Description

Deep Harmony tells the story of the Warrington Male Voice Choir from its formation in October 1898 through to the present day. A journey spanning two World Wars, decades of social change, and some of the most testing moments in the town’s recent history.

Written by the choir’s Life Vice-President and former Chairman, Barrie Johnson, the book draws on twenty-five years of detailed research to chart the choir’s competition successes, overseas tours, and the broader story of how a community of voices has reflected and shaped the life of Warrington and the North West  across more than a century.

Of particular interest to a wider readership is the choir’s largely untold role in the Northern Ireland peace process following the tragic IRA bombings in Warrington in March 1993. Over the fifteen years that followed, the choir, known as ‘a Choir for Peace’, played a sustained and remarkable part in reconciliation efforts across the island of Ireland, earning an international Peace prize nomination, a mention in a House of Commons debate, and the personal endorsements of US President Bill Clinton, two Presidents of Ireland, two UK Prime Ministers, and the late Mo Mowlam.

The foreword is written by Sir Terry Waite KCMG CBE, the choir’s Patron of thirty years, who writes: “Across the generations, men from every walk of life have blended their voices together to make music. In good times, as in bad, the Choir has continued in the belief that music has the capacity to raise our spirits to a higher plane and to breathe harmony into troubled souls.”

Beautifully illustrated with 144 photographs, programmes, posters and archival images across 294 pages, Deep Harmony will appeal to readers with an interest in choral music, local history, musicology and peace studies, and to anyone with a connection to the town of Warrington.

Published April 2026.
ISBN 978-1-0682471-3-2