Choristers up close - Cliff Edwards
Cliff Edwards
Section - Tenor 2
How did you come to join Risca Male Choir?
My involvement with, or should I say my love of music and singing began at a very early age. I started as a boy treble in my local church, and moved through the ranks to become a tenor in the full choir.
Music and singing, both during my primary and secondary school days, played a big part in my life, singing in the various school choirs and indeed competing in the boys solo in the annual St David’s Day school eisteddfods. It was while at Llantarnam Comprehensive I first met Martin Hodson, singing in the school choir in such wonderful productions as The Beggar’s Opera and Nabucco.
At the age of eighteen I joined the local operatic society, and in addition became a member of several other mixed choir groups. But it was a previous chairman of the choir, Brain Clark, who finally persuaded me that Risca Male Choir was where I was meant to be, thus my long memorable association with the choir began.
How long have you been with our choir, and what are the things which have helped you stay?
I joined the choir in 1991 and have now been a singing member for over thirty years.
Part of the question is, “…what are the things which help you stay?” Having followed the Male Choir tradition keenly there are several things that mark out Risca Male Choir from many other Male Choirs. Firstly there is the diversity of the music we learn and perform. We have an incredible variety, and probably one of the largest repertoires of any Male Choir in the country. The complexity of some of the music has certainly been very challenging, but that seems to bring out the best in the choir and there are no boundaries that we are afraid to cross. The sheer pleasure of performing well is worth all the time and hard work put in by choristers, accompanist and conductor. And then, of course, the comradeship and the lifelong friendships that I’ve been lucky enough to have formed are priceless.
What music do you particularly enjoy singing and why?
I enjoy almost all of the music that we perform, but some stand out performances would be, the Cherubini Requiem, the Verdi Requiem, and his opera Nabucco. Then there’s the more contemporary works such as Beowulf and Grendel (Written for RMC and Tredegar Town Band by Mervyn Burtch), and Carbon 12 (Errollyn Wallen for Welsh National Opera). All were incredibly challenging but very satisfying at the same time.
Have you had any memorable musical moments that gave you pride and satisfaction?
Where do I start? There have been so many, both at home and abroad. To have had the opportunity to sing and perform in some of the Great Cathedrals such as Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, the Mariacki Basilica in Krakow, St Stephen’s, Vienna, Salisbury and Wells Cathedrals, and nearer home in our own St David’s Cathedral in Pembrokeshire. They have been nothing short of amazing!
But for me the one memory that will stay with me will be stepping on the stage at The Maltings in Snape, the brainchild of Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears. Our singing of Calm is the sea never sounded so wonderful in near perfect acoustics.
Tell us briefly about your life outside of choir.
I was lucky that my working career took me all over the world and gave me a thirst and a real love of travel to pick a favourite place is difficult, but if pushed, the Yosemite valley would be right up there together with my favourite European city of Rome. So now in retirement travel is very much on the cards.
My love of sport, and particularly Rugby, takes up a lot of my time. I had a relatively short playing career curtailed by injury but that gave me the opportunity to stay involved in the game by becoming a referee. I was very fortunate to referee on the Welsh Rugby Union for the next twenty five years. I refereed on every first class ground in Wales with the exception of Maesteg. Now in retirement, I’m a rugby union referee advisor.
In 2006 I was appointed as a JP sitting in the Criminal court and the family court which gives me a fascinating insight to what’s going on in and about our community. In 2010 I was appointed as a trustee on the board of Age Cymru.
I was born in Cwmbran but have lived in Risca for almost 40 years, married to Paula for 43 years with two grown up sons: David, who now lives and works in Edinburgh, and Tim a teacher who lives in Dubai with his wife Tammy and our 2 year old granddaughter Penny.
A final thought, if you have one
2020/ 2021 changed the world for us all and saw us deprived of many of the things that we loved doing, particularly meeting and performing as a choir.
It looks as if the latter part of 2021 will see us return to some sort of normality, and let’s hope we can get back to doing what we do best, that of bringing music to those who live in our community and to those in all parts of the country.
