CHRIS Gulley is taking over as musical director of the Malton District Male Voice Choir.

Chris, a bass-baritone, studied at the Royal College of Music and teaches at St Peter’s School in York. He sings periodically with the chorus of Opera North, has been with York Minister Choir since 1998 and has sung many of the major bass solos in English cathedral music.

“I had a good feeling about the Malton choir from the first moment I heard it,” he says.

“The members are regular guys with no pretensions, singing for the joy of it.”

He also praised former musical director Chris Holmes, saying the choir had “benefited from a lot of good training”.

Extended singing commitments with Covent Garden Opera in London have led Mr Holmes to leave the choir he had created the choir with Ryedale musical performer Tom Todd in 2007.

In those three years, membership has risen to 30 and thousands of pounds have been raised for good causes at concerts.

Tom, now the choir’s chairman, says: “We acknowledge with profound gratitude our debt to Chris Holmes. He has put us on the map.

“However, his unexpected departure could have spelt disaster for us and we’ve been incredibly lucky to find someone of Chris Gulley’s calibre so quickly to replace him”.

On sale soon will be the choir’s first two CDs, produced by Chris Holmes and Malton cinema owner and sound engineer Jeremy Powell.

One is a selection of male voice songs, Stout-hearted Men, and the second is A Merry Little Christmas.

The choir’s annual concert at the Milton Rooms, Malton, will be on October 30, and further engagements will follow at the Remembrance Service in Norton, on November 12; Bishop Wilton, November 13; and Pickering, November 20.

The choir meets on Fridays at 7.45 pm in the Methodist Church, Saville Street, Malton.

“New members are welcome; no previous singing experience is necessary but an ability to sing is,” says Tom, who can be contacted 01653 692362.

Alternatively, call secretary David Ackroyd on 01944 758693.