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CELTIC CHORAL CELEBRATION - 9 April 2010A Celtic Choral Celebration is to be held in Newquay on 9 April. Two superb YOUNG choirs are coming down from Wales to present an evening of choral music. One of the Choirs consists of a group of around 20 young men aged late teens - early 20s and the other is a mixed choir, similar size and similar age groups. This will be an enjoyable event. Please come and encourage as many youngsters as possible to come along and be inspired by two superb quality choirs - both of which have won their sections at the Llangollen National Eisteddfodd and more! For further details click here: DETAILS Sent by Rob Spowart, Newquay MVC CORNISH FEDERATION MAKE A GLORIOUS SOUND
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Federation Chairman, Terry Hodge, welcomed everyone at the concert. He referred to one of the main purposes of the Federation, to foster and develop the fellowship which binds Cornish choirs together, pointing out that this evening demonstrated the extent of this fellowship, to include our 'cousins' in Bendigo, Victoria, Australia. Denis Nightingale of BBC Radio Cornwall was an excellent compere for the evening. His interesting and informative insights into the Cornish connections with Bendigo brought the full meaning of this occasion to life and touched the hearts of everyone present in a way which was both profoundly moving yet light and friendly and at times, humorous. The programme, which commenced with a truly rousing rendition of Jesus Shall Reign, was a well balanced mix of traditional male voice hymns, classical pieces, spirituals and show songs. The concert soloist was 19 year old soprano, Natalie Stevens. She sang with a clear beautiful voice, having chosen a varied selection of songs, popular and classical, including her favourite 'O Mio Babbino Caro' by Puccini. Natalie has an ambition to become an opera singer. At present she is a student on the University of Plymouth's Performance Production course. She studies singing with Veronica Jones and has won prizes at local music festivals, including the Challenge Cup at last year's Wadebridge Music Festival. Natalie has performed as a soloist in concerts with Launceston, Stratton and Tintagel Male Voice Choirs and also sings as a member of the Minstrels Choir. The finale was a joyous climax - a full and resounding rendition of Trelawny. The audience rose to its feet and joined in, waving Cornish flags! There was even an Australian 'Kangaroo with Boxing Gloves' flag present - a symbol of an Australian sporting triumph, now well known throughout Australia and well loved. |
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Terry Hodge thanked everyone involved for their hard work, the singers and musicians and all those who had helped and given their support in the background.
The concert's aim was to raise funds to help those in Bendigo, Australia, who had suffered in the bush fires last year. Denis Nightingale stated that Bendigo claims to be the largest Cornish city in the world. It has a statue of a Cornish miner outside the town hall and there are thousands of people there proud of their Cornish ancestry. His recent trip to Bendigo showed him two things, he said - one the impact of the Cornish on Australia and secondly the impact of the bush fires. It's hard in Cornwall to imagine a fire which spreads faster than a person riding a galloping horse or the destruction it leaves it its wake, but that's what happened last year. The total raised will be posted on this site as soon as possible.
To find out more about the background behind this charity event click here: Charity Concert 2010
News item posted 22/02/2010
RUSSIAN CHOIR TO VISIT CORNWALL
APRIL 2010
The Hermitage Ensemble consists of five male soloists who sing, accompanied only by one another. They are a very special choir. They sound like a Slavic barber shop quartet one minute and the massed ranks of the Red Army the next. Every choirmaster and every singer in the area should go and hear them because their sound and their musicality are quite unique. They are, as individuals, at home in the opera houses and concert halls of St Petersburg but they see it as the goal of their ensemble to maintain the Russian traditions of church music and folk music.
Their 2010 tour of Cornwall starts on 18 April and culminates with a concert in St Austell on 21 April. Other dates and venues in Cornwall to be confirmed.
The first half is serious stuff - starting with a sequence of Russian Orthodox religious pieces the first of which, ‘Praise the Lord from the Heavens’, is an extended ‘anthem’ by Bortnyansky, a contemporary of Beethoven and the founder of ‘modern’ Russian choral style. It establishes immediately the features and qualities that go on to thrill throughout the concert – most strikingly the arresting Russian vibrancy, resonance and intensity of expression which are maintained even in slow and hushed movements. After the interval, the mood changes. The rich tapestry of the Russian Folk tradition is expressed in a variety of exuberant and melancholy melodies. Only the balalaikas and Cossack dancers are missing.
The church in Russia was almost entirely suppressed during the communist period and the music was not sung (it never was accompanied by instruments) except privately. Reviving the tradition when the regime relaxed its control over culture must have needed much love and hard work. But the rites of the church and the churches themselves seem to be flourishing in modern Russia. The folk and national songs, on the other hand, became the pop music of the socialist times and were brought to the West by massive touring groups of The Red Army.
More about the singers can be found at Hermitage webpage where you can also hear samples of music: http://hermitage.seenworks.com
Sent by Robin Evans Concert Organiser, St Austell. Contact Robin Evans Tel: 01726 63290 / 07973695568 Email: robinevans57@hotmail.com.
News item posted 17/02/2010
NEW CD for NANKERSEY MALE CHOIR'S DIAMOND JUBILEE
NANKERSEY MALE CHOIR is pleased to announce that its latest CD has now been released. Entitled "60th Anniversary", this "Diamond Celebration" features some of the Choir's favourite songs and hymns sung over the last 60 years - a charming blend of old and new.
Full details of the tracks will shortly appear on the website www.nankerseychoir.org and copies of the CD may be obtained via any choir member. The main contact for this purpose would be:
Alan Jory Tel. 01872 862947.
The CD was recorded at All Saints Church, Falmouth with one track - "Dreckly" (specially commissioned from Goff Richards and David Dearlove) recorded at St Peters Church Hall, Flushing.
Musical Director : ELAINE TANGYE
Accompanist : George SMITH
Organist : CLIVE ELLISON
Sent by Fred Bidgood, Nankersey MC
News item posted 19/12/2009
NEWLYN MALE CHOIR - NEWSLETTER
The latest Newsletter from Newlyn MC can be found on the choir's website. Click on link: www.newlynmalechoir.co.uk/newsletter.htm
Sent by Newlyn Male Choir
News item posted 29/11/2009
GREAT TRELAWNY CHALLENGE - 2009 |
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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.
Sent by Angela Renshaw, MD for Cornwall Boys' Choir and Holman Climax MVC
News item posted 28/10/2009
Norwegian and Welsh Choirs visit Falmouth
for
St Stythians Male Voice Choir’s Annual Gala Concert
St Stythians Male Voice Choir held its Annual Gala Concert at All Saints’ Church, Falmouth on Saturday 12th September singing to a capacity audience. Two guest choirs sharing the concert were the Beaufort Male Choir from Ebbw Vale, South Wales and a Norwegian male choir - the Fuglset Mannskor from Molde, a small town on the fjord coast of western Norway near Trondheim.
The Norwegian choir was taking a short holiday in Cornwall staying in St Ives. Happily the dates coincided with that of the St Stythians Gala concert. The Beaufort Choir stayed in Falmouth. The concert involved the three choirs singing their own programmes separately. They then combined to form a choir of 110 singers for two songs to close the concert. The compère was Andrew Lancaster.
During the interval, Terry Hodge, Chairman of the Cornish Federation of Male Voice Choirs, presented certificates marking 45 years of service to Cornish choirs to Ken Downing and David Wilkin, Musical Director and Treasurer, respectively, of the St Stythians choir. Some of the wives of the Norwegian singers appeared in National costume, adding a splash of colour to the ranks of singers. The choirs celebrated this international exchange with an afterglow at the Falmouth Rugby Club.
A retiring collection raised £200 for Cornwall Hospice Care. The concert was sponsored by J C Williams (Furnishers) Ltd and Bowden’s Hardware, both of Helston.
Lindsay Winfield-Chislett, Musical Director of the Fuglset Mannskor,
taking applause at the Gala Concert
Sent by David H Hutson, St Stythians MVC
News item posted 19/09/2009
Federation President Retires after 17 Years
Federation President, Reverend Professor Barry Jennings, announced his retirement from office at the recent AGM. He explained to the meeting the reasons why he needed to step down from office and assured members of his wish to remain in contact and to continue to help in any way he can. He praised the work of the Federation, pointing out its unique qualities and the fact that it is organised by people giving their time freely for the purpose of raising funds for charity and promoting music and male voice singing in Cornwall.
Chairman, Terry Hodge, thanked him wholeheartedly on behalf of all members for the support he has given to the Federation for so many years. The Chairman said 'Barry has been behind the Federation 100% as President'.
News item posted 22/07/2009
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Jack Hicks and Barry Jennings - Life Members of the Federation |
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Life Membership of the Federation has been awarded to Jack Hicks and Barry Jennings to show appreciation and to honour their work and unfailing commitment to the Federation over many years.
Jack Hicks, a founder member of the Federation, retired as Vice Chairman last year, having worked for the Federation for 25 years. Barry Jennings has supported the Federation as President for over 17 years. Both have given their time generously and loyally, assisting the Federation's aims to raise funds for charity and to promote Cornwall's musical heritage in male voice singing.
News item posted 22/07/2009
Promoting Male Voice Singing
Many male voice choirs are struggling to recruit younger singers. If we don't do something about it, choirs will disappear and our rich heritage of music making will be lost! A new Cornwall Community choir project is aiming to encourage people to take up singing as a hobby, then filter them through to choirs. If this project is supported and takes off, it can be of great benefit to our local male voice choirs, as well as other local choirs.
The project involves the setting up of several afternoon choirs initially in Penzance, St Ives, Hayle and Truro. Other groups will follow in Redruth, Camborne, Falmouth Newquay and Helston. The project leader, Neil Shepherd (MD of Newlyn MC and Laudate Chamber Choir) would like to hear from conductors and accompanists who may be interested in becoming involved in the project. He can be contacted on 01736 759944 or neilshepherd@yahoo.co.uk.
Sent by Neil Shepherd,Newlyn MC
News items posted 16/07/2009
Contributions sought for a Pub Song Book!
Nankersey Male Choir is hoping to create a "Pub Song Book". Fred Bidgood of Nankersey states he is sure other choirs will have experienced the older hands performing songs in pubs and at "afterglows" whilst the newcomers can only mouth what they think are the correct words!! He suggests that should any choir already have a songbook which they could share with Nankersey it would be most appreciated. It is not the Choir's intention to pinch everyone's songs and in due course they would be pleased to circulate what they have gleaned to others should they wish.
If you would like to contribute to this collection of songs for a Pub Song Book, please contact Fred Bidgood (01326) 373984.
Sent by Fred Bidgood, Nankersey MC
News item posted 11/02/2009
CORNISH MALE VOICE CHOIRS
ENCOURAGE CHILDREN TO DISCOVER THE JOY OF SINGING
At the recent Federation meeting new initiatives on making contact with local schools were discussed. Angela Renshaw spoke to the meeting about a new government funded initiative Sing Up. She encouraged male voice choirs to make contact with their local primary schools where they will find willing support. Sing Up provides free materials for members of the community who take part in the project to encourage children to sing. Information about Sing Up can be found on the website: Sing Up. More information about this project as it affects male voice choirs will be posted on this site.
Newquay MVC working with Treviglas Community College
Newquay Male Voice Choir has been running a successful project working with Treviglas Community College. A short report on this was delivered by Rob Spowart to the meeting and a copy of the report is attached here. Newquay/Treviglas
News item posted 31/01/2009
TRURO CATHEDRAL OLD CHORISTERS ASSOCIATION
We have received an update on a previous news item, with revised contact details. Truro Cathedral Old Choristers Association is open to ex-choristers from any Cathedral. There may be old choristers who are not aware they would be eligible to join the Association and some may be singing in Cornish male voice choirs. Once a year, usually the third Saturday in September, members of the Association sing Evensong in the Cathedral with the present choir, followed by a dinner.
If there are any people who used to sing with any Cathedral choir the Association would like to welcome them to join in.
Please contact The Association's Chairman, Andrew Pool email: office@andrewpool.co.uk, or write to him, c/o Truro Cathedral Office, 14 St Mary's Street, Truro TR1 2AF. Or if anyone would like a quiet word, just phone Andrew on (01326) 374433.
Sent by Andrew Pool, Nankersey MCSOUVENIRS TO SELL ON BEHALF OF YOUR CHOIR
Cat Laminates, a small business run by Trevor Walker of Mousehole MVC, produces a variety of small gifts which can be personalised with the name of your choir and can include an illustration, provided by you. There is a variety of items available, including jotters, self stick notes, gift cards and fridge magnets; each can bear the logo of your choir and a photo or illustration. These are souvenirs that you may wish to sell at your concerts or other events in order to raise funds. The items can be purchased in sets of 50 and are offered at reduced rates for Federation members. For more information contact Trevor Walker, email: twpzchoral1@btconnect.com or tel: (01736) 731096.
Sample cover page of a Self-Stick Notes pad
This page last updated: 22 February 2010 - Linda Jones