Past achievements
As a choir we are privileged to have several members willing to display their talents as solo performers.
One such is John Smedley who has developed his bass voice to produce a clear resonant and very satisfying tone.
His performances are highly acclaimed at our concerts. John works hard on his solo singing. He entered the
Aldershot and Farnborough Festival of Music and Art during May 2009 in the open class for solo singing and gained
the First Award — with distinction for his rendering of the song Myself When Young by
Lisa Lehman for which he was presented with the Winifred Winter Memorial Trophy.
The United Reform Church in Farnham was the venue for two consecutive concerts by the choir. On the 25th April 2009 we performed for the benefit of the New Farnham Repertory Actors' Company and on the 16th May to aid the maintenance fund of the venue church. Both concerts had extremely enthusiastic audiences and the choir had great fun in presenting them!
For the fourth successive year Rushmoor Male Voice Choir participated in the the Concert Festival Of Male Voice Choirs which this year was held at St. Ambrose Church in Bournemouth on Saturday 21st March 2009. Our contribution was very well received and we look forward to receiving an invitation to be involved again next year! More details below!
On Monday 19th January 2009 the choir were very pleased to welcome the Mayor of Rushmoor Cllr. Alan Ferrier to their weekly rehearsal evening. He came - not to audition to join (actually we don't audition anyway!) - but instead to thank the choir for helping to raise funds for the benefit of his two adopted charities, the British Heart Foundation and the Army Benevolent Fund. Through your attendance and unswerving generosity at our Princes Hall Chrismas Concert we were able to present the Mayor with the record sum of £2,750 for his charities! He stayed right to the end of our rehearsal - perhaps he is considering . . .
Our longest serving member Ian Wood provides a bit of choir history for the audience at Milford
and from the surrounding villages, before the commencement of our afternoon concert at
The Clockhouse on 3rd December 2008.
The concert promoted and presented by the Rushmoor Odd Fellows Male Voice Choir at the Princes Hall, Aldershot on 17th May 2008 with guests the Chess Valley Male Voice Choir also participating raised a sum of £1600.00 for the benefit of the local charity Step by Step.
The choir and the charity extend their most grateful thanks to the
marvellous audience whose generosity excelled yet again - this time to help this very worthy cause.
The choir chairman Brian Sapsford is shown here presenting the cheque to Michelle Bradford from Step by Step.
The Treasurer John Warburton is in the centre with Concert Secretary Hughie Hill on the left and Musical Director Steve Petch on the right.
(pic: John Smedley)
The Odds have been privileged to join the London Welsh Male Voice Choir in
their Festival of Male Choirs in the Royal Albert Hall, London in 1992, 1996 and again
in 2002. We did so again in October 2008 when our choir joined in with
some 800 singers from around the world to participate at this memorable festival. Some of our choir members are shown here arriving outside the Albert Hall to prepare for the occasion.
— More details below!.
We also took part in two memorable concerts by "The World Choir" in Cardiff Arms Park rugby stadium.
The choir were honoured in the early summer of 2007 by being asked to participate in leading the singing at Twickenham on the occasion of the EDF Energy Cup Final between Ospreys and Leicester Tigers. This they did jointly with the Huntingdon MVC on behalf of the English team's supporters, whilst the Welsh were represented by the Treorchy Choir. Playing for all the choirs were the Aveley & Newham Band - to the overall musical direction of Haydn James (our President!).
In June 2007 - the choir, together with family members and friends, visited Rushmoor's twin town in Germany, Oberursel,
which is near Frankfurt. We were very warmly received and generously wined and dined by our hosts, the members of the
Mag'scher Männerchor and their families. Our choirs performed a joint concert in their town hall.
We also sang in an event in the town square. In addition we sang at the Sunday morning service
in their local church.
This was one of several visits the choir has made to Oberursel.
We have had the privilege of hosting visits from them also in previous years.
In 1998 we were very pleased to host a second visit from the Sydney Male Choir, ten years after their first. We shared a concert with them as they began a tour which took them to Cornwall, Wales and Ireland.
On Thursday 17th April 1997 the choir were presented with the
Pat Devereux Cup for OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO THE ARTS IN THE BOROUGH OF RUSHMOOR.
The presentation was made by Councillor Pat Devereux who was the outgoing mayor
at the time, during the incumbent (Councillor Maurice Banner)
Mayor's Gala Charity Concert at the Princes Hall Aldershot, and it was accepted
by our then Musical Director Colin Wilson on behalf of the choir.
Concerts we have presented or in which we have participated in recent times:-
During 2009
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Date | Venue | Beneficiaries |
|---|
| |
Saturday17th Oct. |
The Church on the Heath The Key, Elvetham Heath, Fleet GU51 1HA ~Click for Map~ |
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Friday 9th Oct. | Farnham Methodist Church South Street Farnham Surrey GU9 7QU ~Location Map~ |
A marvellous attendance at this concert to support action for children The sum of £618 was raised for this most worthy charity! |
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Saturday 19th Sept. |
St. Mathew's Church Blackmoor Nr. Bordon Click for some pics. Click for Map |
This return visit of "The Odds" again achieved overwhelming support! It was for the benefit of the Church Appeal Fund |
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Thursday 25th June |
Princes Way Aldershot Hants. GU11 1NX Click for Map 
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Singing For You This was our major summer charity concert for 2009 The benefitting organisation for the concert was locally based Disability Initiative we are delighted to advise that together with the very generous help of our wonderful audience it was possible to donate the sum of £1900.00 to this very deserving organisation. |
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Saturday 6th June | Farnborough Baptist Church Queens Road North Camp GU14 6DX Click for Map |
Proceeds from this concert were for the benefit of church funds - particularly for re-tiling of the church floor. |
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Saturday 16th May | United Reformed Church South Street Farnham Click for Map |
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Saturday 25th April | United Reformed Church South Street Farnham Click for Map |
This concert was in aid of the New Farnham Repertory Actors' Company |
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| Saturday 21st March | St Ambrose Church 72 Westcliff Road Bournemouth BH4 8BE ~Click here for Map~ Rushmoor Male Voice Choir were once again invited and were delighted to take part in this now annual event - the Concert Festival of Male Voice Choirs Organised by the Bournemouth Male Voice Choir Four choirs provided an exciting range of repertoire for this festival which is gaining in prestige every year! |
Participating choirs were Swindon Male Voice Choir, Hampshire Police Male Voice Choir, Rushmoor Male Voice Choir and hosts Bournemouth Male Voice Choir. In addition two very accomplished interludes were provided by The Bournemouth Youth Handbell Team under the direction of their MD Cathy Beeby The members family and friends of the Bournemouth MVC led by their MD Mark Burstow put tremendous effort into the organisation of the festival which proved to be a resounding success! That they were also able to donate a remarkable £1,300 from the proceeds for the benefit of the venue church to alleviate the costs of rebuilding following the disastrous fire of three years ago was a creditable bonus! |
During 2008
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Date | Venue | Beneficiaries |
|---|
|
Wednesday 3rd December | Milford Day Centre - The Clockhouse - (Click for more information) Chapel Lane, Milford, Surrey, GU8 5EZ |
'A lighthearted and relaxing interlude in the afternoon was enjoyed by all who assembled with us from Milford and surrounding villages' |
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Thursday 27th November |
Princes Hall, Aldershot We were delighted to present yet another of our "Singing for You" concerts in aid of charity  The Mayor's Charities benifitting from this concert are the The Army Benevolent Fund and The British Heart Foundation We would like to thank very much the The Basingstoke Concert Band who provided such an excellent contribution to this occasion! |
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Friday 7th November |
Knellwood Residential Home Canterbury Road Farnborough |
The Friends and Residents |
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Wednesday 29th October |
Residential Home at 3 Providence Place Farnham |
The Residents |
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Saturday 18th October |
ROYAL ALBERT HALL Rushmoor Odd Fellows Male Voice Choir participate in the London Welsh Festival of Male Choirs |
ORGANISERS' COMMENT The 21st festival was very successful . 800 choristers were superbly supported by Gwawr Edwards - Soprano Gwyn Hughes Jones - Tenor The Cory Band Frank Lincoln was the compere During the concert Huw Edwards was installed as President of the London Welsh Trust Dr Haydn James conducted with Annabel Thwaite - Accompanist Jeffrey Howard - Organ |
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Saturday 20th September | FIRST CONCERT 2008/2009 SEASON Included many popular favourites!! at:- Beacon Hill United Reformed Church Churt Road, Hindhead GU26 6NL Click for Map |
We are delighted to report that this concert raised £788.00 nett profit for the Church Fund |
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Saturday 17th May |
Princes Hall Aldershot Click to view our poster |
Singing For You was our major summer charity concert for 2008 The benefitting charity for this event was Step by Step for whom we raised £1,600 Performing with us were our special guests the Chess Valley Male Voice Choir from Chesham |
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Wednesday 23rd April |
St. Peter's Church Farnborough Click for a pic. |
We presented Voices of Spring An evening of song and fun which was attended by the Deputy Mayor and Mayoress of Rushmoor, and helped raise £286.10 for the Children's Society For enquiries concerning the charity and/or this event please telephone 01252 674468 or Email: jackie.nicol@ntlworld.com |
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Saturday 19th April |
Farnham Memorial Hall
Babbs Mead, West St. Farnham, GU9 7EE |
This afternoon concert was for the benefit of "Talking Newspapers" |
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Saturday 5th April |
St. Mathew's Church Blackmoor Nr. Bordon Click for some pics. |
The 140th Anniversary Appeal for the Church £1,360 raised! |
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Saturday 8th March |
The Church on the Heath The Key, Elvetham Heath, Fleet GU51 1HA |
The Church Development Fund |
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Saturday 23rd February | Lighthouse Centre for the Arts, Poole Festival of Male Voice Choirs featuring in addition to the Rushmoor Odd Fellows Male Voice Choir, the Bournemouth Male Voice Choir (organisers), Casterbridge Male Voice Choir, Dorset Police Male Voice Choir, Harlandic Male Voice Choir and Solent Male Voice Choir |
The Wessex Autistic Society |
During 2007
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Date | Venue | Beneficiaries |
|---|---|---|---|
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| Tuesday 18th December | Village Hall, Rowledge | Alice Holt Womens' Institute |
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| Thursday 13th December | Brockhill Retirement Centre, Woking | The Residents |
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| Friday 7th December | Dogmersfield Church | Church Renovation Fund |
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| Thursday 29th November | Princes Hall | Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice |
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| Friday 9th November | Knellwood Retirement Home | The Residents |
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| Saturday 20th October | St. Peter's Old Parish Church Hall, Farnborough | The Parish Womens' Guild? |
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| Monday 15th October | Holy Trinity Church, Aldershot | Aldershot Blind |
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| Tuesday 2nd October | St Peter's Parish Church Hall, Frimley | Womens' Fellowship |
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| Friday 8th June | The Band Room, Village Way, Cranleigh | tbc |
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| Saturday 12th May | Princes Hall, Aldershot | Orpheus Centre |
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| Saturday 17th March | United Reformed Church, Farnham | tbc |
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| Friday 2nd March | Sergeants' Mess, Prince Philip Barracks, Bordon | HM Forces |
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| Saturday 24th February | Christchurch Priory, Christchurch, Dorset | Male Voice Choir Festival |
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| Saturday 17th February | North Camp Methodist Church, Farnborough | tbc |
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| Friday 9th February | Providence House, Farnham | tbc |
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| Saturday 27th January | Holy Trinity Church, Aldershot | Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice |
During 2006
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Date | Venue | Beneficiaries |
|---|---|---|---|
|
| Friday 1st december | Princes Hall, Aldershot | Samaritans |