March 1st
From Kensington to Cardiff
Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff
photograph courtesy of Teenage Cancer Trust
It was St David's Day on a bright sunny Sunday afternoon in Cardiff Bay. The bay buzzed with people watching the St David's Day parade and enjoying the atmosphere. Inside the Millennium Centre Haydn James had the unenviable task of moulding 400 choristers from nine choirs together with the premier Brass band in the world, The Cory Band, and 3 top class soloists plus our internationally renowned accompanist Annabel Thwaite into a cohesive unit to perform in front of a sell out audience later that afternoon.
The concert was a resounding success, everyone put their heart into the performance and the audience loved every minute from the first fanfare from the band to the last chorus of the Welsh National anthem.
The choirs which included choristers from Aberhonddu and District Male Choir, Alcester Male Voice Choir, Builth Wells Male Voice Choir, Cardiff Arms Park Male Voice Choir, Cheddar Male Voice Choir, Dunvant Male Choir, Côr Meibion Onllwyn, Treorchy Male Choir and The London Welsh Male Voice Choir were in fine voice and were accompanied in fine style by the Cory Band and Annabel Thwaite on the piano.
Our soloists Wynne Evans (Tenor), Eddie Wade (Baritone) and Gwawr Edwards (Soprano) were in fine voice and delighted us with songs from Ivor Novello to Mozart. Gwawr joined the choirs in a spine tingling 'You'll never Walk Alone' and all three sang the penultimate verse of Morte Criste with the choirs.
The magnificent Cory Band, British and European champions and number 1 band in the World conducted by guest conductor Steve Sykes played three mouth watering pieces which left the audience in raptures.
The London Welsh Choir's involvement with the Teenage Cancer Trust has now raised in excess of £100,000 and we are all justifiably proud of our achievement. None of the would have been possible but for a dedicated team of organisers led by Patrick Hodges from the choir and Eiddwen Evans from the Teenage Cancer Trust.
All in all one of the concerts to remember
Mike Jarman LWMVC
