More than 40 years of

16 - THE GEM
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Thursday, March 1st, 2012
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More than 40 years of
Local choir has plenty to sing
about after more than 40 years
by PHILIP IRWIN
W
HEN you stop and think about
it, Cowbridge is hardly in the
heartland of ‘Cor Meibion’ –
the Welsh Male Voice Choir tradition.
Such choirs will always be associated with the
twin influences on life in the Welsh Valleys – coal
mining and the numerous chapels and churches
that are a hallmark of life in communities such
as Treorchy or Morriston.
The leafy Vale of Glamorgan, with its primarily
rural employment patterns, was always going to be
different.
There were no places where hundreds of men (as
it then was) worked together. If choirs sprang, in
part, from communal singing in the pit head baths,
then Cowbridge was doomed to miss out.
In fact, that was also the opinion of Keith
Brown, one of the choir’s founders!
Keith explained: “When I lived in London I was
friendly with Meic Edwards. We weren’t choir
members, all we would get involved in was a singsong in a pub.
“I moved back to Cowbridge and later, when
Meic moved back, he got in touch and said why
don’t we form a choir?
“I said that it wouldn’t take off in an area like
Cowbridge, but Meic was persistent. So the two of
us, along with Bob Whittaker, distributed leaflets
and asked anyone interested to come to a meeting
at the Eastgate Hotel.”
That initial meeting was attended by about 15,
but Meic was proved right in a pretty short period
of time, as more choristers came forward.
Numbers have been as high as 85, and even now,
when some choirs are struggling, the Cowbridge
Male Voice Choir still has 65 choristers.
Apart from the aforementioned founders, there
are two other members of the choir today – Glyn
Jones and Gwyn Jones – who can claim to have
been there for the first rehearsals, the first pubic
performance in 1971, and the following 41 years.
Glyn Jones told The GEM: “Meic, Keith and
Bob put out a leaflet and I remember there were
around 15 at that first meeting. It wasn’t long
before we had around 30 rehearsing regularly, and
we started to plan for our first performance.
“I think the first song we rehearsed was ‘Michael
Row the Boat Ashore’.”
That first performance came on June 10, 1971, in
‘Cowbridge Week, in the town hall, and for that
evening’s entertainment, the choir shared the stage
with the Cowbridge Amateur Dramatic Society
(CADS).
CADS performed a series of sketches, and then
Cowbridge Male Voice Choir pictured outside the Millennium Centre and in front of
the impressive mirrored water tower (Cardiff - 10th May, 2008)
the choir took to the stage, with a pretty traditional
male voice choir repertoire.
By now, the late David Richards had been
appointed as musical director – a post that he filled
for about eight years.
Among the songs performed that night were; ‘Ar
Hyd yr Nos’; ‘Speed Your Journey’ and the Red
Army Choir favourite, ‘Kalinka’.
The accompanist for that first performance was a
very young Sandra Thomas who now, under her
married name of Sandra Williams, is still accompanying the choir.
Sandra can’t quite boast 41 unbroken years of
service, but she is so close that it makes little difference!
During the 1970s, the young choir grew quickly
in reputation and confidence, appearing alongside
the renowned Parc and Dare Brass Band in a series
of concerts, and appearing in an HTV series, Corau
Meibion.
They also performed at the Royal Albert Hall,
together with Dame Vera Lynn and Larry Adler at
the reunion of the Burma Star Association.
It was in 1979 that the choir took on its biggest
challenge so far – touring Saskatchewon in Canada
– where temperatures were 30 below zero!
By now, Iwan Guy was the musical director, and
the choir accepted an itinerary of 17 performances
in 16 days!
Glyn Jones remembered: “Barry Male Voice
Choir had been going to tour but they offered it to
us. In the end, a number of Barry choristers joined
us on the trip.
“I do remember the fantastic response we
received from audiences. Some people had driven
200 miles to see us.”
Through the 1980 and 1990s, the choir continued
to tour and develop its repertoire.
Members sang in North America and throughout
Europe, and the choir also welcomed touring
ensembles from overseas, sharing the stage with
them in a series of concerts back home in south
Wales.
In 1985, the baton was passed on once again,
with Shelley Thomas-Brown taking over as musical
director – a post she holds to this day.
She and Sandra Williams have been director and
accompanist for more than 25 years now.
Shelley combines leading the choir with the post
of head of music at Maesteg Comprehensive
School, where the school has a strong musical tradition, while Sandra has now retired from her post
as a primary school teacher, specialising in Welsh
and music.
Sandra also plays the church organ in the historic
village of St Hilary.
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