The Newport Pagnell Singers were formed in 1962 by a group of ladies who had been members of the Newport Pagnell Choral Societies which was disbanded in 1960.

Missing the singing and the social occasions, the ladies got together and, led by Mrs Ethel Wesley, organist at the Parish Church, they agreed to call themselves the Newport Pagnell Singers and wrote to Mr Arno1d Jones, of Wolverton, asking him to be the conductor. Mrs Wesley collected the weekly subs, found the music and acted as accompanist. Practices were held in the Parish Church and concerts usually revolved around the Christian festivals of Easter and Christmas.

Costs were kept to a minimum; music was borrowed from local church choirs; concerts were usually held to raise money for some good cause. Arnold Jones set the new group on the right road and members were lucky to have as conductor a man who had sung with the old Choral Society and had a wealth of experience as Methodist church organist, musical director of the Wolverton Gilbert and Sullivan Society and conductor of the Wolverton Light Orchestra. His last concert with the Singers was at Easter, 1967, in the Congregational Church.

Having given the Singers four years of stability and achievement Tony Eaton gave up the conductorship in 1972. The baton was taken up by the Rev Geoffrey Russell, Vicar of New Bradwell, who in turn handed over to Richard Lambert, on the teaching staff of Lord Grey School at Bletchley. In 1974 Ian Smith, an accomplished violinist, became conductor, introducing small orchestras to the Singers’ concerts. He produced a concert version of "Merrie England" with soloists drawn from the Singers. Ian Smith resigned in 1977 to take over musical director of a prestigious choir, the Danesborough Chorus. Ian’s last concert including "Zadock the Priest" and Vivaldi’s "Gloria."

Earlier in the year Edwin Lack had joined Mrs Wesley as accompanist at a Victorian Evening. A brilliant musician Edwin had returned to his native Newport Pagnell from teaching at Leeds and had joined the staff at Ousedale School. It was he who took over from Ian as musical director in June 1977. A near genius when it came to playing the piano, singing, accompanying or arranging scores, Edwin was nothing if not accident-prone in matters of organisation and concert management. On many occasions the librarian would arrange the music in a folder and Edwin first move was to shuffle it up and then spend ages finding the next piece of music.

Over the yeas the Singers practised in all sorts of venues, church vestries and hall, stable blocks etc. until settling, for the time being, at Ousedale School Edwin gave the Singers a new role, taking live entertainment to villages, helping them make money for church and hall funds. These villages included Chicheley, Sherington, North Crawley, Asbvood, Gayhurst, Mousloe, Willen, Newton Blossomville, Ravenstone, Clifton Reynes, Hardmead, Little Linford, Lavendon, Stoke Goldington, Emberton, Grafton Regis, Blakesley, Tyringham, Mursley, Stewkley. The choir also gave concerts at all the Newport Pagnell Churches and at Olney.

Sadly Ethel Wesley, who had acted as accompanist and treasurer throughout the years was taken seriously ill and died in May 1986 at the age of 69. Edwin took over as accompanist and conductor, nearly always bringing his elderly mother to practices and concerts. She would invariable doze through the concert and earned the title of a sleeping partner. Edwin died of a heart attack in December 1997. His mother Ethel died three weeks later.

Dr Gerald A Hill became musical director and instilled a discipline into the Singers which had slipped under Edwin’s dual role as accompanist and musical director. Gerald has been instrumental in extending the Singers repertoire by arranging music and using his wide musical experience to obtain music that is within the capabilities of a small choir.

A performance of the Messiah with professional soloists was held in memory of Edwin. A highlight of each year are the concert for Newport Pagnell Festive Fortnight, which is usually a musical and financial success, and the Carol Concert at Astwood Church.

The repertoire of the Newport Pagnell Singers is very diverse from oratorios, masses and other church music to serious secular and Gilbert & Sullivan with a mixture of modern light music. In recent years the Singers have performed G&S "Trial by Jury," Elgar "Banner of St George," Purcell "Dido & Aeneas," Handel "Messiah," Haydn "Creation," Schubert "Mass in A flat." This Autumn the Singers presented "Requiem 2000" composed by the musical director Gerald A Hill. This was the first performance of a completely new work. In 2002 we gave rendition of Hiawatha's Wedding Feast with guest soloist Andrew Bell singing the tenor solo. This programme was also to be presented at the Methodist Church Newport Pagnell.

In 2004 we repeated the theme of Red Indian music with a short piece called the Snowbird by Pat Thayer and a contrasting Vivaldi "Gloria."

On December 14^th 2004 a concert of Christmas music is to be held in the Methodist Church, Newport Pagnell in aid of the Malcolm Sargent cancer fund for children.

The Newport Pagnell Singers must have some charm as there are still a handful of members who were there at the start of choir. It is a friendly society which still enjoys a social side and each year there is a barbeque or social evening.

The President, Gerald Hill. The founder MD Arnold Jones Current MD R. Heyes

New Members.

The Newport Pagnell Singers would welcome new people to join us, especially men.