History

The question in 1990 was whether there would be enough men interested in forming a Barbershop Chorus in the Long Eaton area. 45 men turned up to the initial meeting!

A committee was formed with John Archer in the Chair. At the time, John Grant was Musical Director of the Sheffield club, but he agreed to take on the MD's job for Grand Central Chorus.

The first two years were spent learning repertoire and promoting the chorus, mainly with singouts locally and nationally.

In 1993 there were 57 active singers, with ages ranging from 13 to 70. The chorus competed in the Annual Convention of the British Association of Barbershop Singers (BABS), and at it's first attempt, won the Gold Medal!

As BABS Champions, we were invited to sing at the 1994 International competition in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, performing with the world's best choruses in front of an audience of 16,000. An unforgettable experience!

A pattern developed, with the chorus gaining Gold medals, followed by an International trip the following year!  Atlanta, Louisville and Toronto were the International destinations, sometimes followed by well-earned holidays near to those memorable venues.

Throughout it's entire history, the chorus has enjoyed many successes at the UK national convention, never being placed lower than 6th, and winning medals in most years. See our Contest Results page (click here) for a full list of our contest results..

Over the years the chorus have staged many shows, including a memorable one in 2015 when we hosted a visit  from the 2013 International Chorus Champions, Toronto Northern Lights.

There have been 8 Musical Directors since the formation of Grand Central Chorus - John Grant, Mark Burnip, Kevan Liebling, Rob Barber, Zac Booles, joint directors Richard Curtis and Mark Soave, and now the current director Glenn Chaney.
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