A CHOIRBOY who was a regular cup winner on the South Lakeland and Furness music circuit has gone on to join the prestigious Hall Choir in Manchester, writes Ellis Butcher.

Matthew Mitchell, 21, will now regularly sing in front of thousands of people every year as part of the 160-member choir, backed by the world-famous Hall Orchestra.

The former member of Kendal Young Singers is currently studying at university in the city but returns home to Arnside every Sunday to sing with St James's Church Choir.

He joined at the age of seven and was a regular winner at musical events, such as the South Lakeland Music Festival and Mary Wakefield Music Festival, as well as those in Lancashire.

In his youth, he was featured in The Westmorland Gazette under the headline: "A star is born!"

Modest Matthew had to undergo an audition for the role.

He said: "I thought it was time to make use of what I have learned.

I have always done a lot of singing as a soprano and was in Kendal Young Singers for five years. I enjoy it but my parents think it is more of a big a deal than I do."

Nonetheless, he was full of praise for choirmaster and organist at St James's, Bill Thomas, who trained him and oversaw his Halle audition.

Matthew said: "He is brilliant, great. He taught me to sing from quite a young age and has been a great influence."

Mr Thomas recommended the choir to his protg and was as pleased as anyone when he found out he had made the grade.

Mr Thomas, 64, of Parkside Drive, said: "The Hall Choir is one of the best in England and is world-renowned. It's a proper feather in his cap.

"Matthew was just born with a decent voice and he has been trained since he was six. It is quite something in this day and age that he has kept it up. There is very few that do, may be one in ten and he is the one in ten."

Matthew's parents still live at Uplands Drive, Arnside, and his younger brother Ben, 16, is more of a tennis enthusiast, but has followed his brother into the church choir.

Mum Jean said to see her son perform at the Bridgewater Hall was a fantastic experience. She said: "I do not think most people realise how fantastic it is for him to get in, a lot of men auditioned but only he got in, he's terribly modest. We were so proud."

Matthew was educated at the Queen Elizabeth School in Kirkby Lonsdale and is in his second year of a management degree.

The Hall Choir was founded in 1858 by Sir Charles Hall and has worked with conductors such as Jac van Steen, Cristian Mandeal and Kent Nagano.

It performs around 20 concerts every year with the Hall Orchestra, both abroad and throughout the UK, including the Royal Albert Hall; Symphony Hall, Birmingham; and St David's Hall, Cardiff.

Its repertoire features everything from Bach to Britten, Mozart to Messiaen and Wagner to West End musicals. Previously it has performed with international soloists including Kiri te Kanawa, Thomas Hampson, Jos Carreras and Willard White.

As a university student, Matthew said he had "always kept it quiet" from his friends that he sung in choirs. "As you get older, people tend to care less about what you are doing," he said.

May 29, 2003 12:00