Formed with just 12 members at Westbourne Street Methodist Church, High Wycombe, in 1923, the Wycombe Orpheus Male Voice Choir’s main objective was to deliver high quality singing entertainment for local audiences.

Today, 89 years later, this objective hasn’t changed, though the size of the choir – now more than six times its original size – certainly has. And its audience reach has also increased dramatically, with concerts raising considerable sums for charities and local causes throughout the Thames Valley, other parts of the UK and abroad.

In the intervening years, the Orpheus has notched up over 60 festival awards for its highest musical standards. It projects a warm and friendly atmosphere while never compromising its quality and distinctive sound. The wide and varied repertoire gives great listening pleasure to audiences wherever the Choir performs. This repertoire ranges from traditional male voice choir items through popular hymns and gospel songs, to songs from West End shows and even quality pop songs by artists such as Robbie Williams, Elton John and the Beatles, all leavened with a little comedy.

While most concerts are performed in Buckinghamshire, the Choir often travels further afield, and has performed in recent years in the splendid settings of Magdalen College Oxford, the Eden Project in Cornwall, the Cardiff Millennium Centre, Llandaff Cathedral, London Guildhall and at the Variety Club’s “2009 Miss World” reception at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel. A foray to mid-Wales as guests of Newtown Male Voice Choir is planned for summer 2012.

The Choir’s latest CD, You Raise Me Up, was launched at its annual concert in May 2010.  In addition to several local concerts, the Choir accepted invitations to perform at events at the Park Lane Hilton Hotel and for the sixth time, the Choir formed part of the London Welsh Male Voice Choirs’ Festival at the Royal Albert Hall.  In 2011 the Choir was invited to perform at the Mansion House to raise money for the Paralympics fund.  Outdoor concerts were performed for the Lymphoma Association at West Wycombe Park and the Choir appeared in a billing with Blue at the Armed Forces Day event at Aylesbury Rugby Club.

The Orpheus goes from strength to strength with the demand for concerts rising every year. In addition, its Festival of Young Musicians each March promotes musical excellence by talented youngsters from local schools, many of whom are helped by the choir’s bursary scheme.

Orpheus members work hard to rehearse and present a constantly changing musical repertoire to ensure the choir maintains and betters the original objectives set all those years ago.