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23rd October 2004
Dursley’s renowned Male Voice Choir performed on an international stage
when they joined 800 others in the 2004 London Welsh Festival of Male
Voice Choirs. The Choir’s reputation reaches into the Land of Song with
 the result that an invitation was received to join 15 Choirs from Wales
and around the world at the biennial Festival in The Royal Albert Hall,
London.
The event, founded in 1969, provides a showcase every alternate year for
invited Male Voice Choirs to sing in front of an audience of almost 5000
in one of the country’s premier venues.
This invitation, received this time last year, was put the to Choir
members who enthusiastically accepted the challenge to learn new songs
in Welsh, German, Zulu and Swahili, as well as reviving a few English
songs no longer in our current repertoire. All this had to be done
while fulfilling the 2004 programme of concerts around the West Country
and winning their class at the Cheltenham Music Festival.
The Choir is fortunate to have several native Welsh speakers among its
members. Retired schoolmaster Ellis Williams found himself back in front
of a class of 70 or so “boys”, all rather older than those he taught at
Rednock School, teaching pronunciation while Music Director Barrie
Cooper concentrated on the notes. Margaret Daniels, the internationally
renowned Welsh conductor and adjudicator came to Dursley to help train
the Choir, and put them through their paces at the Annual Concert in
May.
Sunday rehearsals in July and September under Alwyn Humpreys, for the
past 25 years Musical Director of the Morriston Orpheus Choir, provided
milestones along the way, when all choristers knew that the reputation
of the Choir was under scrutiny from the man who would decide if they
had reached the required standard.
On the big day
(October 23) the choristers and their traveling supporters club set off
for the capital where they met choirs from Australia, Hong Kong,
Slovenia, Wales and USA, as well as Filton and Hereford Police Choirs
and our hosts, The London Welsh Male Voice Choir.
The concert was a huge success, culminating in a special round of
applause for our own
Fred Perks, aged 89, who received the accolade of the oldest
Chorister in the Festival. The youngest Chorister, who sang with the
Australian Welsh Voice Choir based in Melbourne, was 19 years old,
showing that Male Voice singing appeals across the age range.
p.s. An email was received from the Choir's long serving Secretary, Don
Downton, who moved to Australia to be near his family. It seems he sang
for a while with the Australian Welsh Male Voice Choir on his arrival in
Australia, so he too can say he sang with both the oldest and youngest
chorister in The Royal Albert Hall festival. What better illustration
of the world-wide appeal of male voice singing. Don now lives in
Berwick,
Victoria.
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