Performances in 2019
MARCH
- Following two months of learning a number of new pieces, we opened our 2019 performances with a concert to celebrate St. David's Day at the Parkway Hotel in Cwmbran, conducted by Christian Jenkins. The programme began with three Welsh folk songs Oes gafr eto, Clychau Aberdyfi (The Bells of Aberdovey) and Bugeilo'r Gwenith Gwyn. This was followed by favourites The Rose, Vois sur ton chemin from the film Les Choristes, Michael Neaum's arrangement of The Water of Tyne and Der Fröhliche Wanderer. Our conductor and baritone singer Christian Jenkins then sang W S Gwynn Williams' setting of John Ceiriog Hughes' Welsh poem Aros mae'r mynyddoedd mawr and then Men of Harlech in English, which was enthusiastically applauded by the audience. The first part of the concert ended with two pieces with descant - The Ash Grove and David of the White Rock, another Ceiriog poem set to music. Part two was shorter, beginning with the Black Velvet Band, followed by Spanish Eyes, Mancini's Moon River and the beautiful Anthem from Chess. The celebration ended with a medley of Welsh rugby songs, which included Cwm Rhondda, Delilah, Sospan Fach and Calon Lan. The concert finished to cheers and thunderous applause as the choir sang the Welsh national anthem and waved the Welsh flag.
- On 11 April we performed at a private concert for the Hospital Caterers Association at the Celtic Manor Resort outside Newport. As well as some of the pieces we sang in our St. David's Day performance in March, we also sang Hail Holy Queen from the film Sister Act. Once again we were conducted by Christian Jenkins.
- On 21 May we performed for the Cwmbran Professional and Business Women's Group at the Coed Eva and Hollybush Community Centre, this time conducted by our musical director Evelyn Nicholson. We began with John Rutter's I will sing with the spirit and then went through several other pieces from our current repertoire.
- Our biggest performance of the year so far, a varied concert of singing featuring the Monmouth Male Voice Choir, the Karl Johan Koret male voice choir from Norway and our choir, compered by Aneirin Hughes in front of a packed audience at St. Mary's Priory Church in Monmouth. We were conducted by Christian Jenkins and all three choirs joined forces to sing Mae hen wlad fy nhadau at the end of the concert.
- We returned to the Hood Memorial Hall in Devauden on 22 September to sing some of our favourite songs. Christian Jenkins conducted us.
- We held a practice afternoon at St Mary's Priory Church in Usk on October 20 to learn some of our Christmas repertoire, followed by an informal concert open to all, once again conducted by Christian Jenkins.
- For the second year in a row we opened our Christmas season with a performance at the TLC Community Church in Cwmbran on 16 November.
- We then sang a selection of Christmas songs at the Festive Productions Christmas Shop in Cwmbran on Saturday 30 November. Festive Productions has been a fantastic supporter of the choir over the years and we are pleased to return the favour!
- As we have done for several years previously, we sang a selection from our Christmas repertoire at the St. David's Hospice Care Christmas Fayre held at the St. Pierre Marriott Hotel and Country Club near Chepstow on Sunday 1 December.
- This was followed on the same day by our annual Evening of Christmas, a packed event at the Llanyrafon Social Club, where we performed our whole Christmas repertoire.
- Our other main event in December was a Christmas concert with the Chepstow Male Voice Choir on Saturday 14 December in Chepstow.
- We also sang at Cineworld at the Newport Retail Park in Spytty, at Llandough Hospital in Cardiff, at the County Hospital in Griffithstown and Morrisons supermarket in Cwmbran. As is normal, it was a busy month!
