Choir Members

 

On this page we are looking to include anecdotes, stories and photographs of past and present choristers.  At present these are slowly being compiled so please be patient.  If anyone has stories, photos to share and memories to tell please let Tony, Spike or Lyn know and we can start filling up this page with interesting articles.

 Islwyn Watkins, past chorister and Secretary (now a vice-president) at the Gala Concert 2011 afterglow, proving he is as active and sprightly as ever.  Still a great supporter of the Choir, Islwyn was born in 1921, the eldest of nine children in Pantywal, Swansea Valley and became a miner at the age of 13.  He worked in the mines for 30 years before moving to Caldicot to work in the new steelworks at Llanwern.  A Welsh speaker and a keen rugby supporter, Islwyn played at full-back for Abercrave Rugby Club for over 20 years until his retirement from the game in 1956.  He was instrumental in obtaining the land, the development and building of our choir hall and it is well worth reading his book, ‘The Dream is Alive’ which tells the story of his time in the choir and and the history of our choir hall.

  Previous Assistant to the Musical Director John Wigley

John was born and bred in Derbyshire where he spent many years involved with the brass band movement. He moved to Chepstow in 1988 and within a year had become a member of the Choir. Since then he became an ever increasing asset to the Choir; not only on the management side, but also by accepting the post of Assistant to the Musical Director until his retirement in 2001.

 Previous Accompanist Meurig Jones

Although having played for the Choir many years ago, Meurig rejoined as co-accompanist in early 1997. Born in Caernarvon, North Wales he has lived in Chepstow for more than thirty years.  Besides competing in National and International Eisteddfodau, he has been the official accompanist for the Urdd Eisteddfod on many occasions. During his service years Meurig was Bandmaster at Kasfareet MEAF and conducted the massed bands for the Queen’s Coronation.

Total Page Visits: 1029 - Today Page Visits: 2

One thought on “Choir Members”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.