Colne Valley Male Voice Choir teamed up with Brighouse and Rastrick Band along with the Colne Valley Boys for its Christmas concert at Huddersfield Town Hall.

The compere was Simon Lindley and the concert began, accompanied as always by keyboard maestro, Keith Swallow, with a rousing version of the carol On This Day Earth Shall Ring.

Under their conductor, Garry Cutt, Yorkshire area champions Brighouse and Rastrick began their contribution with Leroy Anderson’s ever-popular Christmas Festival. The rendition of The Witch of the Westmerlands featured Ciaran Young on the baritone horn and Stuart Lingard on cornet.

The Colne Valley Boys performed a plaintive version of Bethlehem, accompanied on the piano by rising star Chris Pulleyn and their final number, Believe, from Polar Express touched the audience’s heartstrings and triggered enthusiastic applause.

The first half ended with the band, choir and boys performing together in Requiem for a Soldier, the theme tune from the TV series Band of Brothers, specially arranged by the choir’s musical director, Thom Meredith.

Colne Valley Male Voice Choir had close on to 70 members on stage on Sunday and also performed Robat Arwyn’s ‘Benedictus’ and backed soloist Raymond Ellis through the Christina Rosetti carol Love Came Down At Christmas.

The choir eased through the demanding pianissimo passages that begin Wagner’s Pilgrims’ Chorus before putting its foot down for a big finish with the final Halleluja.