Dunvant Male Choir
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Comment: far too much unsourced content, please cite sources. Theroadislong (talk) 15:52, 26 July 2022 (UTC)
| Dunvant Male Choir | |
|---|---|
| Choir | |
| Also known as | Côr Meibion Dyfnant |
| Founded | 1895 |
| Genre | Male Choral Singing |
| President | D Byron Lewis, CVO, KstJ, FCA |
| Music director | Jonathan Rogers |
| Rehearsal space | Ebenezer Chapel, Dunvant, Swansea |
| Website | https://www.dunvantchoir.wales/ |
Dunvant Male Choir (Welsh: Côr Meibion Dyfnant) is the oldest continuously singing Welsh choir and is based in Dunvant, Swansea, Wales.[1][2]
History
The Choir was founded in 1895[1], in the country traditionally known as the "land of song".[3] Signing in harmony is synonymous with the Welsh choir and Wales has a history of using music as a primary form of communication.[3]
The arrival of the railway in 1867 changed Dunvant and its surrounding villages forever. It allowed the development of the coal seams in the area, local quarries, brick works and an iron foundry. It attracted people to move into the village and with the spread of new housing, to triple the size of the village. By good fortune the station master at Dunvant on the London & N.W. Railway, Mr Isaac (Station Master 1880–1892), was a man of some musical talent and he stirred the musical interests of the village by leading a mixed choir at Siloam Chapel and using the station waiting room at Dunvant for rehearsals of the Killay and Dunvant united choir.
As the number of villagers grew so did the need for Dunvant to have its own chapel and Ebenezer was built in 1872, expanded in 1882 and the present Ebenezer Chapel built in 1893 becoming the heart of the village.
As more villagers attended Ebenezer and the great religious revival of the 1890s took hold, David Evans of Three Crosses who had trained under Joseph Parry, was a fine tenor and had won several Eisteddfod prizes, started a small male only group at Ebenezer and also formed Gowerton Male Choir around 1890.
This was developed by Thomas Coslett Richards who drew male members of Ebenezer and other chapel choirs to form the Dunvant Ebenezer Excelsior Male Voice Choir in 1895 and laid the foundation for its success in local Eisteddfods, taking 1st prize in Neath in 1901 and being presented with an oak chair that still resides in Ebenezer Chapel to this day.
The choir's 125th anniversary concert was due to take place in 2020 but was delayed due to the Covid pandemic. The concert was rescheduled for 2 April 2022 and took place in the Brangwyn Hall in Swansea Guildhall. The choir had therefore got through the second pandemic in its history and this was documented in a BBC Radio Wales documentary called "Still Singing: Dunvant Male Choir".
A statement to prospective members reads, “You do not have to be a trained singer or be able to read music, all you need is to enjoy singing and be willing to learn”.[4]
Conductors
Thomas Coslett Richards, 1895–1920
Thomas John Richards, 1920–1925
Emlyn Bevan, 1925–1932
Emrys Bevan, 1932–1945
Ambrose Miles, 1945–1970
T Arwyn Walters, 1970–1975
Christopher Lewis, 1976
T Arwyn Walters, 1977–2000
Tim Rhys-Evans, 2000–2005
H Morgan, 2005–2007
Jonathan Rogers, 2007–present
Choir Officials
The current President of the choir is D Byron Lewis, CVO, KstJ, FCA, Lord Lieutenant of West Glamorgan 2008 - 2020.
The current Chairman is Glyndwr Prideaux.
The choir has several vice-presidents including Sir Karl Jenkins CBE, and Sir Bryn Terfel, CBE.
"Dunvant Male Choir Officials". Dunvant Male Choir. Dunvant Male Choir. 2020-05-10. Retrieved 2022-05-10.
Recordings
Dunvant Male Choir / Côr Meibion Dyfnant has recorded 14 albums which can be purchased as CDs or downloads from their website.
Flash Mobs
The choir is well-known for several flash mob performances when they have arrived at random locations around the City of Swansea and performed unannounced. The choir has performed in the Quadrant Shopping Centre, Swansea Marina, on the seafront at Mumbles and more recently in Swansea Market.[5]
Tours
Dunvant Male Choir / Côr Meibion Dyfnant has embarked on its first overseas tour in 1985 when it travelled to North America with a young Bryn Terfel as a soloist.
Further tours saw the choir visit Toronto, Ottawa, Atlanta, Jacksonville, Washington State, Seattle, Portland Oregon and more recently Singapore. The choir's next tour is scheduled for 2024 when it hopes to return to North America.
One tour that has resulted in the choir's great friendship was in 1965 with Sangervereinigung 1866 Essen Burgaltendorf in Germany. In 2015 the choir celebration 50 years of friendship when it performed in Burgaltendorf Church.
August 2024 sees a planned tour to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in partnership with the North American Welsh Society.
Notes
- ^ a b Rogers, Jude (24 April 2021). "'We were determined Covid wouldn't finish us off': the Welsh choir who sang through the pandemic". The Guardian. London.
- ^ Rogers, Jude (1 Feb 2011). "'Welsh male voice choirs: a vocal minority': Welsh male voice choirs: a vocal minority". The Guardian. London.
- ^ a b Davies (2008), pg 579.
- ^ Holland, Maureen (21 Dec 2015). "Voices from the Land of Song". cmuse. London.
- ^ Harrison, Rhodri (14 Feb 2022). "Male voice choir break into song inside Swansea Market". Wales Online. Swansea.
References
- Davies, John; Jenkins, Nigel (2008). The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. ISBN 978-0-7083-1953-6.
- Evans, Gareth (1992). Dunvant: Portrait of a Community. Swansea: Stowefields Publications. ISBN 9780951910207.
External links
- Official website
- Dunvant Male Choir channel on YouTube
- Dunvant Male Choir at IMDB
- Dunvant Male Choir discography at Discogs
- The History of Dunvant by David Morgan
- BBC Wales, Still Singing: Dunvant Male Choir
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Category:Welsh choirs Category:British choirs Category:Welsh culture Category:Music in Swansea