Daffodil Concert (In
support of Marie Curie Mumbles and
Gower Fundraising Group) – 1st
March 2025 - All Saint's Church,
Oystermouth.
In the splendour and wonder of All
Saints, we sang in the name of our Saint; St David.Saturday
the 1st of March 2025 saw us sing our first concert
of 2025.If
a celebration of our culture was not motivation
enough, a chance to raise funds for Marie Curie,
and, also to sing in memory of some beloved
choristers who have sadly passed away in recent
months, gave emotional energy a plenty for the
evening’s song.The choir raised the sum of £2,129 for
Marie Curie on the night.A very
special thank you to Jeff, a chorister in the
baritone section of the choir who helped organise
the evening.
Our opening 4 pieces, “There is a
Land”, “Calon Lan”, Y Tangnefeddwyr” and “O Gymru”;
songs of pride, of peace, of reliance.For the majority of the choir, a chance
to rest and reflect followed.Not so for
our very own Daniel Davies.Daniel
gave us all pause for thought, and brought the West
End to South West Wales, with his solo performances
of “ Why God Why” – Miss Saigon, “Til I hear you
Sing” – Love Never Dies, and “Bring Him Home” – Les
Misérables.The
audience’s connection to the music, their own
personal reflection, was very much felt for me in
the absence of sound; Their sound of silence.Time very
much stood still.Diolch Dan!
The choir sung another 4 pieces before
the interval, the Welsh hymn “Gwahoddiad” was
favourite of mine.It invited an emotional reaction from the
audience, eyes a glaze with tears as the Amens rose
to the heavens above.A change of tone, some lighter notes to
open the 2nd half.“5”2, eyes of Blue, Has anybody seen her?”
She, of “5” 2, Eyes of Blue; as of yet, is nowhere
to be seen.The
choir love the fun and movement of this piece; I
think those watching loved it too! Our Guest Artiste for the 2nd half was
our very own Musical Director, Matthew Ioan Simms.Matt’s
rendition of “O Sole Mio” (“ My Sunshine”) was sung
with depth, with power, a sense of longing, a sense
of “hiraeth” in the air.In
“Hushaby Mountain” and “Cilfan y Coed”, Matt took us
to place of “Heddwch Perffaith” for a while! Diolch Matt!
The night’s music was brought to a
crescendo by “If We Only have Love”; a piece
that poses and then unequivocally answer’s the
question of the power and place of love in our
lives.As
we finished Mae Hen Wlad Fy’n Nhadau,
refreshments and some rest was very much needed.And,
no more so was rest deserved than for our long
serving accompanist, Rhian Liles.Rhian
led the way on the piano for 22 songs this
evening.Diolch
o ‘galon Rhian.
Our next performance welcomes
Cirencester Male Voice choir to Swansea. We are
singing alongside them on Saturday 26th of April
25, St Peter’s Church, Newton, SA3 4RA (7pm).We
hope to see you there (see the tickets section
of our website or speak to any chorister for
details).
Roger Gadd
It is
with very great sadness that that we have to report that
Roger Gadd passed away on the 29th January 2025, after
struggling with cancer for some time.Roger had been
with the choir for about 6 years and as well as his
lovely baritone voice, he will be remembered for writing
the reports of our events for the website.Our sympathy
goes to Wendy, his wife, and to all his family.
It was
a very sad occasion for the Choir to sing in Roger’s
funeral at Morriston Crematorium on Tuesday, February
18th. We were requested to sing the Welsh ‘Gwahoddiad’,
a firm favourite of his. Many members also attended the
Clyne Chapel service and reception in Norton House,
Mumbles.
A difficult day for all!He will be greatly missed-but fondly remembered!
A Wedding and a Curry – 18th
January 2025.
Well what a journey!About 45
choristers left Swansea Airport by coach to sing at the
wedding of Charlotte Ann Goodwin in Gellifawr
Woodland Retreat, near Fishguard, with plenty of time
for the journey.When
we were about 12 minutes away from the venue, the coach
driver took a wrong turning and we ended up in a very
narrow lane with no way round a tight bend.After spending
a lot of time looking at maps and reversing a long way
we eventually arrived at the venue 45 minutes late.
Our singing
was due to take place after the wedding ceremony and as
we were late the guests had been sent off to the bar to
await our arrival.Once we arrived we assembled and the guests
returned, with drinks in hand, and in a very happy mood.We sung six
numbers: ‘Calon Lan’, ‘You Are So Beautiful’, ‘O
Gymru’, ‘Can't Take My Eyes Off You’ (with audience
participation), ‘Gwahoddiad’, and ‘God Only Knows’ which
were all rapturously applauded.For an encore we
sang ‘There Is A Land’ and ‘Mae Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau’ and
the guests had to sing one chorus on their own.We left the hall
to more applause and many thanks from the Bride, Groom and
guests.
The journey
home was much less eventful.We stopped at
the Carmarthen Quins RFC for a curry or lasagne
and a few beers.After
eating we adjourned to the bar for an enjoyable afterglow
led by Nick.We
eventually arrived back at the airport at 11pm having had
a good day out and where our singing had saved the day
from being a disaster.
Geoffrey
Wheel – 30th June, 1951 – 26th December 2024.
It
is with great sadness that we have to report that Geoffrey Wheel passed away peacefully in his
sleep in the early hours of Boxing day, 2024.He was a great family man and a true gentleman.In 2011 he was very proud to become President of the Gwalia Singers, a post he held for 12 years.In
all that time he was always very supportive and encouraging
in everything we did.
As a younger man Geoff had played rugby union for Mumbles and Swansea
and then became a Wales international player who attained
32 international caps.Later
he was the organist in the
Parish of St Thomas in Swansea where he also ran Geoff's
Tuck Shop at the Boys Brigade every Wednesday. He was unfortunately stricken with
Motor Neuron Disease and resigned as our president in
2023.It
is particularly poignant that in November, shortly before his death, we held a concert in his honour to raise
funds for MND and raised over £10,039 for this very
worthwhile cause. On Friday, 26th January, 2025 we sang 'Benedictus' arranged by Robat Arwyn
at his funeral in St. Thomas Church. Swansea.
He will be greatly missed by all his many
friends in the choir and our sympathy goes to his wife, Christine, and to all his
family.
New
member. On Tuesday 7th
Jan. David Owen passed his Voice Test and
was welcomed into the choir, Well done David
and welcome.
John
Baily.
It is with very great
sadness that that we have to report that John
Baily, who sang Bass with us, passed away on 4th
January 2024 having been ill for a year.Our
sympathy goes to all his family.
St
Hilary's Church Concert, Killay - 20th December
A day of mixed
emotions for the choir started in the afternoon with
the funeral of good friend and long serving member
Lawrence Sutton.The choir filed into a packed Morriston
crematorium in full uniform where they sang
Benedictus as a tribute to Lawrence and his family.The song
was very moving and poignant in the surroundings of
the small Chapel.
There wasn’t a lot
of time before the choir attended the last of their
Christmas concerts at St Hilary’s Church, in Killay,
where they took to the stage again in full uniform but
with bright and colourful Christmas ties. The choir
performed a variety of songs from their newly released
CD along with Five foot two which proved to be a
favourite with the audience, lighting up the Church
with many smiles and foot tapping. The second
half saw the choir perform their Christmas Carol
favourites interspersed with audience participation
and singing. During the choir breaks the audience were
entertained by Nabeel Masih local singer and husband
of the vicar of St Hilary’s.
After the interval
framed souvenirs of our new CD were presented to Matt,
our Musical Director, and Rhian, our accompanist in
recognition of all their hard work.The evening
was rounded off with the choir selling copies of their
recently made CD titled ‘If we only
have Love’ a great Christmas stocking filler at £8
each.
Vivian Hall Concert,
Blackpill - 16th December.
We again performed to another packed audience at the
Vivian Hall in Blackpill.There were
visitors in the front row from British Columbia Canada
who had never seen a Welsh choir before and were who
were blown away and loved every second of the concert.They said it
made their holiday even more special.
The choir sang a variety of songs from
Benedictus, You Raise me Up, Five Foot Two in the
first half of the concert and a selection of Christmas
carols and songs in the second half.Just to add
a bit of audience participation with traditional
carols and The Twelve days of Christmas.
This was the 4th Christmas concert for
this year the choir has performed, the 5th and final
Christmas concert will take place on Friday 20th at St
Hilary’s church in Killay.
This final concert will be a bitter sweet
occasion as we will be attending the funeral of our
dearly missed and loved long serving member Lawrence
in the afternoon.All our thoughts and prayers go out to his
family.
Maggie’s Christmas
Concert 2024 - All Saints Church, Oystermouth -
December 12th, 2024
One of
the highlights of the Gwalia Singers calendar is
Maggie’s Christmas Concert in All Saints Church.The Choir
looked forward to a wonderful evening of music and
festive spirit with the Pontardulais Town Brass Band,
and the incredible acoustics of the Church. The
first half commenced with traditional congregational
carol-singing to the accompaniment of the Band.They then
played a selection of their repertoire with some solo
recitals - very accomplished performances and talent
indeed!The
Gwalia Singers followed with their repertoire
selection, and their rendition of ‘Gwahoddiad’ was
dedicated in memory of Laurence Sutton, their
much-loved fellow chorister who passed away a
fortnight ago.
The
interval provided a great opportunity for some
refreshments and socialising. The second half
again commenced with the congregational carol-singing,
followed by Pontardulais Town Band’s Christmas medley.
The Gwalia Singers continued with their Christmas
selection, and a joint performance of ‘Stop the
Cavalry’ concluded the evening. A truly
enjoyable concert of music and festivity, with
proceeds to the remarkable Maggie’s Charity.Such a
pleasure!
The
Choir continued their enjoyment, relaxation and
singing in the Oyster House, Oystermouth. Sincere
thanks for the invitation and buffet!
On the membership
side David Wintle passed his audition tonight and
became a full choir member
singing with our baritoines. Well done David.
The
annual Gwalia Ladies’ Concert in the Scout/Guide Hall is
always a relaxed and enjoyable festive occasion.The first half
of the concert was a mixed selection of the Choir’s
musical repertoire, up-beat and the more traditional.’Benedictus’,
a firm favourite, was sung in honour of Lawrence Sutton,
the much-loved fellow Chorister who sadly passed away
only last week with a ‘minute’s silence’ to follow.
The
last item was the first-time performance of ‘Five Foot
Two’ which allowed the Choir to be jovial and
high-spirited and encouraged audience participation in
the carol-singing before the interval.
Deputy
Chairman Mike Phippen paid tribute to the former
President Mr. Geoff Wheel in the second half, for his
incredible commitment to the Gwalia Singers. He then
donated a cheque for the sum of £11,030 to Janet
Fisher from MND South West Wales, in Geoff’s honour. An amazing sum
raised recently by the Choir! A huge
‘thank-you’ to Mike Phippen and all individuals and
businesses who supported the cause.
The
choir then continued with their Christmas repertoire
and with more audience participation of carol singing.The evening
concluded with a delightful buffet for all!This annual
fixture is a joy!
St Catherine’s
Church, Gorseinon, Friday 6th December.
It was
indeed a very poignant occasion for the Choir to sing in
the Swansea Excelsior Charity Concert in St. Catherine’s
Church, on Friday, December 6th for two reasons:it was the
first performance since the passing of a much loved and
respected stalwart of Gwalia Singers - Laurence Sutton
and singing with his daughter, Anna, and her Choir, the
Excelsior Ladies.
In the
first half of the concert the Ladies gave beautiful
renditions and solo performances from their musical
programme, and the Gwalia Singers followed with male
voice favourites.Following a
short interval, the Gwalia singers delighted the
audience with some Christmas songs and spirit, and the
Excelsior Ladies also gave some of their Christmas flavour! The finale was a
fun performance by both Choirs together of
‘Twelve Days of Christmas’
The
vicar of St. Catherine’s, Dr. Adrian Morgan, highlighted
the appreciation of raising much-needed funds for the
refurbishment programme in
2025.A
truly wonderful evening which did the choirs proud!We all braced
the red alert inclement weather for the journey home!
Lawrence
William Sutton - 4th February 1946 to 1st December
2024.
It is with very great sadness
that that we have to report that Lawrence Sutton passed
away suddenly on 1st December 2024.Our sympathy
goes to Pam, his wife, and to all his family.
Lawrence came to Wales as a
young boy and learned to sing soprano in his church
choir progressing on to alto then tenor and finally
bass.
Many years later, after
getting married and bringing up his family, one of those
friends persuaded him to join the Gwalia Singers where
he joined the Second Tenors. He was a
stalwart member of the choir for over 25 years. He was a gentle
gentleman, always willing to welcome new members into
the choir and offering help and advice to anyone who
needed it.In
2008 he took on the task of being the choir treasurer
which he did very efficiently for over 15 years. His thoughts and
ideas were always well considered and respected by all
the choir committee members.
He enjoyed the camaraderie,
the repertoire, the practices and the opportunities to
travel and perform in Beijing, Barbados and many places
in Europe.
He will be greatly missed by
all his many friends in the choir.
Principality Stadium Cardiff - 17th
November 2024
An excited Gwalia
Singers choir left Swansea Airport car park on Sunday
morning for a very prestigious occasion, singing on the
hallowed Principality Stadium turf in Cardiff for the
Wales v Australia match.We were hoping to encourage the Welsh rugby team
to put on an outstanding performance following their
recent losing streak!
Expectations were high, songs and new
harmonies had been learnt and mastered.On our arrival
we were taken to the underground tunnel entrance to the
pitch, where a rehearsal was held to blend our voices
together with the Brass Band and the other two invited
choirs; Cor Yogi (Bala) and Glyn-Neath.
After an hour’s rest we were called to line
up and marched out to our singing position, led by the
rousing Welsh Guards’ Band and their mascot ‘goat’. After singing
six wonderful songs the teams ran out to the cinematic
display of fires and feathers, the supporters and
players were now truly psyched-up!
After singing the two National Anthems we
were marched off and then seated comfortably in our
seats for the duration of the game, excellent viewing
for us all.The
choirs performed well for Wales but, unfortunately, the
Welsh Rugby team didn’t!
We had a curry, social and afterglow later
at Cardiff Rugby Football Club which made up for the
very disappointing result! A wonderful experience nevertheless! Thank you WRU!
Gower
College, Tycochy. 9th November 1024.
This was a special evening’s concert for
the Choir to thank the long-standing former President
Mr. Geoff Wheel for his incredible service and
commitment to Gwalia-and raising funds for MND.
The Choir’s programme was varied and
interesting encompassing the many rousing, traditional
classics together with the quiet melodies in both
English and Welsh, and much appreciated by the audience.
Many thanks
to Matthew Sims - Gwalia Musical Director, Rhian Liles -
Choir accompanist and soloists Dan, Tom and Craig.
The young Gower College soloists Abigail
Rankin, Isobel McNeill and Carys Morgan also delighted
the audience with their wonderful performances (with
accompanist Rhian Liles), very talented young ladies who
will, no doubt, have promising careers in Music.
The Choir would also like to thank all
sponsors for their generosity, and every effort to raise
funds e.g. raffle tickets and interval refreshments by
Gwalia Ladies-and especially Gower College for using the
venue.
A wonderful evening indeed where we raised
£10,039 for MND!
A
Very Busy Recording Day, 26th October 2024
On Saturday morning the choir all met up
at All Saints Church in Oystermouth to record our
latest CD.When
the choir arrived at 9:45 Jordan, the Recording
Engineer, and Izzy from Cobra Music had set up about
15 microphones in front of the choir with their mixing
desk and other recording equipment at the back.
We spent
all day, with occasional coffee and lunch breaks,
recording fourteen songs.We had to
record all the songs twice and some three times with
some extra parts of songs recorded to mix in later.
Matt and
the Music Team, (Rhian, Nick and Gareth) would come
back, having listened to a recording, to inform us how
to make improvements for the next recording.Noises such
as creaking staging, phones going off, passing motor
bikes etc. would often result in us having to start
that song again.
Matt worked hard all day to get the best
out of us while Rhian accompanied us tirelessly on the
piano.The
next task is for the Music Team to listen to the
recordings to decide which tracks will get on to the
CD.We
are all looking forward to hearing the final results.The CD will
be available to purchase soon, or to stream from the
internet.
Mumbles
Festival of Music & Arts, 5th October
2024 (more photos)
What
an amazing evening we had at All Saints Church, Mumbles
for the final concert of the music festival with the
Gwalia Singers. The choir was conducted by accomplished Musical Director
Matthew Sims and accompanied by Rhian Liles. The choir took up their positions in their immaculate
uniforms.The
concert and the choir did not disappoint, they opened
with a rousing version of ‘There is a Land’ followed by
‘What Would I Do Without My Music’, ‘Y Darlun’ and ‘You
Raise Me up’ which included individual performances from
Craig and Tom.
One huge strength this choir has is that they sing
without music, there is no need to look at the score and
all eyes are on the conductor. The control that this
allows lifts the performance of each piece and the
balance of voices was excellent throughout. The
programme was very well planned, each half started with
a rousing piece and ended similarly.During the
first half Matthew Sims gave an excellent solo
performance of ‘Cilfan Y Coed’, ‘Hushaby Mountain’ and
‘I’ll Walk With God’ which ended with a standing
ovation. Then the choir sang ‘Benedictus’, ‘You
are so beautiful’,‘O Gymru’ and ‘How Great Though Art’.
The second half started with ‘Calon Lan’ followed by ‘Y
Tangnefeddwyr’, ‘The Impossible Dream’ and the audience
and choir had a bit of fun singing together ‘Can’t Take
My Eyes Off You’. Daniel Davies brought the house
down with three songs from the West End, ‘Till I Hear
You Sing’, ‘This Is The Moment’ and ‘Maria’ from West
Side Story.Daniel
had a standing ovation and loud applause.His
performance was of an exceptionally high standard, there
is no doubt Daniel has a very promising future.
The choir then completed the evening with ‘Cwm Rhondda’,
‘One Day I’ll fly Away’ and ‘If we only had love’,
before ending with the National Anthem. It was a
lovely evening with excellent varied music and the
audience standing at the end thoroughly enjoyed it.
An early start for
the Choir from Swansea to Gatwick Airport and
Portoscuso, Sardinia. A long day’s travelling-but
a great Italian welcome awaited us in the Don Pedro
Hotel, with a hearty meal and local wines at the
Nautilus Restaurant. Excellent
travel arrangements-thank you Alan!
Saturday7th
A much-needed
leisurely day before the evening’s meal and performance.
Beautiful weather for sun, sand and sea - much
socialising and enjoyment! Wonderful dining
‘al di fuori’ later at the Nautilus, and introductory
performances from the Choirs. The high
temperatures continued into the late evening and
performances at the beautiful Portoscuso Church. The
Visiting Choirs were superb-and the Gwalia Choristers
were brilliant - very well received!’ Ottimo
lavoro’!
Sunday 8th
A morning’s
recovery, light lunch, and leisurely afternoon before
the evening’s dining at the Nautilus and then an hour’s
journey to the Tratalias Cathedral for the second
performance. A
slightly different song selection - and great to hear
the melodious rendition of ‘Y Tangnefeddwyr’.The inclement
weather didn’t spoil the evening’s music and magic of
this historical, unique town.
Monday 9th
An early start
after breakfast to lovely Iglesias for a stroll along
the cobbled streets with their colourful overhead
umbrellas, and delightful shops.A light lunch
followed with a stop on the return journey at Belvedere
di Nebida, the historical mining town nearby. Later, another
hearty meal at the Nautilus - and an hour’s journey to
the Calasetta Cathedral for the Choir’s third
performance.Again,
wonderful performances from all Choirs. However, Gwalia’s
outstanding renditions resulted in a huge response
from the congregation - with standing ovations and
applause, much emotion and tears, and an encore
request!Huge’
Congratulations’ to Matthew, Rhian and all Choristers
- and much appreciation and praise for soloists Craig
and Tom!’Ben fatto’!
Tuesday 10th
Very tired
Choristers! - but a fabulous excursion and luncheon
organised at stunning Maladroxia Beach.Then, an early
start for the Choir’s last evening and unique
performance in San Giovanni Caves in Domusnovas, wearing
helmets, in very cool conditions underground - and an
evening snack ‘al di fuori’ with all visiting Choirs.A truly
wonderful experience! A huge ‘thank you’ to all
organisers for the incredible arrangements! ‘Molto grazie a
tutti voi’!
Wednesday 11th
A leisurely day to
recover, with an evening gathering in the Portoscuso
‘piazza’ dressed in Hawaiian shirts for a social - much
eating, drinking, singing and fun!
Thursday 12th
Another welcome
leisurely day with a last evening gathering at the
wonderful Nautilus Restaurant for a meal and social!
Friday 13th
A tiring evening
return journey to Swansea! ‘Thank you’
Sardinia for wonderful experiences and welcome!‘Thank you’
Alan, Matt, Rhian, Lawrence and the team for all your
hard work! Much appreciated! Where’s
the next trip please???
A Trip
to Somerset - Saturday, 17th
August.
We left Swansea
Airport at 8:30 for a trip to South Petherton, Somerset,
to sing at the wedding of Dan and Helen. The venue
was very different to what we're used to, as the
ceremony was outdoors, in a field! However, it was
all very beautiful and the choir was well received by
the bride, groom and wedding guests. We sang 'You and
Me' by Lifehouse, as the bridal party walked in, which
was something we had learned especially for the
event. We then sang O Gymru during the ceremony,
this was greatly appreciated by the congregation.
After a break for the formal part of the wedding we sung
a further six numbers from our repertoire.
On our return journey home, we stopped at the Two Rivers Hotel in Chepstow where we were able to order drinks and a meal. The service and the food were very good. After we had finished eating Nick Rogers and the Afterglow Team led us in singing a number of songs, much appreciated by the other customers in the pub. We eventually arrived home at 9:30 pm having had a very enjoyable day out. (more photos)
An Early Kick_Off At The ‘Hub’ - Saturday, 13th July.
For this event the
Gwalia Singers roused early to perform at the official
opening of ‘The Hub’ at Underhill Park, Mumbles. The
host announcer, Kevin Johns, welcomed us effusively
and proceedings got under way towards 11 a.m..
There
had to be a ceremony, of course, namely the cutting of
the opening tape for the centre. In order to provide a
‘fanfare’, we sang one of the all-time favourites, Cwm
Rhondda, well loved and recognised by any Welsh
audience.
Around
half an hour later, we reconvened in a ‘marquee’,
actually a large open-sided pergola, to sing a few more
songs to entertain the crowd. This activity
tends to be hard work, as (a) it becomes very warm
rather quickly and (b)the sound is somewhat absorbed by
the canvas. However, opening this session with another
favourite, Calon Lan, was a good choice, gathering
interest immediately and creating a good round of
applause and appreciation. The action was then slowed a
little, although choir family and friends, along with
more spectators as the programme progressed, aired their
appreciation for some good singing.
We
signed off with what has become our second ‘anthem’, the
patriotic ‘There Is A Land’, which, with its climactic
finish, always goes down well. Good luck to The Hub for
a successful future!
Music, Maestro, Please!
- Saturday, 15th June,
2024. Gwalia Singers’ Annual Concert at All Saints
Church.
Mumbles, saw a completely
packed house and observations and feedback suggest that
it won’t be the last time! Everybody enthused
about all aspects of the evening and can’t wait to come
back for more. This was the first event for our new
President, Peter Lynn, who received a very warm
reception.
Our
Musical
Director, Matthew Sims, was congratulated on the wide
and diverse programme, as well as displaying his talents
for both the music and also engaging with the audience
and enhancing the entertainment factor. As usual,
our brilliant accompanist Rhian Liles, was faultless and
guided us, and our guest singer, beautifully through the
concert. Another young talent, solo soprano Darcey
Paris George, entranced all with her pure voice and an
assured performance and it certainly won’t be long
before she becomes more widely known. All in all,
one masterclass followed another!
Several presentations were made, most noteworthy was a
30 year service tie to Alan Clewett who has been the
choir secretary for many of those years. All
seemed
to enjoy the whole performance and the choir responded
to their warmth by singing out numbers old and new with
enthusiasm and energy. The reward was another
standing ovation from a sold-out venue. (See more photographs)
Concert in Llanarthne -
Saturday 8th June 2024.
We gave a lovely
concert last night at Llanarthne Village Hall. The
soloists were Daniel Davies, one of our choristers,
and our MD,Matthew Sims. Dan sang two items including
'Till I Hear You Sing' from 'Love Never Dies' and Matt
sang 'Caro Mio Ben' and 'Stars' from 'Les Miserables'.
We finished with 'If We Only Have Love' and received a
rousing standing ovation from the appreciative
audience. The concert raised over £1000.00 for the
village hall.
An Honour to be present
- Friday 17th May 2024
Friday, May 17th saw the Gwalia Singers once again at
All Saints Church, Mumbles. This time, it was not
for a concert, but to take part in the funeral service
for the great Terry Medwin, famous player for the Swans,
Tottenham Hotspur and Wales.
It is
unusual to be asked to attend a funeral, but it was
clear that we were there to lead the congregation’s
singing for the most part. After we had opened with the
Welsh National Anthem as the cortege arrived, our other
duties were the singing of two favourite hymns. Many
well-known personalities were there and the Spurs had
honoured the occasion with a lovely floral display and
the presence in the front of Pat Jennings and Gary
Mabbutt. Several former Swansea players attended and
there were two very touching eulogies, the first from
Terry’s granddaughter and the second from lifelong
friend and co-player Cliff Jones. Tenor Wynne Evans sang
the lovely Ave Maria and the lovely playing (both piano
and organ) of Hywel Evans was evident throughout.
Due to
the time of day, there were a few of our members who
could not attend, but it was certainly a strong turnout
to honour such a legend from Swansea. RIP, Terry Medwin.
Good
Night Ladies - Friday 26th April, 2024
And
what a good night it was! Friday, April 26th saw our
Gwalia Ladies organising a social evening for members
and friends at Clyne Golf Club – and what a great night
it turned out to be! Our thanks and congratulations are
very much due to them for a highly successful event
enjoyed by all.
The
chef and cheerful staff at Clyne served up a very tasty
range of chicken curries, with the alternatives of
chicken chasseur or a vegetarian dish for those who
preferred. Frankly, the only complaint from any quarter
was that several could have eaten more! It was
delicious, so perhaps next time we could add a few
poppadums or naan. In any event, it was very much
enjoyed.
Following
this
came the entertainment from the U3A Ukelele Big Band.
Many of us had not had the experience of a large Ukulele
Band before and so did not quite know what to expect.
Well, we had a really pleasant surprise, as the band
belted out number upon number of well-known favourites,
so that the ‘community’ singing was joined in with real
enthusiasm. What a super social event. Thanks very much,
Ladies and we look forward to the next one! ( for more
photos see Gwalia
Ladies)
Geoffrey
Wheel – 30th June, 1951 – 26th December 2024.
e o
f
the highlights of the Gwalia Singers calendar is
Maggie’s Christmas Concert in All Saints Church.
The
annual Gwalia Ladies’ Concert in the Scout/Guide Hall is
always a relaxed and enjoyable festive occasion.
It was
indeed a very poignant occasion for the Choir to sing in
the Swansea Excelsior Charity Concert in St. Catherine’s
Church, on Friday, December 6th for two reasons:
Lawrence
William Sutton - 4th February 1946 to 1st December
2024.
An excited Gwalia
Singers choir left Swansea Airport car park on Sunday
morning for a very prestigious occasion, singing on the
hallowed Principality Stadium turf in Cardiff for the
Wales v Australia match.
Good
Night Ladies - Friday 26th April, 2024
