THE sounds of heavenly choirs filled Poole Arts Centre when nearly 700 singers took part in the regional audition to find the best choir in the country.
The date was March 19, 2000, when four local choirs were among the 15 who took part in the contest, each hoped to go all the way to secure a grand final appearance at the Royal Albert Hall later that year.
Poole was chosen as the venue for one of 12 regional auditions of the bi-annual Sainsbury's Choir of Year competition.
Each choir was given 15 minutes to perform before a panel of judges.
Event publicist Charlotte Crowther said: "The winning choirs were recorded ono CD and listened to by judges with the task of selecting the eight to go into the next round."
In the youth choir category, Bournemouth-based Dorset Youth Choir won through to the next round after being picked as the choir of the day.
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