AWMC NEWS - MARCH 2017 Est Celebrating 44 Years of Singing Newsletter of the Australian Welsh Male Choir Côr Meibion Cymreig Awstralia Inc.

Transcription

1 Wednesday 1st December, 2016 The Last Sectional Rehearsal of the Year. No rehearsal event just happens without accompaniment of some kind and AWMC is no different to any choral organisation in this regard. Heather Wickes, our principle accompanist, plays at concerts and the regular Monday evening rehearsal. Ges Carol Phil AWMC NEWS - MARCH 2017 Est Celebrating 44 Years of Singing Newsletter of the Australian Welsh Male Choir Côr Meibion Cymreig Awstralia Inc. Throughout the course of the year, on Thursday sectional evenings, Carol Shelton has provided great assistance to all four sections of the choir as they diligently work through and fine tune the songs for performance, and specific new works. The photo shows Carol flanked by section Leaders Ges Hogg T2 and Phil Young T1. It is true to say the choristers have come to regard Carol with a great deal of respect and friendship. She has brought along her cheerful, friendly, enthusiasm for her role and has brightened many a Thursday evening. Many thanks Carol, from all of us. It would be remiss not to also mention Ivor Morgan, a stalwart of the choir, who ably assists with sectionals with his piano accompaniment and direction. Saturday 3 rd December 2016 Joyful, Joyful, a Combined Christmas AWMC and Cranbourne Chorale Concert - High Street Uniting Church Frankston This was an occasion when these two choirs performed at the same venue. For our newer readers, the two choirs have very strong links, through Anne Credlin AWMC Emeritus MD, and those choristers who are joint members. SATB favourites were Joyful, Joyful (based on Beethoven s Choral symphony), Coventry Carol, and Carol of the Birds (a traditional French Carol) Whilst TTBB favourites like the poignant Lo, How a Rose E er Blooming, Mary Had a Baby, See Amid the Winter s Snow, and recent addition, A Cradle Song, showcased the differing styles of the two choirs for which the audience certainly showed their appreciation. AWMC also premiered M.V.C. Anthem composed by our MD Tom Buchanan. Granted, it is not a Christmas song, but it is certainly a tongue in cheek look at what membership in a male voice choir can bring. Every concert performed is always an excellent opportunity to interest prospective members. Well done to Dave Madill who brought his very natural Aussie approach to the introductory solo verse in this song. As a finale the choirs joined forces to sing Do You Hear What I Hear and the perennial favourite, Handel s Hallelujah Chorus from Messiah.

2 Monday 5 th December Rehearsal Night a new Baritone is welcomed. 2 Please welcome John Evans (pictured at left in the middle) into the ranks of the Baritones. John has a resonant and strong voice to complement the section very nicely. Also pictured at left is Peter Murray, our President, and Dominic Xuereb, our membership officer. We hope that John will find a welcoming, stimulating, and rewarding musical experience with us. Friday 16th December 2016 Frankston RSL The AWMC Christmas Dinner and Awards Night The end of year gathering is a great opportunity to reflect on the year past, and to enjoy some relaxed camaraderie with the broader choir family of wives, partners and widows. As with any end of year function it is important to recognise choristers for the particular service and contributions to the AWMC. In awarding the various awards President Peter Murray expressed his gratitude for the time and effort the awardees have given to the choir. The awardees for 2016 were 10 years Long Service pin and plaque: Len Charlton, Bill Whitehouse, Barry Tucker, and Philip Manktelow. 15 years certificate: Neil Kinsey, Ron Lofts, Barry Richardson, and Peter Murray. 20 years certificate: Dominic Xuereb 25 years certificate: Roy Buckley 30 years certificate: Harry Hamill Always ready to surprise everyone, Tom Buchanan invited a guest singer, with whom he has collaborated previously, to entertain and delight all dinner goers. Ayse Go knur Shanal, a wonderful young soprano, sang three pieces, including an old favourite of the choir, the aria, O Mio Babbino Caro, from Puccini s Gianni Schicchi. Her beautiful voice was a gifted and dynamic presence in the function room. The choristers thanked the bar and wait staff in the usual manner. This year it was the poignant Irish song The Fields of Athenry - there wasn t a dry eye in the house, as you can imagine. The other song was Senzenina which, sung in the round, always goes down well. John Annable our MC brings an interesting flair to the evening s proceedings. Each year he devises a different challenge for the Tenors and Basses to vie for bragging rights for The Alwyn. This year it was Celebrity Heads. As it transpired 2016 was the turn of the Tenors to proudly raise The Alwyn beating the Basses. The honours are now locked together at two wins each.

3 ushers in AWMC s 44 years of singing Blwyddyn Newydd dda I chi I gyd heralds another busy year with an overseas tour to Taiwan, Hong Kong and mainland China. The touring group is pictured outside the Chapel at Village Baxter for their last rehearsal before embarking on this historic new adventure. Immediate Past President Arthur Poole, will fulfil a long held dream to travel to Taiwan with AWMC, to visit and entertain the Bunun indigenous people. Arthur had built up a friendship with the Bunun people over a twenty plus year relationship. The image taken on February 11 th shows the touring group who will depart from Melbourne s Tullamarine Airport on Monday 27 th February and return home on Sunday 19 th March. Standing second from left in the front row is Michelle Nguyen, accompanist for this tour. I m certain that the lads will make Michelle feel right at home in their company. For those of us remaining in Oz, we wish all those travelling a safe, happy and successful tour. We will, in the meantime, prepare ourselves to be regaled with stories both short and tall about the tour. Please keep your editor well informed for the post tour June issue of AWMC News. Arthur Poole Wednesday 21 st February Singing in the Pub This exciting venture heralded an evolving chapter in the history of the choir. Our MD Tom Buchanan has seen what was an idea morph into reality. Along the way Geoff Selby ably assisted Tom in securing this fabulous hotel in Mornington. This venture looks like shaping up to be a win/win enterprise for the hotel and the further promotion of the Australian Welsh Male Choir to Welsh expats living on the Mornington Peninsula. The image from the bistro shows the hotel s spectacular view of Port Phillip Bay. On Wednesday it was a very busy place with patrons dining and remaining for the singing in the upstairs function room.

4 The publicity for the event worked a treat with a crowd of 170+ in the upstairs function room which was abuzz with energy and expectation, as the images show. With 33 choristers, wives, friends, a group of 11 from the Melbourne Welsh Church, ex-pats, and people who felt drawn to the spirit of the valleys, rugby, and the sounds of the language of the angels, Kirk s was definitely the place to be. We were absolutely delighted to have among us Kees (pronounced Kays) Huysmans, the winner of 2016 National Eisteddfod of Wales Blue Riband. Kees is also the guest soloist at this year s Dydd Gwyl Dewi Gymanfa Ganu St Michael s Uniting Church, Melbourne. He lead us in the singing of that funny Welsh song, Cyfri r Geifr - Counting the Goats. The last verse is definitely not one for the faint hearted especially with a metronome mark of = 132 and a slight acceleration to the end, meant some of the patrons were left behind. 4 Kees Huysman leading us in singing Cyfri r Giefr There were 5x2 song brackets with a song in English and one in Cymreig. The first song Senzenina (Sth. African) was a great way to begin, this was followed by Hiraeth. Other songs included, The Fields of Athenry, Cwm Rhondda, Calon Lân, There is Nothing Like a Dame, G Day, G Day, Gwahoddiad, and fittingly, G day, G day! M.V.C. Anthem, ending with Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau. A quick note on G Day, G Day this was the premier performance of what is a very Australian song. You can t get more dinky di than this one. Incidentally, Tom has only recently arranged this song for us, and judging by the enthusiastic response by those gathered on Wednesday, it will become a great song to sing on any overseas tour. M.V.C. ANTHEM The M.V.C. Anthem is the perfect party piece. Ideally suited for Singing in the Pub, it addresses the question of recruitment, in a whimsical, and tongue in cheek, way. Ending with a three-fold Welsh style Amen, we hope for enquiries to follow, with an influx of men, who, might just like to hang out with a bunch of blokes who have discovered they can sing. (Words from M.V.C. Anthem, Copyright 2016 Tom Buchanan). Our next Singing in the Pub will be at Kirk s on the Esplanade, Mornington, on the last Wednesday of the month Wednesday 29 th March at 8pm. See you there.

5 5 Sunday 26 th February 3pm Dydd Gwyl Dewi Gymanfa Ganu St Michael s Uniting Church, Melbourne Once again the participating choirs, were Co r Meibion Cymreig Awstralia (AWMC), Excelsis, The Melbourne Welsh Male Voice Choir, The Geelong Welsh Ladies Choir, and The Victorian Welsh Male Choir. Making his first appearance as guest conductor was Edward- Rhys Harry, the MD of the London Welsh Male Choir. The set pieces for the choirs to sing were Gwahoddiad, and Brenin Seoin. We were also treated to Excelsis singing the Robat Arwyn version of Benedictus in Welsh, and the Geelong Welsh Ladies, sang John Rutter s For the Beauty of the Earth. Kees Huysmans previously mentioned (refer page 4) thrilled the congregation with excellent renditions of Rock of Ages, Deep River, The Lost Chord by Arthur Sullivan, and wonderfully accompanied by his wife, Elonwy. For his encore, he sang the hauntingly beautiful Dafydd y Garreg Wen ( David of the White Rock ) with Huw Jones, accompanying on harp. As is ever the case each year, the congregational 4 part singing lifts to bring out the very best in that great tradition of the chapels. The AWMC Ladies News - Sunday 4 th December, 2016 Christmas Fare Table at Bunning s Sue Presswell & Jan Marshall This was, by far, our most successful fund raiser up to date $936. Three cars were needed to transfer all the home produce. 6 ladies kindly contributed to making this such an outstanding success. They were Margaret Piggott, Sue Kupsch, Chris Kinsey, Myrtle Hughes, Jennifer Murray (wife of our AWMC President), and yours truly. The lovely selection of festive fare added to our wonderful spread, and my grateful thanks to all.

6 On my retirement from the role of AWMC Ladies Convener, which I have very much enjoyed. I wish to acknowledge my committee over the last three years, Margaret Piggott, Sue Kupsch, Chris Kinsey, Myrtle Hughes, Helen Selby, including past committee members Lauren Howard and Helen Sutton. Without them I would not have achieved the social activities and the great fund raising results (which are not far behind our men). Our ladies must be congratulated. Well done. My good wishes to Helen Selby and her committee. Jan Marshall. Many thanks to Jan for the labour of love she and the AWMC Ladies have carried out over the last three years. We men are only too aware of their faithful contributions at home and indeed on tour. Like Jan, we also look forward to the initiatives and future endeavours our Ladies have in mind working together with new convener, Helen Selby. (Ed.) 6 Thanks to our Patrons and Sponsors. We are most grateful to all who help to cover the substantial costs for a choir of our size, especially Mr Sidney Baillieu Myer AC, Mrs Tamie Fraser AO, and Dr Haydn James, our Patrons. Our Sponsors:- Dingley Village Community Bank 11/79 Centre Dandenong Road Dingley Village Vic 3172 (03) (Mel. Ref. 88 F6) 615 McClelland Drive, Langwarrin Vic 3910 (03) Mel Ref. 103 D8 Minus 1 Transport Hammond Road, Dandenong Vic 3175 (03) (Mel. Ref. A & F Lamattina & Sons 40 Moores Road. Clyde 3978 (03) (Mel. Ref. 138 J3) Forthcoming concerts and events courtesy AWMC Concert Committee as at time of publication:- February 2017: Monday 26 th AWMC depart for Asian Tour of Taiwan, Hong Kong and China, returning Sunday 19 th March. March: Wednesday 29 th 8pm Singing in the Pub, Kirk s on the Esplanade, Mornington. April: Sunday 23 rd Richfield Retirement Village details will be advised please check AWMC website. Tuesday 25 th ANZAC DAY service at Hastings Sunday 30 th Montsalvat. 7 Hillcrest Avenue, Eltham. Details will be placed on AWMC website. October MCAA Concert in Wollongong. Details will be given the August issue of AWMC NEWS Philip Manktelow Editor. N.B. Deadline for inclusion of articles is the last day of February, May, August, November. The Australian Welsh Male Choir (Côr Meibion Cymreig Awstralia Inc.) PO Box 42, Frankston Secretary: James Marrs awmcsecretary@optusnet.com.au Our web-site