Aylesbury Choral Society is releasing a CD to celebrate its 80th birthday.
The group, which was founded in 1932, are also holding a party to celebrate the milestone on Friday which features singing, poetry readings and a short play.
The still unnamed album was professionally recorded in Whitchurch’s St John’s church in July and is due to be released later in the year.
The society’s events coordinator Sheelagh Nolan, 76, of Stoke Mandeville, said: “The CD is of classical pieces that we have sung through the years and has backing from an orchestra.
“We went into a church at Whitchurch to record it, which was fantastic. We had a professional sound recordist come and record it over two days.
“It was an opportunity to spend two days all together, which you don’t get to do normally. It was great to get together and that’s what we hope our party on the 12th will be like.”
The birthday celebration takes place at Stoke Mandeville Community Centre and features 12 acts. It will be watched by the society’s 80 members, including conductor Peter Leech.
The group was founded in 1932, when a man called Charles Pope moved to the town and found a lack of musical provision.
Its first meeting attracted just five people but in the following weeks it continued to grow. Mr Pope remained its choir master and musical director for 25 years – earning him the nickname Mr Music.
The society’s next show is at St Mary’s Church in Aylesbury on December 8. For more details visit {http://www.aylesburychoral.org.uk|www.aylesburychoral.org.uk|click here for more}
