Great news for the Choir is that we are thrilled to have welcomed four new members into the choir in the past few weeks. Many thanks to Jeff Williams for writing the following details while Lyn Gauntlett (who normally writes these posts) was away:-
HARRY GILBIN
Harry joined the Choir on Monday, 20th April and is a baritone. Harry is from Newport. He had come to listen to the choir a few weeks earlier but was unable to take a voice test because Siân was in Australia. He liked what he heard and was surprised that he recognised the bearded wonder behind the bar. It turned out that our Wyn Goodwin was one of Harry’s old schoolmates. Small world. Undeterred by leaving Caldicot without taking the choral plunge, Harry duly returned the following week after Siân had returned from ‘Oz’ and was successfully approved to take his position in the baritones.
JOHN SEARLE
John also joined the Choir on Monday, 20th April and is a Top Tenor. John is from Undy and had been encouraged to join the choir by his friend Nick Antell. He had never sung before in his life but when he took his voice test Siân was amazed that when she played the higher end of the keyboard, John clicked into a natural falsetto range and went higher with her! Natural Tenor.
SAM ATKINS and LIAM EVANS
These two young lads joined the Choir on Monday, 27th April. Sam and Liam are best mates, both 19 and from Rogiet. On the evening that the choir were singing in Chepstow for Parkinson’s Wales, Sam and Liam were drinking in ‘The Bell Hanger’. At the end of the concert the choir decamped in the pub and started to sing and Sam and Liam were impressed. They engaged in a long conversation with Peter Hanks and the following Monday evening they turned up at practice; went straight into the back room with Siân and came out as smiling baritones (are there any other sort!). Well actually Jeff, if you look across the choir hall to the baritones you’ll see that there are.
So with three new baritones and a new top tenor the choir continues its amazing recruitment success, particularly with the introduction of two teenagers. Can we make a hundred members by the end of the year? If this trend continues it is highly likely. A very warm welcome is extended to all of you and we look forward to you enjoying a long and happy time with our Choir. Of course, this means that Craig Howells is no longer the baby of the choir, but I’m sure he won’t mind that.