The choir was formed in 1990 as an off-shoot from the Gilbert and Sullivan Group which performed annually at Otley Methodist Church. A number of singers were keen to continue their vocal activity during the ‘fallow’ season between November and May, and so came about the birth of The Chippendale Singers, named, of course, after Otley’s most famous craftsman. Permission was sought, and granted, from the existing Chippendale Society to use its name. Furthermore, the Society offered the Singers their first engagement, providing after-dinner musical entertainment at their Annual Dinner. Since then, the choir has gone from strength to strength. There are currently 26 members on the books and about a third of those have sung with us for more than 12 years. The level of choral experience was very varied when the choir first came into being; some members had little experience of anything other than G & S, and/or church anthems, whilst others had sung with local choral societies and a few had had individual singing lessons. The common denominator however, is a love of music-making, and a willingness to expand vocal repertoire and expertise, with a few musical challenges along the way.