Category Archives: 2012

Anniversary Calendar for 2013

Following on from wonderful past calendars, Bass chorister Wyn Goodwin and son James have produced a superb calendar for the Choir’s Golden Jubilee Year in 2013.  The front page shows the earliest known photograph of the choir in its’ foundation year of 1963 and the pages turn, month by month to reveal scenes of the Caldicot area in an old sepia format to reflect the past fifty years.  The cyclists outside The Old Tippling Philosopher public house on the August page are not members of our Choir’s Cycling Club although those at The Cross in October could be!  The final page shows colour photographs of the Choir at its last Annual Concert in 2012 and a photograph of our magnificent Choir Hall built in 1996.  These ever popular calendars are in short supply, so make sure you get in touch to secure your copy.  Hurry!

 

Left click on images to enlarge

 

Each Calendar is on sale from Wyn at £5 each (or see any chorister if you want one but can’t get to see Wyn) and as usual all profits are to aid Caldicot Male Voice Choir in continuing with its valuable charity work and fabulous choral singing.

 

Footnote:  All the calendars have been sold -well done Wyn!  Now go and get your pens and diaries!

On a similar theme, Mark Stocker still has limited supplies of the unique, classy 50th Anniversary Pen and Diary, each selling for £5 each or £8 for the two.  These are fast running out so if you want an ideal celebration souvenir of our 50th Anniversary see Mark as sooon as possible (or any chorister).  An added bonus is that neither the pens nor the diaries need batteries or an external power supply.  All proceeds are in aid of the Choir.  Click on Pens and Diaries for more details of these.

 

 

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Tabernacl Musical Taster


Press Release

Please left click on images to enlarge

 

 

It is not often that two National Eisteddfod winning Choirs appear together on the same stage, in a wonderful setting such as Tabernacl Baptist Chapel (Eglwys y Tabernacl) right in the centre of Cardiff, but such an evening of wonderful Welsh Male Voice Choir Music was presented to a small audience on 27th November 2012.  Rebuilt in its present classical style in 1865, the Tabernacl Baptist Chapel is a beautiful Grade 2 listed building in The Hayes, Cardiff and will celebrate its’ bicentenary in 2013.  Services are conducted entirely in Welsh and interestingly it was the venue for the first ever Songs of Praise broadcast by the BBC and The National Millenium Service for Wales took place here in 2000.  You can visit the Church’s website on www.tabernaclcaerdydd.org.uk

 

Côr Meibion Caldicot combined together with Côr Meibion Taf to present a varied mix of choral music to a knowledgable audience made up mostly of members of the Welsh speaking chapel congregation. The audience was thrilled when almost 90 voices combined to present the choral classics Llanfair and Morte Criste, conducted by Siân Hatton, accompanied by Stephen Berry on the piano.

 

Côr Meibion Caldicot followed with a varied mix of A Cole Porter Medley which includes Who wants to be a millionaire, Another opening – another show, Just one of those things and You do something to me, followed by Welsh love song, Lleucu Llwyd and The Lost Chord, (Stephen Berry – organ, John Nicholson -piano) once sung by Caruso at a benefit concert for the families of those lost in the Titanic sinking in 1912.

 

The choral pieces were supported by our own Musical Director and soloist, Siân Hatton who enchantingly sang Somewhere, from Porgy and Bess and I Could Have Danced All Night from the musical, My Fair Lady.  A late replacement stand in soloist, New Zealand tenor Richard Chambers also supported with his amazing tenor voice.

 

Côr Meibion Taf, conducted by Rob Nicholls opened their completely Welsh programme from the heights of the Gallery with Laudamus and Troyte’s Chant followed later in the evening with the foot tapping polka, Dashenka, accompanied by Stephen Berry and choral Welsh classic, Nant y Mynydd.  The choirs once more combined with O Gymru (soloist Caldicot’s Tom Hole, piano Stephen Berry), a Welsh song extolling the virtues of Wales and stating how wonderful it is to live here among the country’s hillls and valleys.

 

The audience was captivated by  Côr Meibion Caldicot’s performances, accompanied by John Nicholson, of Can You Feel the Love Tonight (soloist Sian Hatton) and conducted by Shirley Ann James, Yfory and African Trilogy (soloist Caldicot’s Jason Dawe), followed later with the soothing An Evening’s Pastoral and You Raise Me Up, once recorded by West Life and Josh Grogan among many others.  Côr Meibion Caldicot was conducted on the night, jointly by Siân Hatton and Shirley Ann James and accompanied by John Nicholson and Stephen Berry.

 

This wonderful, combined concert closed with both choirs, with Stephen Berry accompanying on the organ, presenting the audience with the rousing favourite Welsh Hymns,  Gwahoddiad (Welcome) and Tydi a Roddaist with their glorious ‘Amens’ guaranteed to raise the hair on the back of the neck.  Finally ending with Hen Wlad fy Nhadau, sung by everyone,both choirs and the audience left knowing that they had taken part in a unique, special evening in this iconic, classical, historical building.

 

Following copious, tasty, welcome and much appreciated refreshments supplied by supporters of Tabenacl Baptist Chapel, both choirs retired to the local O’Neils bar in the Haymarket to imbibe of more refreshments, and create a brilliant ‘Afterglow’ by both choirs.  Many favourable comments were received from the audience, including arguably one of Wales’ top conductors Dr Alwyn Humphreys, who recently conducted us at the Wales’ Remembrance Service at nearby St David’s Hall on November 3rd and legendary Welsh broadcaster and Rugby commentator Huw Llewelyn Davies, recently retired after commentating for the BBC at the Welsh National Eisteddfod for the past 33 years.  Having been given details of this website, both Dr Humphreys and Huw Llewelyn Davies indicated that they would make every effort to come to our Annual 50th Anniversary concert next year.  Many of the audience commented on how clear our Welsh diction was and were surprised to learn that very few of our choir are Welsh speakers.

 

Footnote:

 

Côr Meibion Taf was formed in April 2004 and practices at the Tabernacl Chapel.  Conducted by Rob Nicholls who has led them to winning first Prizes at the National Eisteddfodau in Ebbw Vale in 2010 and Cardiff in 2008, the choir performed at the Palacia de la Musica in Torrevieja, Spain in October 2011.  You can see and hear them perform by clicking on the Youtube link http://www.vivatv.es/viva-tv-programmes/70-an-evening-with/513-cor-meibion-taf-welsh-male-voice-choir (you may have to move an advert out of the way) or watch their 2008 performance at the National Eisteddfod on http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/eisteddfod2008/sites/results/results1.shtml?rhif=30

 

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AM Issues Cycling Safety Plea

We are delighted that John Griffiths AM as Patron of our our Cycle Club, has opened his Winter road safety campaign with a mention of our Choir Cycle Club (Côr Meibion Caldicot Cycle Club) and has given us an opportunity to quote in the following Press Release

 

John Griffiths AM Assembly Member for Newport East

 

Aelod y Cynulliad dros Dwyrain Casnewydd For immediate release Friday 22nd  November 2012

 

ASSEMBLY MEMBER ISSUES CYCLING SAFETY PLEA

As the weather gets worse and days get shorter, Newport East AM John Griffiths has issued a plea for all motorists and cyclists to be aware of cyclists and their safety to prevent accidents this winter.

 

Three high profile cycling accidents in the past couple of weeks have highlighted the issue. Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins was knocked off his bike, fellow Olympic cyclist Mark Cavendish collided with a van whilst training in Italy, and the Head Coach of British Cycling was injured in a serious accident.

 

John Griffiths, who is patron of the Côr Meibion Caldicot Cycle Club, run by members of Caldicot Male Voice Choir, wants all road users to be take care to increase cyclists safety. He said:

 

“I’m both a cyclist and a driver, and know that we all need to think about how to share our roads safety. Cyclists should check their bike is in good shape, like making sure their brakes are working, and use lights and clothes that make them visible on the road. But drivers need to think about cyclists on the road, particularly at junctions and when changing lanes, and make sure they drive safely.”

 

Lyn Gauntlett PRO. of CALDICOT MALE VOICE CHOIR is quoted as saying:

 

 

Cor Meibion Caldicot Cycle Club is happy to support any initiative which promotes a safer environment for all road users. We are all too aware of the terrible consequences brought about by a moment’s lapse in concentration, an increase in speed or even selfish behaviour on the part of some road users, cyclists included. Our newly formed club aims to promote a healthy, social atmosphere for all through organised cycling and would fully support John Griffiths’ plea for increased awareness of the needs of cyclists on our ever increasingly busy roads.

 

John Griffiths added:

 

“In the longer term we can plan roads and junctions that take into account safety for all road users, but if we all think about safe cycle use, and drivers keep a look out for cyclists, we can hopefully prevent some terrible accidents. We have had tragic deaths on the roads here in Newport, and we need to do what we can to make us all safer.”

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Choir Sings for Stella’s School Scheme


Press Release

Caldicot Male Voice Choir made its way on a frosty Saturday 17th November evening to Bishop’s Cleeve, a picturesque, medieval Cotswold town, near Cheltenham racecourse, to continue its’ ethos of helping to raise money for worthy charities, locally, nationally and internationally. We were delighted to put on a concert, wonderfully supported by the Winchcombe Community Singers to raise over £1300 in aid of Stella’s School Scheme. This hard working charity, inaugurated by the late Dr Stella Brewer-Marsden OBE after seeing for herself the educational poverty of children in The Gambia, West Africa, aims to provide much needed educational supplies and support to this very poor region. More details can be found by visiting the web site www.sssgambia.co.uk

 

Conducted by Siân Hatton throughout and accompanied by Stephen Berry and John Nicholson, opening with the rousing Welsh hymn Llanfair, the choir continued to provide under the beautiful, stone arched supported roof of the 13th century church of St Michael and All Saints an eclectic, varied mix of old and new favourites including The Lost Chord, Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, romantic modern Welsh love song, Lleucu Llwyd, written by Dewi Morris and arranged by Stephen Berry, dreamy An Evening’s Pastoral and finishing the first part with the lively, foot tapping Alexander’s Ragtime Band.

 

The interval was framed by the varied and enchanting unaccompanied performances of the Winchcombe Community Singers, a mixed, forty strong choir which specialises in folk songs from all around the world. Saturday’s performance included songs from Macedonia, Samoa, Nigeria, America and medieval Slovakia. Their penultimate piece, the South African National Anthem N’kosi Sikeleli Afrika sung in Xhosa, Zulu and Tswana, particularly delighted the packed church. Caldicot MVC were delighted to join Winchcombe CS, suitably attired in sea-faring costume, to provide the chorus to the Maori Whaling Sea Shanty, John Kanakanaka.

 

Caldicot Male Voice Choir’s performance continued, to a welcoming and enthusiastic audience with a Cole Porter Medley, Siân Hatton incredibly taking the solo parts in both Can You Feel the Love Tonight and Freddy Mercury’s, Somebody to Love while simultaneously conducting the choir. Continuing on with the fabulous Welsh hymn Tydi a Roddaist, the hopeful Yfory and the pretty, popular light hymn, He, the evening completed to rapturous applause with the ever popular hymn, written by Isaac Watts, Morte Criste (When I Survey the Wond’rous Cross). We were delighted that five members of Gloucester Police Choir accepted our invitation to fill our ranks for this glorious hymn.

 

The Choir, together with members of the audience, local residents and members of the Winchcome Community Singers repaired to the Royal Oak pub for welcome refreshments and patrons were enthralled and delighted by our impromptu ‘Afterglow’ concert that they didn’t want us to go,  following cries of ‘On the bus! On the bus! at 11-30pm.  Following up soon after were cries of ‘Bus is broke! Bus is broke!’ as we all returned to the warm, welcoming atmosphere of the Royal Oak and to the delight of remaining patrons and staff.

 

 

The staff of Landlord Chris Broome, landlady Sheila Jackson, red headed barmaid Emily Baker and ‘I wanna be Welsh’ Beth Reed (See those two houses over there. Well, I live in the middle one.  Follow me, I’m right behind you.  I left my bike in my Nan’s back passage!) –  obviously a Gavin and Stacey fan, were absolutely amazing as they kept us warm, comfortable, well fed and watered with free and ample supplies of tea, coffee and crisps.  Well done and many thanks on behalf of the choir.

 

 

Also many thanks to Nina Isley and chorister Spike Hughes for arranging such a welcoming venue for our after concert entertainment.

 

 

At around 2-30 am the relief coach arrived and we all wearily, but happily got on board.  So did the girls from the Royal Oak, but sorry we couldn’t take you with us – you’d be too much of a handful and our wives might object!

 

 

One footnote:  We arrived at the Church Hall at about 6-30 pm to be warmly greeted by a group of enthusiastic, welcoming ladies offering tea, coffee and biscuits.  It was only 10 minutues later that we realised we’d gate-crashed another concert.  So we tip-toed silently backwards to the door and made a hasty retreat across the road to hide in the furthest recesses of the church until the hue and cry had died down! Apologies to all concerned, the tea was delicious.

Lyn

 Photos by Lyn, Nina Isley, and Russell Harris

See Nina’s Photos on Facebook

 

 

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Wet day at Forest Hills

The latest trip for the ‘Birdie Boys’ saw them gracing the fairways of the Forest Hills Golf Course in Coleford, Forest of Dean.

Results:

Individual

  1. Keith Swain
  2. Jason Dawe

Team – Keith, Jason and Dave Scott

Nearest the Pin – Alyn Dawe

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British Legion Poppy Appeal.

 

The choir will once again, together with several other prominent Male Choirs from South Wales and London, gather together at the Royal Festival of Remembrance to support the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal at St David’s Hall, Cardiff on 3rd November.  The 500 choristers,  (previously supported by us in November 2009) conducted by Alwyn Humphries will be singing to a sell out audience.  Included in the extended programme will be appropriate, classic favourites, Gwahoddiad, Bring Him Home from the musical Les Miserables, Comrades in Arms, Battle Hymn of the Republic, There is no Death, Mansions of the Lord and Men of Harlech.

 

The concert is also supported by the Regimental Band of the Royal Welsh conducted by Denis Burton and organist for the evening is Denis Geoffrey Thomas.

 

Compère for the evening is legendary world-class entertainer Des O’Connor who promises to give his own unique touch of humour and style to the presentations.  Also appearing will be as yet un-named supporting artists and we look forward to a memorable evening in support of this long-standing, deserving charity which does monumental work for all our ex-servicemen and their families.

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Singing for Stella’s School Scheme

On the 17th November, the choir is delighted to be performing at the Parish Church of St Michael and All Angel’s in Bishop’s Cleeve, near Cheltenham.  Mentioned in the Domesday Book, Bishop’s Cleeve is a very picturesque village near Cheltenham Racecourse and numbers several buildings built in the 12th and 13th century.  The centrepiece is the Norman Parish Church.  The central tower collapsed in 1696 and was rebuilt in 1700. Richard de la Bere and his wife are commemorated in the elaborate recumbent effigies.  The small doorway for priests is decorated with ballflower decoration. The door itself was restored in memory of churchwarden, Robin Frank Paul and fragments of 10th century glass were used in the small stained glass window portraying a demon. The window depicting St. Peter and St. George was made by Burlison & Grylls in 1911.

 

The event, arranged by Nina Isley and her fiance, our own chorister Graham ‘Spike’ Hughes (who went to school there)is to support Stella’s School Scheme which aims to bring much needed educational support to very young children in a desperately poor region of the Gambia in West Africa.  Having visited on a number of occasions, a particular nursery school in Kerr Sering, I can vouch for the desperate need of these very poor children whose schools have very little equipment and few teachers, many of whom work as volunteers.  Also, tenor Peter Hanks will be travelling to the Gambia soon to give his support to a school building project in Banjul, the capital.

Please take the opportunity to sing in wonderful surroundings and since we do have connections with this charity and the Gambia within the choir, I’m sure you will give this concert your full support.

Tickets, at £10 which includes refreshments, can be obtained by e-mail at ros@sssgambia.co.uk

 

 

To find out more about the charity and its aims, please visit the web-site, Stella’s School Scheme (left click). It’s well worth a look!

 

Lyn

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Jeff Lays Pen Aside

With great regret, Jeff Williams, our Public Relations Officer for the past 18 months has laid aside his pen, put the telephone back on its cradle, his mobile back in his pocket and sadly retired from his duties as our Public Relations Officer.

 

 

Jeff has worked tirelessly to bring the talents of our choir to the attention of anyone and everyone by his non-stop activities of writing, e-mailing and phoning anyone he can find to advertise and promote our choir.  He has contacted many other choirs, has assisted charities in publicising their own concerts with us, promoted us to Members of Parliament,  Assembly Members, local councillors  and even contacted Buckingham Palace to see if we could perform as part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Celebrations, not to mention the Olympics Committee.  He has been instrumental in contacting ‘Only Boys Aloud’ to discover a route by which a young choir could become part of us.  Many times, his appeals have fallen on deaf ears, but never giving up, he has recently achieved a concert in conjunction with Mousehole Male Voice Choir in Truro next August.  Among his greatest achievements was to obtain a performance at this year’s St David’s Day celebrations at the Senedd, a recent concert at Colston Hall and  successfully approaching John Griffiths AM to become Patron of our Cycle Club.

 

However, there is no doubt that Jeff’s greatest gift to us all has been in his witty, descriptive, poetic Press Releases – each one tells a story and he has, as probably no other PRO in the past has done, obtained almost weekly coverage in one or more local or Welsh National newspapers ( I make it at least 37 since last October, including six weeks in a row in the South Wales Argus).  Jeff’s amusing and descriptive writings can be read on our PRESS RELEASE page.  Thank you Jeff, on behalf of Côr Meibion Caldicot for showing us and the people out there the way forward.  Tribute must also go to Theresa, his long suffering wife for her patience and understanding during Jeff’s term of office.  Without the wives of this choir giving their full and valued support, many functions and activities would not be possible.

 

Jeff’s quill, telephone and e-mail, not to mention loud-hailer, has been picked up by myself, Lyn Gauntlett (I can’t say too much because it’s me writing this), but may I say that Jeff will be an extemely hard act to follow and I consider it a privilege to be asked to take over his mantle.  He, together with chorister Mark Stocker and accompanist Steve Berry have all offered me their full support to help with this important role.  Effective communication, publicity and public contact will be a vital component of our 50 year Anniversary celebrations and together as a team, we will be looking at all the means at our disposal to publicise and promote our fabulous choir and its singing to the outside world.  Will keep you posted.

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Choir Opens Doors for Seren


Press Release

 

 

Committed to its’ ethos of helping local charities whenever possible, last night, 11th October, the Choir Hall doors opened to a special practice to raise funds and awareness of the Seren Olivia Witcombe appeal to help the Neo-natal unit of the Royal Gwent Hospital, Newport.  You will have read from a previous post (please click on “Choir Sings for Seren“) how Seren Olivia sadly passed away at the age of seven months on July 29th this year after being born prematurely, weighing only 500gm.  The hard work and devotion to help Seren by the staff at the Royal Gwent Hospital so moved her parents Sian and Daley, that an appeal was instigated to raise much needed support for the unit.  Events to date have raised over £3000.

 

The choir opened its doors to an ‘Open Practice’ when visitors and supporters of the appeal, including a bus-full from Pontypool, Seren’s would be home town, could come in to listen to the choir practice some of its new pieces as well as enjoy recognised favourites.  Entry was free but visitors were invited to make a bucket contribution and buy refreshments and raffle tickets in aid of the appeal.

 

Musical Director Siân Hatton, accompanied by Stephen Berry put the choir through our ‘theme tune’ Llanfair, (which we should know by now, but always room for improvement) and followed with a rehearsal, never before heard in public of a Stephen Berry arrangement of ‘The Music’s Always There With You‘.  This provided an insight to the audience of the hard work needed to perfect a piece before it is sung to the public.  Following on through with lively ‘Alexander’s Ragtime Band’ and the relaxing ‘An Evening’s Pastoral’, first sung by the choir in 1968 and ‘He‘, the choir finished before the break with all time favourite, guaranteed to raise the hair on the back of the neck, ‘Nessun Dorma’ from the opera Turandot.

 

Following much needed refreshment and an ample supply of cakes and biscuits, generously donated, the audience of about 80 supporters and over 60 choristers returned to their seats to continue with the Franz Schubert composition of ‘Psalm 23′ sung in Welsh for the first time in public by the choir since the National Eisteddfod in Newport in 2004.  A subtle performance of Lleucu Llwyd was contrasted with our special, John Nicholson arrangement of Queen’s ‘Somebody to Love’ sung by Musical Director Siân and accompanied by the Choir.  The practice concluded to rapturous applause with the classic, Male Voice Choir all time favourite of ‘When I Survey the Wond’rous Cross.’

 

Following a raffle (Someone! Someone! Will anybody take me? Somebody – the CAKE!!!!) carried out by appeal organisers Sian and Joanne the audience was invited to stay behind, take advantage of the open bar and talk to the choristers.  To most choristers knowledge, this is the first time that an event like this has been arranged by the choir and since reports that over £500 was raised, we’re sure it will not be the last.  If you would like to make a further contribution to the appeal, this can be done via PayPal by contacting jenna_powell_2@yahoo.co.uk

 

If you want to hear the choir singing An Evening’s Pastoral at this practice, then click on the Facebook link above.

 

 

Photos by Colleen

 

 

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