Caerphilly Male Voice Choir to celebrate 110th anniversary with church concert

One of South Wales’ oldest male voice choirs is celebrating its 110th anniversary with a special concert.

Caerphilly Male Voice Choir was formed in 1906 providing a way for miners to unwind after the difficult strifes of everyday working life.

More than a century later, the choir is still going strong, and will be performing at St Helen’s Catholic Church, Caerphilly, at 7.30pm on Friday September 9.

Curiously, the choir’s origins come not from music, but sport.
Founding musical director of Caerphilly Male Voice Choir, Jordan Davies, was a keen cricket player for Caerphilly CC, and upon returning from a match against St Fagans in Cardiff, decided to raise funds for new equipment through the choir’s performances.

That decision has formed the basis of the choir’s very foundations, with proceedings from each performance, show and ticket sale going towards worthy causes in need.

The choir is estimated to have raised over £1.5 million for charity and local causes since its inception.

Current CMVC chairman, John Morgan, spoke of his pride at the charitable history of the choir: “We are blessed with a fantastic bunch of guys from a variety of backgrounds. As chairman I am humbled by the generosity of our choristers. They go out of their way time after time for good causes and are a credit to this choir and themselves.

“I joined the choir only some five years ago, so it really shows you can join at any time. I joined when I turned 50 and have never looked back – besides from the fact that if I did look back, the musical director would tell me off for not watching him.”

Mr Davies continued as the choir’s musical director for close to 50 years, keeping the choir active and supporting the people of Caerphilly by performing at charitable events.

Over the years, CMVC incarnations have played in such prestigious venues as The Royal Albert Hall, The Wales Millennium Centre, Westminster Abbey, Canterbury Cathedral, Caerphilly Castle and Cardiff Castle.

The group, who age from 34 to 84, have also produced a professionally recorded CD, called Rhythms of Life.

Including pieces that range from classic male voice standards such as Gwahoddiad, across the operatic chorus O Isis und Osiris from Mozart’s The Magic Flute, to the show-stopping Rhythm of Life from Cy Coleman’s musical Sweet Charity, there are songs for every listener and every occasion. Copies are available from the visitor centre in Caerphilly town.

Mr Morgan added: “Keeping the choir going is no mean feat. It costs thousands of pounds, but we perform at events which attract regular numbers.

“Only last month we raised some £6,000 from concerts for the Lions Club, while last year we carried out over 45 events, which was one of the busiest years in the choir’s history.

“We are very fortunate that the choir has been blessed with the support of many local people, who simply contribute their time to help out at and publicise events.

“On our 100th anniversary we even received a letter from Prince Charles, so it’s great to think that the choir remains in many people’s hearts after all these years.

“While the choir has many supporters, we need new choristers to keep this going. It’s a simple fact if we don’t get new members, we won’t have a Caerphilly Male Voice Choir and that would be a huge shame.

“Our practice night is on Mondays at the Wesleyan Church in Bedwas, opposite the police station. Musical director Paul Deenik, who joined us in 2013, will put you through a painless singing test, and then for a small membership fee, we will help train and develop you as a chorister to sing with this amazing choir.

“I can speak from experience, that even after five years, I still get goosebumps when we sing, and the hairs on the back of my neck still rise.”

Tickets to the Caerphilly Voice Male Choir 110th anniversary evening cost £7, and are available from the Caerphilly town branch of Nationwide on Cardiff Road.