Gallery
The Story So Far In Pictures - Our Professionals
The Choir was established in March 1978 when approximately twenty-five police officers and one civilian police employee convened at Kent Police Headquarters for an inaugural meeting with the late Gerry Hughes, who was then a serving officer. As a result of this meeting, the Kent Police Male Voice Choir was founded under the direction of its founder, Chief Superintendent Gerry Hughes.
Since its formation, the choir has benefited from the leadership of professional Musical Directors and Accompanists, who have played a significant role in shaping its development over the years. The images below show these key people.
Our Musical Directors
Gerry Hughes
1978 to 1982
David Vening
1982 to 2010
Martin Rendle
From 2011
Our Accompanists
Jack Goodsall
1978 to 1980
Heather Baker
1980 to 1988
Ann Parnham
1988 to 1999
Wendy Heaton
1988 to 2010
Karen Barton-Holman
2011 to present
In the early months of the choir's formation, we did not have a professional accompanist. However, we soon identified Jack Goodsall, then a Superintendent, who possessed both a rich tenor voice and the ability to play the piano to a competent standard. He served as our pianist until 1980, when Heather joined our ensemble.
Notably, during their time with the choir, two of our accompanists married. Heather Baker (then MacPherson) married David Baker, a member of the Baritone section, in 1981. Our current accompanist, Karen Barton-Holman, also married in 2017 to Luke Holman. It is possible that the music we perform fosters an atmosphere reminiscent of 'Love is all Around.'