He’s young enough to be the grandson of some of its members – not that the Raymond Terrace man’s youthful appearance makes him any less qualified.

Singing has been a passion of Mr Durrant’s throughout his formative years and he has not long graduated from the University of Newcastle with a Bachelor of Music, with a distinction in musical performance. Which means he can sing, better than most.

“I’m certainly half the age of most of the members, and a few could be my grandparents,” he said.

“I’ve been involved in a few choirs now and SeaSide Singers is definitely the most dedicated I’ve known. Having a director to push them to new musical heights has got to stand them in good sted for the future.”

Mr Durrant eased himself into the SeaSide Singers for a couple of months performing alongside the members before he took up the paid role – his first stable gig since graduation – much more “satisfying” than his burger flipping uni days.

“Choral music is something I’ve wanted to do throughout my degree, I’m thrilled,” he said.

The likes of the television series, Glee, have done no harm to choral ranks, introducing young viewers to some powerful pop music renditions. 

“These shows build a profile if nothing else - from an audience perspective - it’s always good when the audience outnumbers choral members,” Mr Durrant said.

“SeaSide Singers do a mix of serious choir stuff but they have some fun too. You never know [like in Glee] we might get them moving a bit too.”

Mr Durrant took on the role on April 1 though he’s quick to assure “it’s no joke”.

He aims to introduce the choir to the contemporary works of Iain Grandage, Paul Jarman and Dan Walker.

“It would be nice to do some pop arrangements too,” Mr Durrant said.

“They already do some 50s and 60s pop so hopefully I can catapult them into the 21^st century.”

Mr Durrant’s first public appearance will be for the SeaSide Singers Annual Concert on July 29.

The them is beautiful music and it’s open for all to attend.