February

Our first performance of the year was at the Three Lamps, on Saturday 22^nd, to provide entertainment for the Wales v France rugby match. We sang for about half an hour before the game and managed to squeeze in a few items at half time. After the game we moved around the various floors singing a few songs to each group of people, including a hen party on the top floor! The response we get from these is amazing and most of the partygoers are youngsters who would probably never hear a male voice choir singing.

On Saturday 29^th we were back at All Saints, Oystermouth for a fundraising concert for the choir and a local charity ‘Therapy for Swansea Kids’. The concert entitled ‘March into March’ feature d the choir and the newly formed ‘Rock Choir’, which comprises members of choirs from Swansea, Mumbles, Neath, Carmarthen and Llanelli. The concert started with Roger Gadd presenting a cheque of £2000.00 to the charity which has established a Therapy Centre at Hill House and is entirely run by volunteer parents, therapists and friends. We opened the concert with ‘Cwm Rhondda’, with Steve joining Rhian on the organ, and also performed ‘Pacem’. This is relatively new to our repertoire and is accompanied by Rhian and Gareth Widlake on viola. During this set Nick presented our service ties to Geoff Jones, for completing five years, and Adrian Crowley and Anthony Marmont for ten years. There was also a tie for our youngest member who was actually celebrating his 18^th birthday! Mike Phippen received his tie for five years’ service and we all sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to him. We finished our first set with ‘The Impossible Dream’. The Rock Choir then sang and started with ‘Since You’ve been Gone’ and included ‘Super Trouper’ and ‘Don’t Stop me Now’ in their first set. The first half finished with a terrific solo by Lee Ellery who is the ‘Special Ambassador’ for the charity. He sang ‘I Dreamed A Dream’ from ‘Les Miserables’ and received a deserved standing ovation at the end. The Rock Choir started the second half with Justin Timberlake’s ‘Can’t Stop the Feeling’ followed by ‘Only You’. Their performance is always very lively and are well directed by Dan Rogers, who’s enthusiasm is affectious. They finished their second set with ‘Shut Up and Dance with Me’. We finished the concert with our second set, and we started with our ‘Abba Medley’. It was great to see our previous MD, Simon Oram, in the audience, who arranged this medley for the choir. We sang a number of our favourites and finished with ‘An American Trilogy’ to a standing ovation from the packed audience. This was possibly Nick’s last concert and it was a fitting end to all his hard work over the past 13 years. Special thanks must go to the sponsors of the concert Swansea Building Society, Liberty Homes, Designer Outdoor Lighting, RDM Electrical and Mechanical Services, and Morganstone. Also, to our Ladies Committee who looked after ‘front of house’ and CD sales. Lastly to our fundraising committee who put the concert together. Following the concert, we all adjourned to the West Cross Inn, arranged by Meirion Howells, and they provided a lovely buffet for us.

Nick Rogers, our outstanding MD for the past 14 years, had announced that he would be standing down after the concert at the end of February.  Nick is staying with the choir and has joined the second bass section.

March

It is with great sadness that we have lost one of our Choristers – Raymond Pelzer who passed away on 9th March 2021. Tony Brooks (from the Bass Section) has written the following tribute to Ray.

“Whenever I think of Ray I always smile, he had a wicked and infectious sense of humour and was always laughing and telling stories, so much so, you just couldn’t help but laugh along with him.”  Ray was a gifted singer with a beautiful Top Tenor voice, he will be especially missed in the Top Tenor section and significantly by the Gwalia Singers as a whole.  Ray joined the Gwalia Singers in January 1992 and soon became a valued chorister, his attendance at Rehearsals and Concerts was exemplary. Ray remained with the choir for 29 years, playing an active role at Concerts and the Afterglows wherever the Gwalia Singers performed around the world. –  “Rest in Peace my Friend.”

June

An announcement was made by the Government that Choirs would be permitted to sing together again, face to face under restrictions with Risk Assessments, Health and Safety Procedures, Social Distancing and the wearing of masks becoming the norm.  What great joy to finally rehearse and to sing together face to face!  There had never been a greater time to appreciate being a chorister and that special feeling of belonging to “a Choir Family”.  The Gwalia Singers took up the mantle of further widening their repertoire in rehearsals, enjoying the benefits of singing together again .
Emyr Price left the choir as he moved away to Burry Port.  He will be missed after 15 years as a second tenor and as committee member.  We thank him and Mandy, who was treasurer of the Ladies Committee, for all they have done for the choir and wish them all the best in their new home.

July

We are very pleased to welcome Cliff Gapper into the choir as a full-time singer with the second basses, we wish him a long and enjoyable time with the Gwalia Singers.

September

September was a busy month for the choir, having being invited to sing at two weddings and also at The Mumbles Festival of Music and the Arts 2021 (see photos).  The successful festival concert, alongside Swansea Soprano Ros Evans, was an excellent platform for the Gwalia Singers to introduce three pieces of work from their new repertoire. 
During the evening we were able to present Gareth John and John Haslam with their 10 year service ties, congratulations to them.  It is very encouraging to see the choir numbers growing and over the last few months the choir has welcomed nine new probationary choristers.  

October

We have now started rehearsing our Christmas repertoire ready for our December concerts.  We have been very pleased to see our probationers becoming full time members of the choir, we welcome the following members into the choir and wish them all a long and happy association with the Gwalia Singers.

Top Tenor – Richard Lewis.  
Second Tenors – David Lloyd, Phil Renowden, Roger Spring and Robert Walters.  
Baritone – Gordon Reed.  
Basses – Robert Parker and Phil Webster.  

It is with very great sadness that we have to report the passing of Thomas George Bowen – ‘George’.  He was one of our Choristers and passed away peacefully in his sleep, after a long illness, on the 21st October 2021.
  George joined the choir in March 2007 and served as a reliable and conscientious chorister until the Coronavirus pandemic closed the choir down in February 2019.  He had a lovely baritone voice and seldom missed a rehearsal, concert, wedding or concert tour.  Towards the end of his time with the choir he would sing from his wheel chair as he could no longer stand or walk.

George will always be remembered for his entertaining stories about his time in the Royal Navy and the Police Force and for his deep booming laugh.  He will be greatly missed by all his friends in the Gwalia Singers.

December

Sandra Knight’s tenure as our Musical Director came to an end in early December.  Sandra has been with us throughout the pandemic and we thank her for all she has done for the choir during that time.  We are very fortunate that our former MD, Nick Rogers has agreed to step in while we search for a replacement.  Our permanent accompanist, Rhian, is unable to be with us at the moment so we are very grateful to Steve Wilson and Gareth Widlake who have stood in to fill the gap, we are very fortunate to have such talented musicians in the choir.

We were very disappointed that our first Christmas concert at St Hilary’s Church had to be cancelled due to coronavirus restrictions.

Our second concert went ahead in All Saints Church on the 16th December in Oystermouth and it was a great success.  We, along with the soprano Ross Evans, sang to raise funds for Maggie’s, a local Cancer support charity.  We were able to christen our new staging that we had purchased before the pandemic.  We sang a mixture of music including some new songs from our repertoire and well as some of our traditional Christmas songs (see the programme).

During the concert ties were presented to some choristers in recognition of their long of service to the choir, this should have been done before but lack of formal concerts, again due to Covid, has caused a build-up of recipients.

35 Years – Clive Walters.        
25 Years – Nick Rogers and Mike Williams.        
20 Years – Des Criddle and Steve Wilson.        
15 Years – John Morgan.     
10 Years – Peter Jacobs and Craig Thomas.        
5 Years – Clive Dowell, James McCarry, Carl Sullivan and Phil Withy.

Brian Warwick (5 Years) and Geoff Wheel (10 Years) will have their ties presented at the next opportunity.  We congratulate them all and thank them for all they do for the choir.

It is with sadness that we have to report the news that Dewer Neill passed away on New Years Eve. He died peacefully in Brynfield Manor where he had been for three days.  Dewer had been struggling with painful arthritis for several years.  He had been a very loyal choir member for 15 years since January 2007, and had attended nearly all choir concerts and tours in that time.  We send our sympathy to his wife Patsy, a valued Gwalia supporter, and to his family.