 During this period the works of Ralph Vaughan Williams, the choir's first president, also featured strongly.From the beginning, the choir strove to obtain the highest quality professional support from professional orchestras such as the London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Boyd Neel Orchestra, though during the 1970s rising costs necessitated a modification of this practice.Similar attention was also given to the selection and engagement of solo singers such as Kathleen Ferrier, Dame Janet Baker, Margaret Cable, Wendy Eathorne, Eric Greene and John Shirley-Quick.