Martin Hodson MBE – Music Director Emeritus

Awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list in June 1999 for services to music and education in the community, Martin Hodson has a long established reputation for musical versatility.

As an accompanist he was much in demand to work with choirs, as well as instrumental and vocal soloists. As a singer, Martin has performed in opera, oratorio and music theatre, broadcast a solo recital for BBC radio and takes particular pride in performances of the great song cycles of Schubert and Schumann. This experience, along with a love of theatre, poetry and languages, has equipped Martin Hodson well for the task of vocal coach and choral director.     

With Crosskeys College Choral Society (now Gwent Chorale) he has conducted acclaimed performances of the great choral repertoire, including Elijah, St Paul, Messiah, (Welsh premiere of orchestration by Eugene Goossens) The Creation, Rossini's Stabat Mater and Petite Messe Solennelle, Puccini’s Messa di Gloria and Requiems by Mozart, Verdi and Fauré. In 1998 the choir gave the premiere performance of Seascapes by Richard Roderick Jones. In 2005 the Choral Society combined with Risca Male Choir to perform Verdi’s Nabucco. In May 2010, to help celebrate Risca Male Choir’s 40th Anniversary, the male choir once again joined the Choral Society for the performance of Verdi’s Requiem.     

Martin has also worked in musical theatre projects as vocal coach, repetiteur and director. Performances he has conducted include 42nd Street, Sondheim’s Into the Woods, The Gondoliers, A Chorus Line, and Fame.    

His association with Risca Male Choir which he had directed since 1979 was, and still is special, and has been crucial in developing the choir's distinctive style and repertoire. His many arrangements for the choir are an important part of this and a number have been published.    

During the 36 years that Martin directed Risca Male Choir, it became established as a leading ensemble in Wales, winning competitions and attracting attention as a choir that was adventurous with its programming and indeed, trendsetting! The annual theme concert is unique in the male choir world and shows that the choir is not afraid to dedicate a whole programme to one particular topic. The choir became one of choice when it came to invitations to perform with professional organisations. These include Welsh National Opera (Carbon 12), Sinfonia Cymru (Beethoven Choral Symphony), BBC 2 (The Magic of the Musicals), HTV (A partridge in a pear tree), BBC Wales (Can they hack it?) and Bryn Terfel’s recording We’ll keep a welcome for Deutsche Grammophon.

Martin retired as Music Director in 2015 and has now returned as a chorister enjoying singing as a member of the group. So deep is his dedication to the choir that he really didn’t want to leave the organisation on retirement. He is also happy to act as an accompanist and indeed as conductor from time to time when needed, and is pleased to see that our new Music Director, Matthew Harrison, is maintaining the style for which Risca Male Choir had become so well known.