Our Musical Mentors

Matthew Thomas took the reins in 2015, and soon claimed prizes including Best Conductor and Song of the Competition in the Cornwall International Male Choral Festival, 2019, Lancashire Choir of the Year in 2022 and winners of the Eskdale Festival in 2025. The choir's repertoire now includes up-beat contemporary pieces alongside sea shanties and soaring traditional male voice classics. Matthew's vision for the future is of a choir that continues to flourish, through excellence, effort and innovation. Continuing to entertain audiences at home in Rossendale, whilst taking our show concept to new audiences everywhere.

Matthew Thomas 2015

Kate spent a very productive 6 years with the choir from 2009, winning the Hazel Grove and Biddulph Festivals twice each, recording a CD and two Christmas Day concerts for Radio Blackburn. And baking lots and lots of cakes! Kate also saw the choir join the memorial services for both Beatrice Wade and Ernest Tomlinson. She led the choir to both the Albert and the Bridgewater halls and celebrated the 90th anniversary of the choir with - yet another - cake that made the papers!

Kate Shipway 2009

Dennis brought an established reputation for his skill as Choral Director, which he applied assiduously to his time with RMVC. Those fourteen months saw the choir lift First Prize at Hazel Grove, record a CD at Clitheroe Grand Theatre, and a singing tour of Killarney and County Kerry.

Dennis Kay 2007

Bringing over 30 years experience as an accomplished singer and highly respected music teacher, Dorothy had sung with the Halle choir for nine years and retired in 2007. She'd led the men to further competition success, a memorable visit to Belgium where they visited First World War cemeteries and sang at the Menin Gate. To mark her retirement, RMVC joined the Halle choir in a celebratory concert to mark Dorothy's many years of service to music.

Dorothy Stoddard 2005

Beatrice was an accomplished singer and music teacher, winning over 200 prizes at festivals. She revered words and would invest time researching each piece to find the perfect ‘word colour’ to express the musical intent of the arrangement. Beatrice knew how to get perfect voice production from the choir and would often implore “Nothing louder than beautiful, gentlemen”. She took the choir to over 30 more festival wins whilst also leading the Rossendale Ladies and Festival choirs.

Beatrice Wade 1981

Ernest Tomlinson MBE was a professional composer and arranger, whose work brought him to the notice of the BBC in 1955 where he began broadcasting with his own light orchestra. Ernest's career drew international recognition and two Ivor Novello awards. His work still features regularly on radio and on film and TV. He took over the leadership of the choir from his father in 1976 and his high standards brought three consecutive wins on BBC TV's A Grand Sing. Ernest leaves a legacy of over 30 arrangements written specially for the choir, some of which feature on the choir’s Valley of Song CD.

Ernest Tomlinson 1976

Fred Tomlinson 1924

Fred was born in 1893 and a passionate singer from an early age at school and church. On his return from service in WW1 he joined the Goodshaw Glee Union and was a founder of it's off-spring The Glen Quartet - a regular on Radio 2ZY and winners of over 80 competition prizes. Fred led the choir for more than 50 years, gaining the Freedom of Rawtenstall and an MBE for his Services to Music. He had an instinctive understanding of the correct shaping and expression of words, achieving a deeply moving tonal quality which he drew from the men with “those persuasive, expressive hands”. Fred, an ordinary man who worked at Ilex Mill all his life, achieved so much through a love for music and the vigour with which he inspired the choir.

He was, in the words of his son Ernest "a genius".