We have now started
rehearsing our Christmas repertoire ready for our
December concerts. We have been very pleased to
see our probationers becoming full time members of the
choir, we welcome the following members into the choir
and wish them all a long and happy
association with the Gwalia Singers.
Top Tenor - Richard
Lewis. Second Tenors - David Lloyd,
Phil Renowden, Roger Spring and Robert
Walters. Baritone - Gordon Reed.
Basses - Robert
Parker and Phil Webster.
It is with very great
sadness that we have to report the passing of Thomas
George Bowen - George.He was one of our Choristers and passed away
peacefully in his sleep, after a long illness, on the
21st October 2021. George joined the
choir in March 2007 and served as a reliable and
conscientious chorister until the Coronavirus pandemic
closed the choir down in February 2019.He had a
lovely baritone voice and seldom missed a rehearsal,
concert, wedding or concert tour.Towards the
end of his time with the choir he would sing from his
wheel chair as he could no longer stand or walk. George will always
be remembered for his entertaining stories about his
time in the Royal Navy and the Police Force and for his
deep booming laugh.He will be greatly missed by all his friends in
the Gwalia Singers.
September 2021
September was a busy month
for the choir, having being invited to sing at two
weddings and also at The Mumbles Festival of Music and
the Arts 2021. The successful festival concert,
alongside Swansea Soprano Ros Evans, was an excellent
platform for the Gwalia Singers to introduce three
pieces of work from their new repertoire. During the evening we were able to
present Gareth John and John Haslam with their 10 year
service ties, congratulations to them. It is very
encouraging to see the choir numbers growing and over
the last few months the choir has welcomed nine new
probationary choristers.
July 2021
We are very pleased to
welcome Cliff Gapper into the choir as
a full-time singer with the second basses, we wish him a long and enjoyable time
with the Gwalia Singers.
June 2021
An
announcement was made by the Government that Choirs
would be permitted to sing together again, face to face
under restrictions with Risk Assessments, Health and
Safety Procedures, Social Distancing and the wearing of
masks becoming the norm.What
great joy to finally rehearse and to sing together face
to face! There had never been a greater time to
appreciate being a chorister and that special feeling of
belonging to "a Choir Family". The Gwalia Singers took up the mantle of
further widening their repertoire in rehearsals,
enjoying the benefits of singing together again .
Emyr Price
left the choir as he moved away to Burry
Port. He will be missed after 15 years as a second
tenor and as committee member. We thank him and
Mandy, who was treasurer of the Ladies Committee, for
all they have done for the choir and wish them all the
best in their new home.
March 2021
It is with great sadness that
we have lost one of our Choristers - Raymond Pelzer who
passed away on 9th March 2021.
Tony Brooks (from the Bass Section) has written the
following tribute to Ray.
"Whenever I think of Ray I always smile, he had a wicked
and infectious sense of humour and was always laughing and
telling stories, so much so, you just couldnt help but
laugh along with him." Ray was a gifted singer with
a beautiful Top Tenor voice, he will be especially missed
in the Top Tenor section and significantly by the Gwalia
Singers as a whole. Ray joined the Gwalia Singers in
January 1992 and soon became a valued chorister, his
attendance at Rehearsals and Concerts was exemplary. Ray
remained with the choir for 29 years, playing an active
role at Concerts and the Afterglows wherever the Gwalia
Singers performed around the world. - "Rest in Peace
my Friend."
It was very pleasing to see Dr Carl Sullivan returning to
the choir.
March 2020 - June 2021
Sandra Knight was appointed as the new Musical Director of
the choir starting in March.She was appointed from several applicants and we are
very lucky to have found a person with her qualities.She gave her first
full rehearsal with the choir in preparation for a concert
at the Brangwyn Hall, Swansea for the Young Singer Bursary
Winners with West Glamorgan Youth Music. However,
unprecedented events took over. Toward the end of
March, the Coronavirus Pandemic came into being.As a result,
"lockdown" throughout the UK was brought in by the
government with self-isolation and gathering of people
strictly banned. Government
rules were to "Stay at home and Stay safe".
This had a profound effect on all choirs- unable to meet and
rehearse! 2020 was to be a very busy year for the
Gwalia Singers. All
future concerts were cancelled. This included a
retirement dinner in honour of former MD Nick Rogers, a
combined concert with the Kronshagen Choir from Germany, a
choir tour to Cornwall as well as singing at several
weddings and at other events.
With the new MD eager to commence her appointment and no
choir rehearsals, technology came to the forefront. Regular monthly
newsletters from the Chairman, Clive Walters and the Music
Team were forwarded to choristers along with new pieces of
music to add to the choir's repertoire.This was important
so that sectional parts could be learnt in readiness for
when rehearsals could resume. (Also to keep everyone busy
during lockdown). Zoom has come to our aid we had a
committee meeting, a social gathering and a quiz, thank you
Gareth John for being our Quiz Master.Sandra also met
with the four sections of the choir over a period of weeks
via "Zoom". A new chapter had begun.......
Dr Carl Sullivan, who sings with the second tenors and a
former committee member, is leaving the choir.He was a doctor at
Morriston hospital and is now taking up a promotional
position in Sheffield.He leaves with our thanks and good wishes.
Unfortunately, a very loyal and participative
member of the Gwalia Singers Edwin [Ed] Parton passed away
on 20th March this year. He
had been unwell for some time with lung cancer and was
having regular treatment in hospital where he contracted the
coronavirus.
He was a very much loved and intelligent member of the choir
which he joined in May 2008. His potential was soon
recognised when he was elected to the committee at the AGM
in 2011. In the
same year he took on the role of Patrons Secretary,
communicating regularly with all those many individuals who
support the choir. In 2013 the choir Chairman at the time
Clive Walters, invited him to be Vice Chairman which he
gladly accepted and was elected Chairman in 2015. He added a special
mature and hard-working dimension to this role which he held
for the normal two years. On
completion of his chairmanship he continued to serve as an
experienced committee member.
He will be greatly missed by all the choir, especially the
second tenors and certainly by the many golfers who played
with him. Our
deepest sympathies are with his wife Janet.
February 2020
Our first performance of the year was at the Three Lamps, on
Saturday 22nd, to provide entertainment for the
Wales v France rugby match. We sang for about half an hour
before the game and managed to squeeze in a few items at
half time. After the game we moved around the various floors
singing a few songs to each group of people, including a hen
party on the top floor! The response we get from these is
amazing and most of the partygoers are youngsters who would
probably never hear a male voice choir singing.
On Saturday 29th we were back at All Saints,
Oystermouth for a fundraising concert for the choir and a
local charity Therapy for Swansea Kids. The concert
entitled March into March feature d the choir and the
newly formed Rock Choir, which comprises members of choirs
from Swansea, Mumbles, Neath, Carmarthen and Llanelli. The
concert started with Roger Gadd presenting a cheque of
£2000.00 to the charity which has established a Therapy
Centre at Hill House and is entirely run by volunteer
parents, therapists and friends. We opened the concert with
Cwm Rhondda, with Steve joining Rhian on the organ, and
also performed Pacem. This is relatively new to our
repertoire and is accompanied by Rhian and Gareth Widlake on
viola. During this set Nick presented our service ties to
Geoff Jones, for completing five years, and Adrian Crowley
and Anthony Marmont for ten years. There was also a tie for
our youngest member who was actually celebrating his 18th
birthday! Mike Phippen received his tie for five years
service and we all sang Happy Birthday to him. We finished
our first set with The Impossible Dream. The Rock Choir
then sang and started with Since Youve been Gone and
included Super Trouper and Dont Stop me Now in their
first set. The first half finished with a terrific solo by
Lee Ellery who is the Special Ambassador for the charity.
He sang I Dreamed A Dream from Les Miserables and
received a deserved standing ovation at the end. The Rock
Choir started the second half with Justin Timberlakes
Cant Stop the Feeling followed by Only You. Their
performance is always very lively and are well directed by
Dan Rogers, whos enthusiasm is affectious. They finished
their second set with Shut Up and Dance with Me. We
finished the concert with our second set, and we started
with our Abba Medley. It was great to see our previous MD,
Simon Oram, in the audience, who arranged this medley for
the choir. We sang a number of our favourites and finished
with An American Trilogy to a standing ovation from the
packed audience. This was possibly Nicks last concert and
it was a fitting end to all his hard work over the past 13
years. Special thanks must go to the sponsors of the concert
Swansea Building Society, Liberty Homes, Designer Outdoor
Lighting, RDM Electrical and Mechanical Services, and
Morganstone. Also, to our Ladies Committee who looked after
front of house and CD sales. Lastly to our fundraising
committee who put the concert together. Following the
concert, we all adjourned to the West Cross Inn, arranged by
Meirion Howells, and they provided a lovely buffet for us.
Nick Rogers, our outstanding MD for the past 14 years, had
announced that he would be standing down after the concert
at the end of February. Nick is staying with the
choir and has joined the second bass
section.
January 2020
We had a quiet January, with regard to concerts. We
were sorry to hear the sad news that Alan Short had lost his
battle with a short-term illness and had passed away. Alan
was a keen sportsman and a very good 2nd tenor and had been
with us for nine years. He leaves his wife Eileen, children
and grandchildren and will be sadly missed by the choir and
his family. It was great to sing at his funeral at Swansea
Crematorium.
To read more of our news going back to the choirs
bebinning click
here.
