ONE of the area's leading choirs is bidding farewell to its conductor on Sunday when he steps down after more than quarter of a century.

Neville Kirby, who lives at Ingleton, has helped win international acclaim for Gainford Choral Society, but at the age of 67 has decided to call it a day.

A former music teacher at Branksome School in Darlington, he first took over the baton at Gainford in 1979. Since that time, the choir has gone from singing locally to performing in France, America, Russia and Germany.

"This international dimension to the choir's activities came about via Durham County Council international exchange department," said Mr Kirby. "Choirs from those countries have also paid return visits to perform in the North-East."

Sunday's concert, which will be held at St Mary's Church in Gainford at 7.30, will feature music from the countries with which the choir has been associated, with Val McConachie and Richard Brickstock as guest soloists.

Looking back over the years, Mr Kirby recalled how, since 1979, the choir has given annual Christmas concerts at St Mary's, which apart from traditional festive music also included works by Britten, Bach and Handel.

The choir has visited Amiens and Poix le Picardie five times and has hosted the French singing group, Abelesco. The Orange Grove Gospel Choir from North Carolina has visited the region twice and the Gainford singers have been to North Carolina.

In the case of Russia, members acted as hosts to the Kostroma Folk Orchestra and the accordion group Mahonia, and some members visited Russia.

Mr Kirby recalled performing in what he called superb venues, including the Duke Memorial Methodist Church and White Rock Baptist Church in North Carolina, the Reformed Church and St Martin's at Amiens and the Church of St Denis at Poix le Picardie.

Other highlights have included singing the music of Brahms with the Stockton Choral Union and gospel music with Orange Grove Baptist Church Choir at Durham Cathedral.

"But we have had some memorable singsongs in hotels and bars too," said Mr Kirby, telling of one incident when a member escorted his wife to perform at another distant venue and was gone some time. "When he returned, he was amazed to discover we were still singing," he added.

Each year around Easter, the choir has performed work by one of the great composers, such as Handel, Beethoven, Schubert, Haydn, Mendelssohn and Mozart.

"These performances have been accompanied on the superb Brindley organ at St Mary's," said Mr Kirby. "And the choir has been very fortunate in having the services of three excellent organists."

Although Andrew Christer has been organist for most of Mr Kirby's conductorship, Ian Hawkins and Ian Clethero have played their part.

But one of Mr Kirby's proudest moments was when the choir gave a concert to celebrate the millennium, covering 1,000 years of music, for which his son, Jon, wrote a piece called Kyria and Gloria.

For his final concert, members will be joined by the choir from Gainford Primary School, conducted by Louisa Clethero, accompanied by her husband, Ian. Tickets cost £4 and are available from choir members or at the door.