Who's who?
Dave Berry, President
Dave Berry has recently accepted an invitation to become the president of BMCV.
Berry was born David Holgate Grundy in Sheffield, 1941 - the son of a jazz drummer. In 1960 he formed his band Dave Berry and the Cruisers and quickly became a popular artist in the Sheffield area. He was subsequently signed by Decca Records and shot to fame as an international recording artist.
In 1964 Berry released his fourth single Crying Game which was to become his career song. He went on to have a number of hits including This Strange Effect and Mama. Berry has worked with innumerable stars including the Rolling Stones and Roy Orbison.
Today Berry is still touring and in August 2009, RPM Records issued a 2-CD anthology of his earliest recordings for Decca, entitled This Strange Effect.
Bolsterstone Male Voice Choir warmly welcome Dave as their new president.
Francis Wells, Musical Director
Fran has been with the Choir for several years as Assistant Musical Director. He is well known in the area as a baritone soloist and also because he is the music teacher at Sheffield's largest secondary school, King Edward VII's School.
His first contact with the Choir was as a guest soloist. The arrangement was so successful that the association continued. Fran comes from North London and when he was young he was a member of the National Youth Choir. He is an enthusiast about choirs and singing and expresses his amazement that the male voice tradition has not spread widely in the south of England.
As the Choir's Deputy Conductor, Fran Wells filled the post of Musical Director for the greater part of 1996. During his brief period of office, the Choir won the Pantyfedwen Eisteddfod and was placed 4th in the prestigious Malta International Music Festival. Pressure of work, though, forced him to decide to revert to his former position as deputy conductor. In this role, he led the Choir in Chris Wiltshire's absences.
In June 1997, he continued his run of victories at the National Male Voice Choir Championships in Rhyl. Once more, he led the Choir to first place and on this occasion he was also awarded the trophy for the best conductor. When Chris Wiltshire left the choir in 1999, Fran accepted the post of Musical Director, and has since continued to lead the choir to even greater achievements, winning the National Championships in 1999 and Llangollen Eisteddfod in 2002.
Lorraine Pearson, Accompanist
Lorraine Pearson, joined the Bolsterstone Male Voice Choir in 1985 and her flawless performances have been recognised by almost every adjudicator that has commented on our performances. Her excellence is a major factor in the choir's competition successes. In those concerts where the Choir is responsible for all the music, she often features as a solo artist.
Lorraine is now a music teacher in the Kirklees Metropolitan Authority. She was recruited following the untimely death of her long-serving predecessor, Jean Taylor, in whose memory the Choir donated a rose bowl for the Blackpool Male Voice Choir competition.