News 2006
Cwmbrân Male Choir - News Letters
News of 2006 by Month
January
Cwmbrân Male Choir's first concert of the 2006 was on Thursday 11th January at Llanyrafon Social Centre, where the choir entertained the regular Wednesday night audience, under the baton of it's Deputy Musical Director, David Davies, who also acted as compere for the evening. Heather Wyatt as usual provided the excellent piano accompaniment, and the choir sang a selection of traditional and modern songs, ranging from Welsh hymns such as "Gwahoddiad", to songs such as "Sunrise, Sunset" from "Fiddler on the Roof". As an extra item David played the tone poem "Finlandia", on his euphonium, and the choir joined in for the second and third verses.
February
At the start of February, Cwmbrân Male Choir appointed Sarah W Betty Jones, as it's new Musical Director, and together with David Davies started tackling the concert programme for the Royal Albert Hall, London concert to be staged on St. Patrick's Day, March 17th 2007. On Saturday February 11th, the choir was due to introduce the public to Sarah, who was due to conduct a few items at the concert in the lovely setting of St. Mary's Church in Abergavenny, with David Davies conducting the rest of the concert. Unfortunately for David he was taken ill, and was admitted into hospital, this left Sarah with the unenviable task of conducting the choir in a full concert after only three rehearsals. As the choir had been so thoroughly rehearsed previously by David, and with Heather's assistance at the piano Sarah took over the baton, and the concert went very well. A special guest artist at the concert was Sarah's daughter Alys, and she performed in costume, some songs including "Tomorrow" from the stage show "Annie", in which she had just starred in the title role in the Dolman Theatre in Newport. The choir sang the full range of songs including "The Anvil Chorus" from "Il Trovatore", and "Isis and Osiris" from Mozart's "The Magic Flute". Graham Bowkett sang the song "I'll Walk Beside You", and the audience was very appreciative of the choir and especially Sarah's contribution to an enjoyable evening of choral singing.
March
On 16th March 2006, it was David Davies' 80th Birthday, and after a full recovery following his stay in hospital David was Master of Ceremonies at a concert held to celebrate his 70 years in making music. He started the concert by conducting the choir in the Welsh hymn tune "Llanfair", and followed this with a congregational hymn "Onward Christian Soldiers", set to the tune of "Rachie", with members of one of David's many former choirs Pencoed Choral Society leading the singing of "I Bob Un Sy'n Ffyddlon". This was followed by a short introduction provided by Ben Strawson, informing people of the reason for the concert, and naming some of the many groups with which David had been associated. David's granddaughter Laura then played one of David's own arrangements "Sound An Alarm". The very talented four ladies in the group Mello'd then sang a few songs including the hymn tune "Gwahoddiad". Sarah then took over the choir, and performed "Men of Harlech", together with a number of other songs. The Chairman of the Burma Star Choir then regaled the audience, with a number of humorous stories many of which involved David. It was then the turn of David's son, Mike to join him on stage for a special arrangement of Mozart's "Turkish Rondo", in which each instrument took the lead at various times during the piece. David's brother William then gave a blessing, and Graham Bowkett singing the most appropriate "I'll Walk Beside You" followed this. The choir rounded off the evening with "There is a Land", and all choristers both male and female were invited to the platform to sing "Morte Christe". Clive Williams the Cwmbrân Male Choir chairman presented David with a photograph with a commemorative plaque attached to mark the special event. David's wife Pearl was also presented with a flower as a memento of the evening.
On Saturday 18th March, Cwmbrân Male Choir sang at a wedding in Llangibby, and on Thursday 23rd March 2006, it was the New Inn Pensioners Association that provided the audience, for the choir's latest concert.
April
The choir's next engagement will be in Cwmbrân town centre at midday on Saturday April 22nd, when it is involved in Cwmbrân Shopping's Music Day, which has been arranged partially to replace the St. David's Day concert, which was cancelled due to snow.
May
The choir will be performing at another very important wedding on Saturday May 27th 2006 in Holy Trinity Church Pontnewydd, as it is that of the Chairman Clive Williams' daughter, Laura to Richard.
Scotland Tour 2006
June
Cwmbrân Male Choir's first engagement following the successful tour of Scotland was to attend the massed rehearsal for that Neath Leisure Centre on Sunday 4th June 2006, in preparation for the Royal Albert Hall massed concert to be held on Saturday 17th March 2007.
A wedding at Christchurch in Newport on the 10th June was next on the agenda and due to the absence of both Sarah W Betty Jones the Musical Director and Heather Wyatt the accompanist the choir gratefully invoked the services of Margaret Davies the very experienced Côr Meibion Gwent Male Choir, Beaufort Male Choir and Gwent Singers accompanist. One of the items chosen specially by the bride and room was the appropriate "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You", which the choir sang during the signing of the register, and on this occasion the Deputy Musical Director, David Davies, led the choir.
July
On Saturday July 1st Cwmbrân Male Choir joined with Pontnewydd Male Choir in a special concert to commemorate the 90th Anniversary of the Battle of the Somme, which was staged at Cwmbrân Stadium. Sunday July 2nd the choir was present at the inauguration of the Mayor of Torfaen Councillor Mrs Mary Barnett, who had travelled to Scotland during the choir's recent tour, and closed the proceedings for the day with a rendition of "Speed Your Journey" from Verdi's opera "Nabucco", and the ever popular "We'll Keep A welcome In The Hillsides". On Saturday July 8th 2006 the choir sang at another wedding, this time at St. Cybi's Church in Llangibby, and the service included a number of hymns chosen by the bride and groom to be sung in the Welsh language.
West Pontnewydd Community Hall was the new venue for the choir's latest concert, on Saturday 15th July, which featured Côr Meibion Gwent Male Choir in their final concert, before on their five-concert tour of Canada in August 2006. Cwmbrân Male Choir under the baton of Sarah Jones and with Heather Wyatt at the piano started the concert with the song that has become the choir theme tune over the last few years, namely "Men Of Harlech". Then David Davies, who was compere for the first half, introduced all the civic guests that were in attendance, and thanked everybody for turning out on such an extremely hot night. The shirtsleeved choir then continued with its operatic section singing "O Isis And Osiris" from Mozart's opera "The Magic Flute". To close the first section the choir sang Heather Wyatt's arrangement of "The Humming Chorus" from "Madam Butterfly" by Puccini.
The choir's first guest artist Craig James, who is also the Musical Director of Côr Meibion Gwent Male Choir, with Margaret Davies at the piano then sang "This Is The Moment", from the musical "Jekyll and Hyde". He followed this with a musical version of John Masefield's famous poem "Sea Fever". The next section sang by Cwmbrân Male Choir featured songs from the shows and included "Bring Him Home", from "Les Miserables", "Sunrise Sunset" from "Fiddler on The Roof" and to finish "Oklahoma", from the musical of the same name. Craig continued the musical theme by singing "Stars" from "Les Miserables", and to conclude his programme the romantic song "If I Loved You", from "Carousel". David Davies then took over the baton as Cwmbrân Male Choir closed their programme with "Take Me Home", followed by "Ar Hyd Y Nos", and to close the first half Sarah returned to conduct Adolphe Adams rousing "Comrades In Arms".
Following the interval Côr Meibion Gwent Male Choir under the baton of Craig started their programme with the toe tapping "When The Saints Go Marching In", John Jolley the compere for the choir then introduced Glyn Saunders as soloist for the very poignant "Bui Doi", which was taken from the musical "Miss Saigon". The next song was the arrangement by Alwyn Humphreys of Henry Mancini's theme song for an American television detective series the "Richard Boone Show", and was entitled "How Soon". To close this section the choir sang Arwel Hughes hymn tune "Tydi A Roddaist".
The ladies group Mello'd were the other guest artistes and they sang a medley from the Disney classic musical "Mary Poppins", featuring memorable tunes such as "A Spoonful Of Sugar Helps The Medicine Go Down" and "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious". They then totally changed the mood by singing "Lean On Me", which closed their first group for the evening. Côr Meibion Gwent Male Choir under the baton of their Deputy Musical Director Hazel Matthews formerly with Newport Male Choir, and Barbara Davies the current Newport accompanist sang a group including "Eli Jenkins Prayer", "Llef" and "Stout Hearted Men". Mello'd the sang their final group which included the Westlife song "You Raise Me Up", and then they sang the arrangement of 23rd Psalm "The Lord Is My Shepherd", as used in the television favourite "The Vicar Of Dibley". The Welsh hymn tune "Gwahoddiad" usually sang by male choirs was the final song of the evening by the ladies. "Rhythm of Life" and "You'll Never Walk Alone" were the final items sang by the Gwent choir.
There was only one fitting way in which to close the evening and the two male choirs combined under the baton of Sarah Jones to sing "Speed Your Journey". Then Councillor Mary Barnett thanked all the participants and wished Côr Meibion Gwent Male Choir a safe journey to Canada as ambassadors of the former county of Gwent, Wales and the United Kingdom. Then under the baton of Craig James the choirs sang Daniel Prothrero's masterpiece "Nidaros", and finally the ladies of Mello'd and any choristers in the audience were invited on stage to join in the rendition of Emrys Jones arrangement of Isaac Watts' great hymn "Morte Christe", which led to a richly deserved standing ovation.
August
will appear here soon...
September
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October
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November
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December
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