It has performed with some of the country's most distinguished orchestras and has even been conducted by a former Prime Minister. But with nearly seven decades of music to its name, Liz Rowley finds the Ceramic City Choir is still perfectly on song.
As far as Staffordshire choirs go the Ceramic City, with more than 100 choristers, is up there with the best.
Over the last 67 years it has performed with numerous world-class orchestras, including both the London Symphony and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, and has, somewhat impressively, been led and watched by many prestigious names - both in and out of the profession.
In 1992, for example, in celebration of Ceramic City's golden anniversary, former British Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath accepted an invitation to conduct the choir in its jubilee concert, staged at the Victoria Hall.
If this wasn't impressive enough, both the young Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret have witnessed its harmonic beauty in the city; the former in 1949 and the latter in April 1958.
"The Ceramic City is a big choir that has always been involved in highly professional performances with highly professional conductors, soloists and orchestras," says 60-year-old soprano Christine Quinlan, who joined the choir when she was aged just 16.
"Some of the soloists who have performed with us over the years have gone on to become very famous, including Dame Janet Baker, who appeared with us when she was just out of college."
For Christine, who lives in Pinewood Road, Ashley, and whose parents, Fred and Phyllis Gordon, were also long-standing members of the choir, singing is very much a family affair and being involved with the Ceramic City is something she enjoys enormously."My parents were founder members of the choir so my connection with it goes back a long way," explains the retired teacher.
"My mother was a soprano and my father was a bass who also held the position of music librarian for many years.
"But I've always loved singing and being with this choir offers quite a challenge," she continues.
"You're often learning different, difficult choral works but as an amateur it's great to perform with professionals, whether they are soloists, conductors or orchestras."
Looking back over last few decades there are many different moments that Christine classes as being memorable, but the concert with Sir Edward Heath will certainly take some beating for her.
"I remember Sir Edward Heath conducting us at the Victoria Hall in 1992 and I have to say that was quite an experience," she says.
"The thing about having concerts like this, where a national personality is making an appearance, is that you have all the extra things that come with it," she adds.
"We rehearsed at Newcastle-under-Lyme School and there were lots of security men and sniffer dogs who had to go in first.
"It was the same when the Princesses came," she continues.
"I didn't sing in any of the royal concerts but my parents did and they were issued with security passes and things like that to make sure everything was safe for them."
Founded by Charles Henry Tildsley in the middle of Second World War, the Ceramic City Choir certainly started as it meant to go on.
Thanks to the guidance, support and musical direction of the then Dr Malcolm Sargent, it was more than capable of producing works such as Handel's Messiah, which was chosen for the choir's first concert at the Victoria Hall, Hanley, on Tuesday, April 14, 1942.
Over the years it grew significantly in stature to produce three major concerts at the local venue each year; a tradition which is still consciously maintained to this day.
"Last year we performed Karl Jenkins's The Armed Man and Karl actually came and conducted it for us," says Christine.
"It's always a privilege when composers are prepared to conduct their own work," she adds, "and a little nerve-racking at the same time. "The people in the choir have worked hard over the years to maintain its prominence and when we get to perform concerts like this, with such special guests, it makes it all worthwhile."
Over the years it's fair to say the choir has witnessed numerous changes.
The most recent came in the form of new choral master Oliver Parker, who took over from the choir's previous conductor, Geoffrey Walker, in September last year.
"It was an interesting role for me to take because it's probably the largest choir I've rehearsed with on a regular basis and some of them bring more than 50 years experience of singing with either this choir or other choirs with them," says Oliver.
He travels from his home in Leicester to Stoke-on-Trent each week to practise with the choristers.
"We have our first proper choral concert coming up later this month with Manchester Camerata, but I know that they will be fine.
"I have a lot of faith in their ability and while change can be difficult, we seem to be getting along really well." The concert, at Hanley's Victoria Hall on Saturday, March 28, will offer a fusion of choral fireworks and deeply relaxing harmony as Magical Mozart and Heroic Haydn combine.
"Haydn's Nelson's Mass will be the main piece of the night as well some of Mozart's choral works such as his Ave verum corpus, so I'm sure people will enjoy it," he says.
"And we have four fabulous soloists, including the local soprano Denise Leigh, performing with us, so I would say to people that they should come along and give it a try," he adds.
"There is a lot of music in the programme that people will know.
"If they don't necessarily recognise the title then they will definitely recognise the odd tune or two."
So, as its 70th year of music making fast approaches, the choir looks set to continue the tradition of performing quality choral music in Staffordshire for many years to come.
As Oliver concludes: "It's not like they are working for me, I'm actually working for them.
"I'm here to help them to perform these great pieces in front of great audiences.
"It's part of my job and duty to enable them to sing properly and so far they are really living up to expectations."
The Ceramic City Choir and Manchester Camerata can be seen at the Victoria Hall, Hanley, on Saturday, March 28, at 7.30pm.
For tickets call 0870 060 6649.
This article appeared in THE NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE MAGAZINE March 2009