History of the Choir: Cor-Meibion Cas Gwent

In March, 1988, a group of men, eighteen in number who were already experienced in performing in male voice choirs formed the new Chepstow Male Voice Choir. They were supported, and, indeed, led by Pam Morgan, herself experienced as an accompanist and a conductor with male voice choirs. The first accompanist for the new choir was the present Deputy Musical Director, Elaine Rigby. She remained with the choir until leaving to form and lead the Chepstow Youth Choir. She returned to the Musical Team as Assistant MD in 2006.

The choir’s inaugural concert came in that same year at St. Mary’s Priory Church in Chepstow. Throughout its existence, the choir has upheld the tradition of giving pleasure to others through the medium of song.

Including Pam Morgan, in its twenty years of history the choir has been led by four Musical Directors. Pam served for nearly 11 years until her sudden and untimely death late in 1999.
Mike Evans, who at the same time led the Cheddar Male Voice Choir, took over after a gap of several months when the choir managed to fulfil its programme obligations with some eminent guest conductors. Mike retired to West Wales after two years and was succeeded by Brian Howard. Brian’s background is impressive both in the musical world of choirs, male and mixed, but also in the field of wind bands. As well as conducting in both spheres, he is also a skilled arranger and composer.

Among his other claims to fame are the fact that he served in the Household Cavalry Mounted Band and was a State Trumpeter. His wide experience has enhanced and developed the unique character of the Chepstow choir’s singing qualities. Brian came to the choir, as a favour, to conduct just one concert – the Christmas concert of 2002. He must have enjoyed the experience as he then stayed for another six years retiring after the 2008 Christmas event.

He has just been succeeded by Karl Daymond, a Chepstow resident now, but hailing from Neath, who is a well-known and successful operatic baritone of more than twenty years
experience. The choir welcomes him and its members are all looking forward to working with him.

Chepstow Male Voice renewed the presence of male choral singing in Chepstow which had lapsed during World War II. It may be unique in the true tradition of male choirs in Wales in that it draws its members not only from established residents of the immediate locality but also includes men from further west in South Wales who came eastwards with the opening of Llanwern steelworks. Other members are drawn from the other side of the River Wye from the Forest of Dean which has its own long tradition of male voice choirs and wind bands. This amalgam of voices has given this choir a distinctive tone and balance as well as a feature frequently commented upon by audiences, a clarity of diction.

Singing for their own pleasure comes naturally to choristers, but how much better it is to make and take the many opportunities of sharing our enthusiasm with others. Apart from practising for two hours on two evenings each week for 47 weeks a year, the choir performs an average of 12 concerts each year and at roughly 8 weddings and corporate events. In addition, of course, there are events like the annual Remembrance Service, too. All of this
choir’s concerts with the exception of the Annual Concert and the Christmas Concert are performed for charity, and in the 20 years of its existence, the choir has raised more than a third of a million pounds for local and national charities. All you have to do, is ask!

Not all of the concerts are local and the choir travels extensively in the UK, visiting Scotland twice in recent years, as well as London, Sussex, Dorset, West Midlands, Hampshire and many other venues beyond local boundaries.

Singing provides an international passport where the common language is music and tours have been undertaken to the USA; Canada; France; Holland, Spain and South Africa. Choirs from the USA; Australia and France have been hosted and entertained in Chepstow. In particular, the Chepstow choir has a very strong link and affinity with Les Chanteurs Pyreneen de Tarbes, a unique French male voice choir from the Midi-Pyrenees region of France. Alternate visits are exchanged about every three or four years and as well as a great deal of top class singing there is a huge amount of laughter to be heard.

We welcome visitors to our rehearsals and the visitors book reads like a register for the United Nations. Recording on tape and CD has reached every continent in the world, though we are not yet sure about the Antarctic.

In giving concerts in the UK it has been a privilege to sing with a number of bands and choirs including the bands of the Grenadier and Welsh Guards; the Richard Williams Singers; the Reading Phoenix Choir and other male voice choirs including Cheddar; Tonna; Porthcawl and Morlais. The Chepstow Choir has also competed against many other choirs in eisteddfodau
and other competitions and has recorded major successes along the way. Other memorable
events have been as participants in the ‘1000 voice’ event at the Royal Albert Hall, and more recently in 2009 the 500-voice charity concert at St.David’s Hall in Cardiff..

The choristers have also experienced the joys and hair-tingling experience of singing in the wonderful acoustics of such buildings as Wells Cathedral; Bristol Cathedral; the cathedral of Torreveija in Spain and in the mighty interior of the Cathedral of St. John in s’Hertogenbosch in Holland. Of course, we have also suffered the antithesis of these joys where seemingly the voice is absorbed immediately upon leaving the mouth – like singing into a pillow. But not often.

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