The Saddleworth Male Voice Choir is drawn from the Greater Manchester area, in particular, Saddleworth, Oldham and Rochdale. The present choir goes back forty-four years to 1955 when a number of men broke away from the now defunct Delph Choir to start their own.

Its present Musical Director is Damian Cunningham who took over the choir in April 1997. Sylvia Hoare, a very talented pianist accompanies the choir.

The choir has a TV appearance, plus several recordings and radio broadcasts to its credit. Its competitive festival trophies include Hazel Grove (three times), Huddersfield, Macclesfield, Blackburn, Blackpool (three times), Biddulph (twice), Penistone and Southport (three times).

The total membership of the choir is currently sixty, with normal concert singing strength of forty / fifty voices. The choir is also augmented each December by about forty-five ladies to form a large mixed chorus for a performance of Handel's Messiah, with professional soloists and orchestra, at Uppermill Civic Hall.

Since the last festival, the choir has been very busy both in its concert programme and competitions. They started a new venture in Saddleworth by giving a St. George's Day Concert. There was a good response in 1997 and last year, 1998; it was a complete sell-out with tickets being ordered twelve months in advance! The Oldham Tinkers and Houghton Weavers proved to be very popular guests and the concert now seems, by popular demand, to be a permanent fixture in the choir's calendar.

The choir's repertoire extends to over 300 pieces, sacred and secular. Classical composers include Bach, Bizet, Brahms, Verdi, Palestrina, Gounod, Handel, Mozart and many more. Folk songs from around the world, songs from stage and screen, popular songs, hymns and male voice favourites are also included.

The choir have also commissioned a number of pieces by modern composers such as Christopher Wiltshire and Alan Simmons.

For the 1999 Festival Concert, the choir will sing a variety of pieces in contrasting styles from both the traditional male voice repertoire and more modern arrangements. The programme will be a celebration of the work of English composers through the ages and will include works by Sullivan, Grainger, Elgar and Lloyd Webber.

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MARIA JAGUSZ Mezzo Soprano

Born in Oldham, Maria studied at the Royal Northern College of Music - where she won the Ricardi Prize for Opera - and at the National Opera Studio.

Maria has sung for most of the major opera companies in the UK:

· Royal Opera House Dimitri, Fedora (from 1993 for three seasons consecutively with Freni, Carreras and Domingo): The Gypsy, Les Huguenots: and, in 1996, worked with Carlos Alvarez in Don Carlos.

· English National Opera - Smeraldina, Love for Three Oranges - the highly praised production which was filmed for television.

· Opera North - First Witch, Dido and Aeneas: Third Boy, The Magic Flute: Wild Girl, A Village Romeo and Juliet: Carmen: Orlofsky, Fledermaus: Smeraldina, Love for Three Oranges: Rosina and Cherubino, Figaro the Untold Tale in a televised production for Granada.

· Glyndebourne Festival Opera - Thérèse, Intermezzo.

· Scottish Opera - Puck, Oberon: Nicklaus, The Tales of Hoffmann: Carmen.

· Opera Northern Ireland - Cherubino, Figaro: Hansel, Hansel and Gretel (January 1998).

· New Sadlers Wells Opera - Pitti-Sing, The Mikado: Bless the Bride.

· Travelling Opera - Rosina, Maddalena: Cherubino: Dorabella: Public Opinion.

Outside the UK Maria has sung Puck for Opera de Lyon and Opera Montpelier: Smeraldina for Teatro Nacional Sao Carlos, Lisbon: Rosina for Singapore Lyric Theatre: Rosina for the Manael Theatre, Malta: Lazuli, L'Etoile, in Northern Ireland.

Maria is an experienced concert artist making regular appearances in the South Bank and throughout Great Britain. She has performed at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival and Jonathan Still has composed a song recital for her. Recent work includes Of Thee I Sing for Opera North and she has made her first CD earlier this year.

This evening Maria will sing a selection of opera favourites and songs by Chopin, Berlioz, Walton and Chausson.

She is accompanied by her brother, Dr C. Jagusz.

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DAMIAN J. CUNNINGHAM

Damian was born in Oldham and was a pupil of St. Anselm's RC High School and the Oldham Music Centre, studying piano, violin and viola. Damian graduated from Keele University with a First Class honours degree in Music and Mathematics. He was subsequently awarded a scholarship by the British Council to study for a M.Mus. (Musicology) in Opera Studies at Leeds University, during which time he was Musical Director for a production of Mozart's Die Zauberflöte.

He then trained to be a teacher and began his teaching career at St. Mary's RC High School, Leigh and was soon appointed Head of Music. During his time in this position Damian was Musical Director for many award winning productions, including a production of Ruddigore, which was awarded 'the outstanding production' prize at the National Student Drama Festival, a production which later transferred to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Damian was also Musical Director for a production of The Gondoliers, which was awarded the 'runners-up' prize for best production in the First International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival.

Damian became Musical Director of Saddleworth Male Voice Choir in April 1997 and is enjoying the challenge of working with his first adult choir.

He is currently Director of Sixth Form at Our Lady's RC High School where he is Musical Director of the schools' choirs, one of which reached the final of this year's National Festival of Music for Youth, performing at the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester.

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