For the Watford Philharmonic Society, it’s always been about providing the people of the town with both the opportunity to sing and play choral and orchestral pieces of music, classical and modern, and the chance to come along and hear it, and over the years it has welcomed and nurtured many musically-minded Watfordians.

So for its 80th anniversary season this year, the members of the amateur choir and orchestra thought it only fitting to make it a celebration of local musical talent.

To that end, next weekend there will be a very special concert featuring pianist Lara Melda, who was a 16-year-old pupil at the Purcell School for young musicians in Bushey when she won BBC Young Musician of the Year 2010, and premièring the work Magna Carta Cantata by Graham Garton, who was the society’s conductor for 22 years, until 1989. And, of course, the concert will also feature the society’s more than 170 choristers and instrumentalists from Watford and the surrounding areas.

Watford Philharmonic Society (WPS) was founded in 1935 by Leslie Regan, then principal of the Watford School of Music, to mark the Silver Jubilee of King George V and Queen Mary, and it has been providing concerts for the people of Watford ever since.

The society performed first at the Plaza cinema, later the Odeon, in the high street and then at Watford Town Hall, now the Colosseum.

Kenneth Appel, from Watford, is the society’s longest-serving member – now in his 80s, and he is in his 62nd year as a bass singer.

“It’s all been fun,“ he says. “I particularly like the major classical works and being challenged by contemporary music. And singing in different languages has been interesting too – we’ve sung in Czech, German, Hebrew, Latin, French, Spanish, Italian, I could go on!“

John Malin was already in the WPS choir when Sheila joined in 1973. They were married in 1975 and are both still enthusiastic members. Apart from performing “wonderful pieces of music“, John and Sheila’s highlights were two trips to Bermuda, in 1990 and 1992, when the society flew out there to perform with former conductor Graham Garton, who had emigrated there.

“We remember driving around on mopeds, drinking cocktails and standing on the aptly named Watford Bridge, which links the islands of Bermuda.“

Judy Newton Davies sings alto in the choir and is also the society’s social activities co-ordinator, having joined six years ago after retiring from her job at West Herts College.

“A friend who was then in the choir said to come along and try, so I did, and it was the best thing I’ve done,“ she says. “We feel very strongly that classical music has to be kept going, kept alive. We’re flying the flag for classical music in Watford.“