Simon Houlton – or, as he was known to almost everyone who sang with him, ‘Goose’ – started his musical life as a chorister at Durham Cathedral, before moving on to Sheffield Youth Choir and then to the National Youth Choir in the mid-1980s. Those NYC years were full of music and more than a little mischief.

Goose joined just in time for the 1986 west coast tour of North America, remembered by many as a highlight, followed by 1987’s magnificent performance of Belshazzar’s Feast with the National Youth Orchestra – and, of course, the infamous organ cipher that interrupted the BBC recording.

In 1988 came the Royal Albert Hall Christmas recording with the massed children’s choirs. NYC was on television twice that Christmas – heady stuff for a group of young singers. But that year also brought deep sadness with the Lockerbie disaster, which claimed the life of Helga Moseley, a much-loved member of the NYC family.

Simon was not, in fact, officially booked on to that course. He simply turned up, armed with the argument: "Yeah, but... you know, I’m here now. It would be a shame to have to send me back home, wouldn’t it?" Sue Christie, the choir administrator, gave in, sent him off to find a spare bed, and told him to borrow music from others – something Simon was perfectly used to doing already. Sometimes for up to 37 years, as it turned out.

His nickname was born, as so many are, on a football pitch. During an impromptu match on the 1986 tour, someone shouted "Goose!" to get his attention. Nobody quite remembers why. Perhaps he called to mind the Top Gun character, or perhaps there was something faintly avian in his run. Either way, the name stuck, and so did the grin that came with it.

After NYC, Simon studied singing at Trinity College of Music in London and went on to perform and tour widely in his 20s. He also composed many hymns, one of which was sung by his NYC friends at his thanksgiving service, filling the room with the same joyful sound he gave so freely in life.

When the NYCGB alumni choir was formed in 2014, Goose embraced it with the same enthusiasm and sense of fun as ever. Friends still remember his back-row accompaniment on a line of knocked-over empty beer bottles during rehearsals in Sheffield in 2015, and his gloriously wild answers in the monthly online quizzes during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Outside music, Simon was devoted to his family – a husband and father to two daughters, Lillie and Cara – and to his church, where he served as an elder. He and his wife Tessa ran a business that employs many people in their community, reflecting the same kindness, wit and fellowship that marked his singing days.

No tribute to Goose would be complete without mention of ‘Goose’s Gamble’. It began with a highly questionable charity-shop jacket that, by popular consensus, made him look like a dodgy market trader selling knock-off digital watches. Simon leaned into the joke, passed a hat around and announced “Goose’s Gamble”. The rules were hazy, but the laughter was universal, and the moment became part of NYC folklore.

Then there was Goose’s anacrusis. Each year on the annual Carol Crawl, as the choir launched into See Amid the Winter’s Snow, Simon had a glorious habit of coming in one beat early – every single time. It became as much a part of the tradition as the mulled wine, Santa hats and cajoling the Chelsea regulars for their ‘folding money’. Nobody who was there can hear that carol now without smiling, or without hearing Goose’s unmistakable early entry in memory.

Goose’s voice, humour, faith and friendship filled every room he entered – often just before the beat. Those who knew him carry his laughter and warmth with them still. His was a life sung joyfully and lived generously, full of harmony, heart and just the right amount of mischief

Simon performed Shenandoah  at the Royal Albert Hall with the National Youth Choir Alumni for the 40th anniversary celebrations in 2023. Of the concert he said: "Unbelievably incredible concert. Was so happy to be a small part of what it is now… takes me back 33+ years. So many memories, so many friends. The choirs now are awesome. 600+ young people supported by us oldies. I think we did OK!"  

Remembered by Mike Jeremiah and Gareth Saunders