Tenby Male Choir - End of Season

And so it ends. Our long 2015 40^th anniversary year concert season ended with our final concert at St. Mary’s church last Thursday. Considering the holiday season is mainly over we had a reasonable audience although not to our normal summer levels. However, we still tried our best to entertain and it was well received. Musical director “Wilbur” Williams is fond of reminding us that we are only as good as our last concert and so I guess this is how good we are. We haven’t had our “Wilbur” mark out of ten for this concert yet but suffice to say that he looked happy enough especially with Benedictus. This is a new song for us this season and very popular with the choir and the audience. It is a lovely song to demonstrate the harmonies of a male voice choir.

Principal soloist Paul Varallo sang Anfonaf Angel (Guardian Angel) this song has been sung by a number of people but a popular version is by Welsh bass-baritone Bryn Terfel with backing from the Welsh National Orchestra which was made to support the Wales Air Ambulance, a cause which we, along with other local, choirs raised funds for last year. It can be purchased on their web site. www.walesairambulance.com and makes a fine addition to a CD collection with our own CD Hywl a Hiraeth available via our very own website.

Paul also sang Holy City both songs receiving sustained applause. This final concert also featured two support soloists, Duncan Hilling singing the opening and closing lines of The Fields of Athenry and Tom Pearce with Home on the Hill as part of a trilogy of Welsh songs starting with Calon Lan and finishing with O Gymru..

During the season we have also been selling raffle tickets in support of the choir costs and so at the close of this final concert the draw was held. Promoter David James supervised, with Revd Canon Andrew Grace  standing by ensuring utmost good faith, whilst Paul Varallo read out the winners and noted them. Sadly nobody in the audience that evening was a beneficiary but the top prizes and winners were:-

One Weeks Self Catering Holiday for 3 Mount Pleasant Apartment, Saundersfoot	Mr Anthony Miller, Weston-Super-Mare
One nights B&B at Cliff House, Saundersfoot	Caroline Hamilton, London
Cheque for £150 donated by Saundersfoot BayLeisure Park, Saundersfoot	Valerie Meekins, Watford
Print of Tenby Limited Edition Print is painted and donated by Naomi Tyldeman RI Award Winning artist	A local man who wishes to be anonymous.
Sunday Lunch at St. Brides Spa Hotel, Saundersfoot	Sian Dowling, Cardiff
Cheque for £100 donated by Saundersfoot BayLeisure Park, Saundersfoot	Local Lady, Tenby

Our grateful thanks go to everyone who bought a ticket, many of them local people during our days selling them outside Sainsbury’s but the addresses of the prize winners also shows how many people from far and wide come to our concerts and bought tickets. We are also grateful of course to the local businesses which provided the prizes without which the raffle could not take place. Clearly Saundersfoot, Tenby’s little neighbour, has demonstrated that small though it may be, its generosity is large. Thank you all.

In a couple of weeks then we will fly to Malta for some rest and relaxation although we have three concerts booked in major venues in Malta so it won’t be all play. We want to put Wales and Tenby on the map in Malta as we have done on so many other occasions and places.

Between now and then we will brush up on some of our more religiously inclined songs which we are led to believe will go down a storm over there and of course learn the Maltese national anthem in Maltese a language descended from Siculo-Arabic and so mildly challenging with a fortnight to go.

The choir website is at www.tenbymalechoir.org and you can read or even add to our Guestbook from the home page. We also have a Facebook account if you want to be one of our Friends.

Tenby Male Choir – Lions and a Maltese Falcon?

Last week we held the penultimate concert in our long programme. This concert was held in aid of the Lions International and so the money raised will go towards their good works in the local community but also to worthy charity appeals around the world. As a choir we may never know exactly where the money our concerts raise finds its ultimate home. We do know, however, that we can rely on the organisations we help to make it effective as we choose them carefully. On the night of this concert we had competition from an important rugby match but a good audience turned out all the same.

The big thing on our radar now is our tour to Malta. This is the culmination of a long year of concerts where we have invited many “friends” from other choirs and bands. We are grateful to their support and we have enjoyed all of their visits and their company.

So we will now take the flag of Tenby to Malta a country with great links to the UK especially in the second world war where it was of course awarded the George cross, the only time that this award has gone to a country rather than an individual, reflecting the thought that on that tiny Island virtually everyone deserved to be honoured. Some of us are from cities that were bombed heavily in the war but I don’t know if any of them even London took the prolonged bombing that Malta did.

I mentioned in a report some weeks ago that one of our members has a link to Malta in that George Pryce actually delivered Spitfires to the island during his Royal Navy service and so he played his part in helping it survive and provide such a strategic benefit to our own defence. So we gave them a George Pryce and then a George cross.

Another link to Malta for the choir is that our president radio presenter Roy Noble is a commander of the Order of St. John which of course has great connections with Malta going back to the days of the crusades and indeed the Order was once based in Malta and ran a health service for the Maltese people. It also built hospitals which remain there today.

Recently Roy told me a little more about his personal history from the perspective of the Order of St. John. He was invited to join the order in March 2000 and as he put it, “this seemed a natural thing to accept” as his wife Elaine’s father had been a member of St. John’s ambulance brigade, Aberaman division, Aberdare. He tells me they still have photos of him in his uniform on their wall at home. He also recalled the strong relationships that the brigade has with the collieries in terms of first aid and mines rescue units.

Roy is the son of a collier whose grandfather was killed in a coalmine, a day he remembers well but obviously with sadness. Roy is extremely disappointed that he can’t travel with us due to other commitments as despite his association he has never yet been able to visit Malta.

But he sent us a message to say “God Speed to everyone travelling. The choir will fly the flag for Tenby and Wales magnificently well, I’m certain and Elaine and I will be thinking of you with a large measure of envy.” And he has also kindly provided funds with which we will toast his health in Malta.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays now until we travel we have only rehearsals at the County Club so if you would like to get to know us come along. It will be a chance to learn the Maltese national anthem in Maltese, something which we look forward to with trepidation. The language does not look easy being descended from Siculo-Arabic with which few of us are conversant. But then we have people from various parts of England and “little England beyond Wales” who have coped with the Welsh language so we should manage.

The choir website is at www.tenbymalechoir.org and you can read or even add to our Guestbook from the home page. We also have a Facebook account if you want to be one of our Friends.

Tenby Male Choir – The Generation Game

Our two youngest members Joe Varallo and Wesley Davies will remember this year’s Arts Festival concert as the first concert when they appeared together. Joe is the son of Paul Varallo the choir’s principal soloist and Wesley the grandson of baritone and occasional soloist Duncan Hilling. Duncan did in fact perform a solo spot on the night as part of the lovely song The Fields of Athenry.

Following a Bruce Forsyth theme it is something of a “Brucie bonus” for the choir this week to have these two new members lowering the average age of the choir. He also used to say "You get nothing for a pair, not in this game" but we are hoping we’ll get a lot from this pair. These days Male Voice choirs, like so many other organisations, face an ageing issue with their main membership growing older and not attracting new and younger members. So it is good to see the new “boys” on stage after months of rehearsal. We would welcome many more. However when they found themselves having to move a heavy piano they might have wondered why we really want younger members.

Paul Varallo’s songs in his solo spot were the Welsh lullaby Suo Gan, the Welsh song Y Darlun or “The Picture” based on a drawing of praying hands by Albrecht Durer, the Neapolitan song Return to Sorrento and a Victorian ballad called The Holy City behind which lies a tale. It is said that it was once sung by an opera singer awaiting trial for fraud in his cell while a group of men arrested for drunk and disorderly conduct were before the judge. The men were said to have dropped to their knees as the song began 'Last night I lay a-sleeping, There came a dream so fair.', the lyrics contrasting with their previous night's drunkenness. The song's conclusion resulted in the judge dismissing the men without punishment, each having learned a lesson from the song.

Another potential benefit from singing upon which we hope none of the choir members needs to rely during our coming tour of Malta.

On the following Saturday the choir were commissioned to sing at the wedding of Ben Leslie and Kelly Jones so Manorbier Castle became Ben and Kelly’s little kingdom for the day. In beautiful autumn sunshine the choir sang on the central lawn as guests assembled and then inside the castle, sang the lovely song “She” from Notting Hill as the bride was escorted to the ceremony room by her stepfather Terry Morris. We enjoyed the day and we are grateful for the kind comments received and which are now on the choir’s website guest book.

As the voices of a not wholly Welsh choir reverberated off the walls of a Norman Castle thoughts also turned to an imminent battle later that day in an English fortress some 200 miles away.

The choir website is at  www.tenbymalechoir.org

Coming events

After a long concert season ext week sees our final concert which is at St. Mary’s church, Tenby on Thursday 8th October at 8pm. Tickets available on the door. This is the last chance to see and hear the choir for this year. Following that we have a few rehearsals for our tour of Malta from 24^th to 31^st October where we shall be carrying the banner of Tenby once again to foreign fields. We have three planned concerts at the Stella Maris Parish Church in Sliema, St Georges Bassilica, Gozo and St.Paul’s Protestant Cathedral

Choir membership

We are always looking for new members. It’s fun to sing so if you enjoy doing it, in the bath or at any recent rugby matches, karaoke evening or in the car why not think about joining?  The best way is to talk to a member of the choir or come to a rehearsal just to watch.  (our next one should be on 6th October). We meet at the County Club in Tenby

Tenby Male Choir – Happy 40th Birthday

As a long and demanding concert season in our anniversary year draws to a close, it was time for the choir members to let their hair down. Although this may not involve a large quantity of hair for some members they can still let down what there is in good style. Last Saturday was the actual anniversary of our inception that being 19^th September, 1975. So those who could attend came along to a very sumptuous buffet and to a slice of birthday cake.

What a lovely birthday cake it was too. It was made by Gill the wife of choir founder member Tom Pearce. Gill teaches Cake Decorating and Sugarcraft at Pembrokeshire College and as the photo shows, husband Tom regularly advises by tasting much of the produce.

Entertainment was provided by John Butland with a repertoire of well known hit songs from the past, those days when pop music really was music. Top of his bill was generally agreed to be Handbags and Gladrags. Our younger members may recognise this as a Stereophonics hit whilst my personal favourite amongst the other people who sang it was Rod Stewart who recorded it in 1969 with Mike D’Abo (Manfred Mann) who originally wrote it, arranging it and accompanying Rod Stewart on piano.

Also shown are choir top tenor Eddie Stapleton and wife Barbara. Against odds of 365-1 by coincidence Eddie’s birthday falls on the same date as the choir’s birthday but he’s been going twice and long as the choir as he was celebrating his 82^nd birthday on that evening. I hope that isn’t water in his glass.

Coming events

Next week we have a concert in aid of the charity fund for the Lions Clubs International. “The Lions” donate to their local communities and also to major national and international charities and appeals. The concert will be at St. Mary’s church on Thursday 1^st October at 8pm. Tickets available on the door.

The big event coming up for us though is a tour of Malta from 24^th to 31^st October where we shall be carrying the banner of Tenby once again to foreign fields. We have three planned concerts at the Stella Maris Parish Church in Sliema, St Georges Bassilica, Gozo and St.Paul’s Protestant Cathedral

Choir Guestbook

It’s always an enjoyable evening when we sing at a concert but it does make it extra special when we get good audience reaction and we are fortunate to have had many standing ovations and demands for an encore this year. Following the concert we also often have people come up to us and say how much they have enjoyed themselves, which is a very personal compliment. We also often get lovely and kind letters of appreciation which are read out at rehearsals but sadly they are read out and filed. So I am pleased to be able to announce that the choir website now has a new feature, a guest book, where you can record your comments for posterity. To access this just go to the choir website atwww.tenbymalechoir.org and click on the guestbook icon on the right hand side. There are a number of entries there already in just the first week.

Choir membership

We are always looking for new members. It’s fun to sing so if you enjoy doing it, in the bath at a rugby match, karaoke evening or in the car why not think about joining?  The best way is to talk to a member of the choir or come to a rehearsal just to watch.  (our next one should be on 29th September). We meet at the County Club in Tenby

Tenby Male Choir – Will you be able to say “I was there”?

There’s going to be a spectacular end to this week for the choir as tomorrow (Saturday 5^th) will be the night of the grand Gala Concert celebrating our 40 years as a choir. I know from the post-concert comments we get that people are often mesmerised by the traditional finale to our concerts. This is the wonderful American trilogy which was made famous, of course, by Elvis Presley.  They feel that way because it is a pretty spectacular combination of a large male voice choir singing at the top of their voices and complemented by the nerve tingling piano accompaniment of our splendid accompanist Jill Williams. These two alone would be impressive but at St. Mary’s church we are also joined by the massive church organ played by resident church organist Dr. John Harrison BEM. All of this is harnessed by our esoteric MD Ian Williams (no relation). So if that is enjoyable then the thought of three major male voice choirs, a brass band, the piano and the church organ is surely going to be a unique sound for those present to hear.

If you have a ticket already you can look forward to being part of this by listening or even joining in. If, however, you are one of the unlucky people who don’t have a ticket then you may still have a few hours left to book one online (see below) or by phone from our MC and Treasurer Dave Blackmore on 01834 813061. Tickets can also be bought at The Card Shop near Barclays Bank in Tenby.  If you would like to be emailed a copy of the full programme for this concert, contact our secretary David Stewart-Walvin on 01834 844926.

Tickets for this major event cost £10. If you are really risk-oriented you could even try to pay on the door but may either be disappointed or find yourself with standing room only. Doors open at 6:45pm for a 7:30pm start to the concert.

Only if you do get a ticket will you be able to say in future years “I was there for the Tenby Male Choir Gala Concert in 2015”.

Anniversary Year CD

We have also recorded a CD for our anniversary year and CDs will be on sale at the concert. Sometimes a queue forms when people are buying them after a concert and so you are advised to ask for one on the way in to avoid being held up after the concert. They can also be purchased on line via the website.

Last week’s concert was held in support of the RNLI and we once again sang to a large audience. They were not just supporting the choir but I am sure supporting a cause that many hold dear to their hearts. In a seaside town we benefit from the beauty of the sea but we are also exposed to its dangers. We all therefore feel reassured by the presence of our own lifeboat station knowing that it is there in times of need. Although we see the RNLI as being there in emergency we should also recognise that they also do a significant preventative job in educating children via schools and other children’s groups about the dangers of the sea and how to avoid them. We are proud to have raised over £25,000 for the RNLI over the years and pleased to make this further contribution to fund their role in emergencies and ongoing prevention.

Our soloist on the night was the daughter of the lifeboat’s chief mechanic Stephen Lowe. Local violinist Hannah Lowe was accompanied by the lovely piano playing of her mother Sian. They played the fast and furious Hungarian Dance by Nolck, then by contrast the much slower Vocalise by Rachmaninoff, the melodious Lovers’ Waltz by Jay Ungar and finally the cheery, foot-tapping Intrada by Scottish composer Alfred Moffat.

Our next concert after the Grand Gala concert will be at St. John’s church on 10^th September starting at 7:30pm.

Come and watch a rehearsal

We offer a warm welcome to anyone at our rehearsals on Tuesday or Thursday evenings at the County Club. Feel free to come along at 8pm to see how we go about learning our songs and music. It’s also a great way to test the water if you have ever thought about joining a male voice choir. Experience and age don't matter.

The choir website is  www.tenbymalechoir.org and on the website you will find links to our Facebook page, the choir blog, some video recordings of the choir and of course information about concerts and our programme of  events.

Tenby Male Choir – On the boardwalk

Last week was a week of three different performances demonstrating the variety and our versatility in the events we now do. On Tuesday evening 11^th August we held our first outdoor concert on the new decking down at Saundersfoot harbour which proved to be a really good venue with a large audience. People were not only on the decking itself but also around the railings of the harbour in a sort of amphitheatre scenario. Then back to formality on Thursday at St. Mary’s church for a concert in aid of the Red Cross and then on the Saturday, 12 of the choir took their turn in a series of “a capella” performances we are doing as “the Specsavers choir” in aid of the Welsh Deaf Rugby Union cause. This one took place in Cardigan with the next one being in Haverfordwest tomorrow (Saturday).

The point is often made that singing can be good for your health and wellbeing so it was good to see a few faces from the Saundersfoot medical centre in the audience for the concert which took place on the new decking at Saundersfoot harbour. Perhaps the message could go back to recommend prescribing “singing to be taken with a glass of liquid twice a week”. Choir founder member Tom Pearce can be seen with the lovely background of Saundersfoot harbour.

The Red Cross concert was once again enhanced by trumpet soloist Corey Morris accompanied on piano by Dr. John Harrison BEM, organist of St. Mary’s church. Corey’s performances are always well received by the audience. His command of the instrument on both classical and lighter melodies is very enjoyable. You just know that people are singing the words to themselves when they hear such lovely songs as Over the Rainbow, My Way and What a Wonderful World.

There is no let up next week. As mentioned above we will start the week’s programme as “the Specsavers choir” in Haverfordwest on Saturday morning 22^nd August where we will begin singing outside the Specsavers shop in Bridge Street. Specsavers are the sponsors of the Welsh Deaf Rugby Union. Then if the weather is good enough on Tuesday evening we will be outdoors again but this time at the entrance to the harbour in Tenby and then back at St. Mary’s church on Thursday for a concert in aid of RNLI. The lifeboat service operating from Tenby is one of around 200 in the British Isles and there has been a lifeboat station here for over 160 years. We are always glad to do concerts in aid of charities but I think there is a particular association with this very worthy cause which deserves the maximum support. So please come along if you can.

There is plenty of information and interesting stuff on our growing website including video clips. The website can be found at www.tenbymalechoir.org. There are contact details and different ways in which you can get to know more about it all

This weeks Wilburism