that gave me something to come to, gave me space, something for me, something where you could forget everything else and just enjoy the singing”.

 

She has enjoyed singing Elgar the most in her 50 years, particularly the performances at the BBC Proms and her most memorable performance was a trip to Chemnitz in Germany to sing Britten’s ‘War Requiem’:  … “it’s a fantastic work, and to sing it on that occasion, 50 years after they’d been bombed at the same time as Dresden in 1995 was very emotional.”


Clare Knight says it is a privilege to sing in a choir of such a high standard, “it has been a constant through my adult life and we have had so many opportunities. We’ve learned all the major choral repertoire”.

 

She recounts a memorable performance of Elgar’s ‘The Dream of Gerontius’ in 1977 with Janet Baker singing the part of the ‘Angel’ –  “we were right above where Janet Baker was singing, and I just couldn’t sing because I was so in awe of her, her fantastic voice and musicality, it was just an amazing occasion. It was very emotional”.

 

Vin Allerton describes the variety of the music as the best thing about singing in the choir, “where else would you be able to sing such a wide variety of music in so many different styles, at such a standard?  It has been a tremendous joy to sing with these wonderful people, for the last 50 years. It’s great!”

 

Vin’s most memorable performance was, like Clare, the time he sang ‘Dream of Gerontius’ with Janet Baker as the Angel. “It was the first of 18 times I’ve sung Dream of Gerontius and that was my favourite”.  

 

The Hallé Choir
The Hallé Choir is a large adult symphony chorus, made up of over 200 singers from across the North West and beyond, and from all walks of life. Founded alongside the Orchestra by Sir Charles Hallé in 1858, the internationally-acclaimed Hallé Choir gives around 15 concerts a year. The most recent concert was a sold-out performance of Mahler’s ‘Resurrection’ Symphony at the BBC Proms in London this summer, earning the orchestra and choir 5-star reviews across the broadsheet press.

During the 2025-26 season, the Hallé Choir will take centre stage at The Bridgewater Hall for a solo performance on Sunday 16 November while the orchestra are on tour in China. Other concerts throughout the season include their annual Carol Concerts and Handel’s Messiah at Christmas and Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony.