THE Berwick Male Voice Choir will perform in Melrose for the first time later this month.

The concert, in aid of MacMillan Cancer Support, will be staged at Melrose Parish Church on Saturday, February 21, at 7.30pm.

Founded in 1964 the choir now has over 50 choral members drawn from all over North Northumberland and the Scottish Borders and has attained both a national and international reputation as one of the finest male voice choirs in the country.

Under the musical direction of former military bandsman Robin Cheer, supported by his wife Isobel as accompanist, the choir has developed a repertoire of over 60 songs, ranging from traditional Welsh favourites such as Calon Lan and Cwm Rhondda, to more contemporary tunes from modern musicals, and popular folk songs.

This variety is reflected in each concert, and as a result audiences return time and again with little expectation of repetitive performances. Many arrangements sung by the choir have been written by Robin thus making the harmonies quite unique. A male voice choir in full song stirs the blood and BMVC are no exception. “Hairs standing up on the back of the neck” is an oft heard phrase.

Delivering around a dozen UK concerts every year the choir also performs overseas, with the most recent occasion being in Germany in 2012. Norway in 2016 is next on the schedule. In May of this year, choirs from Berwick’s twin towns in both Germany and Norway will be visiting Berwick as guests of the BMVC, at which time combined performances will be delivered at Berwick and Norham.

Tickets for the Melrose event, priced £10, are available in advance from The Pharmacy, Masons’s Grocer, and Millar’s Fruit & Veg in Lauder; Edeweiss in Galashiels; the Post Office in Stow; and Henderson’s Garden Shop and Spar in Melrose. Alternatively, call 01578 750289.