Musical Team
The Blaenavon Male Voice Choir Music Team
Gareth was born in Tredegar, Gwent. He was educated at Bedwellty Grammar School and Gwent College of Higher Education, Caerleon, where he studied piano with Rosalie Myers and voice production with Kelvin Thomas.
After leaving Caerleon, Gareth was appointed Head of Music at Trevethin Secondary School, Pontypool. It was at this time, aged 21, that he became Conductor of the Abertillery Ladies' Choir. This was a position he held for a few months before being appointed Musical Director of the Cwmbrân Male Choir.
Progress in his professional career took Gareth back to Tredegar, where following his appointment as Director of Music at the Comprehensive School, he then became a Head of Year and Assistant Headteacher.
Gareth is currently Deputy Headteacher at Caldicot Comprehensive School in Monmouthshire.
Since being appointed Musical Director of Blaenavon Male Voice Choir in 1988, he has continued to demonstrate that enthusiasm, coupled with flair and empathy, can make rehearsals a pleasure. This is evident from the way Blaenavon Male Voice Choir continues to increase in numbers at a time when many choirs in Wales are struggling to keep their numbers. Gareth arranges music for male choirs and often performs solos (with choir backing) and duets with other artists in the choir concerts.
In partnership with the choir's very talented accompanist, Paul Cook and Ozzie Arnold (Deputy Conductor), Gareth has now established Blaenavon as one of the leading male choirs in Wales.
Apart from a busy life at school, Gareth and his wife Kathryn are responsible for music performed at Horeb Baptist Church, Blaenavon, where Kathryn is the Church Organist.
Arranging Music for Male Choirs, conducting them on various tours (see our history page), as well as being invited to direct music festivals at home and abroad is a sure indication of Gareth's committment to the world of music. He also arranges concerts in the UK for American musical groups who tour every year.
"Ozzie" Arnold
Deputy Musical Director
Before moving to Abergavenny in April 2000 and joining Blaenavon Male Voice Choir, Ozzie sang with several choirs in London performing in all the major London concert halls (and a lot of minor ones). He toured France (3 times) and Turkey with the Pro Musica Chorus of London before taking up the baton with the Croydon Male Voice Choir, where he conducted for 7 years. During that time he took them on their first ever tour (OK, so it was only a long weekend in Cornwall, but you have to start somewhere!), and in 1998 conducted a massed male voice concert of 350 voices in the Fairfield Halls, Croydon, before an audience of 1700. He also gained a reputation as a fine arranger of male voice music.
Ozzie is now a valued member of our musical team, and has acted as guest conductor with a number of other choirs in the area. In 2003, while touring Australia with Côr Meibion Gwent, he had the privilege to conduct on live national television. He is currently President of Croydon
Male Voice Choir and exchange concerts are being organised, which started with our visit to
them in June 2005.
Paul Cook
Accompanist
Paul was educated at Chetham’s before winning an entrance scholarship to study singing at the RNCM. Whilst at college, Paul worked as a tenor lay clerk at Manchester Cathedral and sang regularly on BBC Radio 4’s Daily Service.
Paul has sung at many of Europe’s most celebrated venues including the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and Teater an der Wien in Vienna. He has worked with numerous opera companies and ensembles at home and in Europe, most notably with Scottish Opera for five years with whom he appeared in some forty productions, many of which were broadcast live from the Edinburgh Festival on BBC Radio 3.
Paul attained a first class honours degree in education and five diplomas in piano, singing and theory. He is Head of Music at St Alban’s RC High School in Pontypool and has led the school choirs and instrumental ensembles on successful concert tours to Prague and Disneyland Paris. Paul most recently conducted Stagecoach South Wales Regional Youth Choir of which he is Musical Director at concerts in the Millennium Centre and Symphony Hall, Birmingham.
Paul met his wife thanks to Blaenavon Male Choir whilst accompanying her performances as soprano soloist on their tour of California in 2004 and was delighted to be offered the post of accompanist in June 2007.