THE great choral history of the area is the theme of today's archive photographs as we celebrate the achievements of York's amateur choirs.

Dominating our pictures are the men of the York Philharmonic Male Voice Choir who have been entertaining audiences since 1925. In the main picture, from 1989, they proudly display their silverware in front of the Minster following a triumphant return from the 85th Morecambe Festival.

Adjudicators at the festival said: "This choir flows music out of its musical director into the audience - a unique achievement."

The smaller group picture, top right, in 1967, captures six members showing off their new uniforms as they survey a score of Gilbert and Sullivan's classic operetta HMS Pinafore.

At the centre of the group stands the only surviving founder member at the time, 90-year-old William Payne. The choir are pictured top left with their trophies from the 1968-9 season. The choir had been unbeaten in festivals for four years and was due to embark on a week's tour of Germany and Holland.

The ladies of the city have shown they are in fine voice over the years, joining the men on stage in the York Chapter House Choir, below left.

In 1981, they won BBC Radio's Let The People Sing competition for amateur choirs. Our image captures them as they prepare to record their entry for the following year at the Jack Lyons Concert Hall, University of York.

An Evening Press reporter summed up the appeal of these choirs when he reviewed a concert by the Micklegate Singers, pictured bottom right, in the garden of the Treasurer's House in 1980: "The audience of 200, lounging in the lawn, appreciated the confidence and enjoyment with which the songs were sung."

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Updated: 09:54 Friday, February 14, 2003