GREAT TRELAWNY CHALLENGE - 2009 Results begin to arrive

Results are coming in from participants in this year's Great Trelawny Challenge. Meanwhile, some events are still taking place where donations will be collected towards the Challenge.

For instructions on how to pay in your collections for the Trelawny Challenge, See the 'Update!' news item below, dated 18/11/2009. This year we hope to complete the goal of raising £20,000 for Children in Need.

When most results have been received the results will be posted here.

News item posted 29/11/2009

Launceston Male Voice Choir to release new CD

The members of Launceston Male Voice Choir have just finished recording their second CD and expect to have it available for sale at their joint concert with Nankersey Male Choir at Launceston Central Methodist Church on Sunday, 22nd November. Recorded at Central and at St Joseph's School, the CD takes its title from one of the tracks, "West of the Tamar," and contains 20 tracks altogether, including favourites such as Jacob's Ladder, Bobby Shaftoe and Nessun Dorma, and an organ solo by the choir's assistant musical director, Jonathan Mann. As with the first CD, £1 will be given to the Children's Hospice SW for each copy sold, and the new CD should therefore make a pleasing and worthwhile Christmas present.

About Launceston MVC
Launceston Male Voice Choir was formed in 1969, originally as Launceston Methodist Male Voice Choir. John Beare was one of the original members and was appointed deputy musical director in 1982 and has been principal musical director since 1986, now with Jonathan Mann as assistant musical director. Carole Baker has been the accompanist since 1998 and Barbara Uglow has been assistant accompanist since 2005. The choir now has a current membership of some 45 choristers and a repertoire extending to over 40 pieces which cover a wide variety of material ranging from traditional to modern. The members come from as far afield as Holsworthy, Bude and Bere Alston, but all have come to regard Launceston's Central Methodist Church as their home base and consider themselves fortunate to be able to use the hall for rehearsals every Wednesday evening.

The choir performs around 20 concerts a year, mainly in West Devon and East Cornwall, and also at private functions, such as weddings, birthdays and anniversaries, and at the Eden Project and in the bi-annual Cornwall International Male Voice Choral Festival. There is also an annual tour to other parts of the country. The choir and supporters have travelled to The Isle of Wight, Wales, Canterbury, Weymouth, Gloucester and Avon. For this year's tour, at the end of September, two coaches took about 90 choir members and supporters to Bristol, where they stayed in an excellent hotel in the heart of the city. On the way there on the Friday they stopped for lunch at Dyrham Park, a National Trust Property, and then on the Saturday were free to explore Bristol before performing a concert with Mendip Male Voice Choir to a capacity audience in St John's Church, Keynsham. On the Sunday there was a trip to Bath and then on the Monday the choir gave a lunchtime concert in St. Peter's Church in the beautiful setting of the grounds of another National Trust property, Stourhead. The trip was made all the more enjoyable by good weather on all four days.

Most of the concerts are for charitable causes and the forthcoming concert with Nankersey will raise funds to help combat Parkinson's Disease. With a renowned choir such as Nankersey joining with Launceston, and the delightful voice of the young soloist, Hannah Jackson, it promises to be an evening to remember. There are already strong links between the two choirs as Nankersey's musical director, Elaine Tangye, conducted The Trelawny Choir of approximately eighty choristers from male voice choirs throughout Cornwall and including ten from Launceston, on its tour of New Zealand two years ago.

Sent by Tony Carter, Launceston MVC
News item posted 12/11/2009

ST COLUMBA CELTIC MVC and FOREST OF DEAN MVC
present
CHARITY CONCERT at POOL METHODIST CHURCH

What an amazing evening we shared with our friends the Forest of Dean Male Voice Choir on Saturday 24th October 2009 when we joined with them to raise funds for the Handstand Appeal. The audience was treated to a wonderful variety of songs from both choirs – some sacred, some secular, some accompanied, some unaccompanied. Whilst some of our songs were evocative of Cornwall and the surrounding seas, the Forest of Dean choir sang of their land between the rivers Severn and Wye.

It was such a happy occasion to which our own John Bennallick contributed in his wonderful inimitable fashion! The Forest of Dean MD – Tracey Gwynne conducted the joint choirs’ performance of “Speed Your Journey” and the concert ended with both choirs, under the direction of our Director of Music, Tony Tournoff, giving a rousing performance of Morte Criste. The accompanists were Hayley Marangon and Margaret Callaway.

At the close of the concert we were delighted to receive a commemorative plaque from the Forest of Dean MVC and we were pleased to present them with a pennant bearing our choir’s logo.

From the church in Pool, where we are thrilled to learn the concert raised £508 for the appeal, we headed to “Tricky Dickies” for the “afterglow”! It was so enjoyable and such fun that everyone had difficulty tearing themselves away. It was not until very late in the evening that, tired but elated, we went our separate ways.

Sent by Tony Tournoff, MD for St Columba Celtic
News item posted 02/11/2009

Reply to the Lev Kev notice below, from Trevor Walker, Mousehole:
HOW SOME CHOIRS WORK WITH SCHOOLS

It isn't strictly true that no MVC member has shown an interest in the Lev Kev programme.  I attended an inaugural meeting in Newquay on behalf of Mousehole MVC. The impression I gathered was that the programme is primarily aimed at school teachers and getting children to sing.

I made it clear to the organisers that Mousehole MVC fully supported any moves to encourage children to sing and to this end we have ALREADY this year taken a group of 16 members into Mousehole Primary School; organised the Alan Simmons Choral Workshop to which all secondary schools in Cornwall and all primary schools in Penwith were invited; organised a joint concert with Schools in Penwith; and we are currently working with Humphry Davy School to organise further joint concerts.  Angela Renshaw knows of our commitment to this cause.

At the Newquay meeting, I told Kath Matthews - who has close connections with Mousehole MVC - that we will do everything we can within our busy schedule to take singing groups into schools.  We do not, however, feel that it would be particularly helpful for individual members to attend training sessions which are aimed at getting people interested in singing - it must be self-evident that our members are already interested.

Sent by Trevor Walker, Mousehole MVC
News item posted 29/10/2009

CALL TO MALE VOICE SINGERS!

Choir members and particularly Federation Reps, may remember when Angela Renshaw spoke earlier this year to the Federation Committee meeting. She introduced a new project she had received funding for through SING UP. (See archived news item dated 05/05/2009). This is now called Vocal Force - Lev Krev - in Cornish. It has been providing simple guidance and free training for community musicians and singers, many with no previous experience. It has been well received and is very well run.

But so far not one male voice choir or individual member has been along to any of the training. This is a great pity since many MVCs want to work in schools and this would have provided them with simple FREE tools to help them on their journey.

Attached below is LEV KREV's latest newsletter. On 21st Novemeber you will see that Chris Gray (Truro Cathedral) and Angela Renshaw (MD for Holman Climax and Cornwall Boys' Choir) will be leading a session based around the topic of boys' voices and singing which might be of interest.

Please share this information with friends and fellow singers.

THE FEDERATION CELEBRATES SILVER JUBILEE!

After seven regional concerts, a BBC Songs of Praise broadcast and the second ‘Great Trelawny Challenge in aid of Children in Need’, the Cornish Federation of Male Voice Choirs completed the celebration of their Silver Jubilee where it began with the recording of Songs of Praise, in Truro Cathedral.

On Saturday, 6th December a packed Cathedral audience were treated to a gala concert provided by a massed choir of over 100 voices representing 12, mostly of the smaller, of the 26 member choirs of the Federation. Four different Musical Directors, Judith Mumby (Newquay), Roy Wilton (Liskerrett), Phil Taylor (Burraton) and Tony Tournoff (St Columba Celtic) took the massed choir through a repertoire showing off all that is best in Cornish Male Voice Choir singing. With a selection of music from a wide range of genres, there was literally something for everyone. The soloist for the evening was international soprano, Rachael Garcia-Navarro (nee Hallawell) who, having grown up in Cornwall, is as proud of her heritage as the choirs. She used the acoustics of the Cathedral to full advantage in presenting an enthralled audience with nine pieces in all. Familiar pieces such as ‘Panis Angelicus’ (Franck) and ‘Oh Holy Night’ (Adam) were combined with less familiar items such as Bailero – Songs of the Auvergne (Cantaloube) and Del Cabello Mas Sutil (Obradors) to give an evocative programme full of interest and emotion. Also Rachael was joined by the choir in the singing of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ from Carousel.

Rev Professor Barry Jennings, President of the Federation, chaired the proceedings, at one point reminding everyone of the deep cultural roots of male voice choir singing as he told of an encounter with miners in South Crofty singing as they worked in the depths of the mine.

The Federation owes its origin to the need for choirs to communicate with one another ahead of the first massed male voice choir concert held in the Royal Albert Hall in London in 1983 and it has taken Cornish Male Voice Choirs back there on three more occasions since. At first it appeared natural that the Federation should once again return to the Albert Hall to celebrate its Silver Jubilee but times change and there was not the same will to have such an event as previously. Fittingly then the Federation made the decision to celebrate its milestone anniversary within Cornwall itself, offering people throughout the Duchy the opportunity to hear their favourite choirs in a festival of combined choir concerts in Saltash, Penzance, Launceston, St Just in Penwith, Liskeard, Newquay and Redruth. All member choirs, together with associate member, the Maesteg Gleemen Male Voice Choir, took part in an Anniversary event, singing over 100 different pieces. Proceeds from the concerts, including the Cathedral finale, will be disbursed between four charities, BBC Radio Cornwall’s ‘Precious Lives Appeal’ on behalf of Children’s Hospice South West, the Mission to Seafarers, the RNLI and the Federation itself. There is some final accounting to be done before the amount of these donations can be confirmed. However, each concert included the singing of that great Cornish song, Trelawny, with a special retiring collection in aid of Children in Need. These collections, together with contributions from those who participated in the synchronised event on November 7th, have raised over £5,000 for Children in Need!

To find a choir near you or for any information about male voice choir singing in Cornwall, visit this website or e-mail linda@fed-cornishchoirs.org.uk. On this site you will find the Member Choirs page listing both Full and Associate Members, with contact details. A map at the foot of this page indicates the location of each choir. On the Future Concerts page you will find listed the programmes for each choir which can be selected by choir or by calendar month.

Sent by Jim Christophers, Publicity Officer for the Cornish Federation of Male Voice Choirs
Item posted 16/12/2008

Last archived on 13 July 2010 by Linda Jones