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VoiceMale Folk Choir

An award-winning choir

Next gig :

Concert with ROCK:IT

Boys are on the back row !

September 19th 2026

A recent performance :

Tribute to Sandra Kerr

by Michael Ratliff

It is difficult to write about a friend and inspirational musician and singer without becoming a biographer. I'll try to keep my recollections and stories about Sandra short.

I was aware of Sandra as a singer, songwriter and musician long before I joined VoiceMale. The choir had been going for a year, created by Sandra through Anne Suggate's "20,000 Voices" project,

when I heard a group of friends at a party singing in harmony. I immediately got the details of the choir and went along the next week.

Sandra welcomed me warmly and, discovering my background in folk club singing, had me jumping from the bass line to the tune section, sometimes within a single song medley. You didn't say "no" to Sandra!

She continued with VoiceMale for about another year before handing the reins to fellow member Graham Stacey, but always with one eye on the songs she had arranged which she thought might suit us, or work when we performed joint concerts with her wonderful choir, Wercasfolk. She also took rehearsals when Graham was unavailable, and you knew you'd had a hard workout by the time you got to the Tap and Spile.

We had a wonderful trip to Burgdorf with her and her concertina. We played duets on concertinas and Northumbrian pipes and created a scratch ceilidh band. I was thrilled to play with her and our new Musical Director, Jon Doran, at an Aln Valley Railway open day.

Other singing and music sessions happened at Grinton and in her lovely garden in Warkworth. Sandra always made everyone feel welcome, often coaxing songs out of non-choir guests.

The consummate professional, she was exacting in what she wanted from her choirs, but always with a smile and good humour. She once told one of us that she had really enjoyed what he had just sung, but could he please sing the part she had written, as it worked much better! He was not offended and did exactly as she said. She was right. It did work better.

There is so much more that can be said about Sandra Kerr: her university work, broadcasting, Bagpuss of course, and her local campaigns, expressed through songwriting, to protect our fragile planet. But I'll leave that to others.

We have lost a dear friend, a great singer, songwriter, educator and inspirational spirit, and our love goes out to David, Nancy, James and all the family. VoiceMale will remember her whenever we sing the songs we sang together.