Choristers up close - Dave Tutton
Dave Tutton
Section - Tenor 2
How did you come to join Risca Male Choir?
It’s all ex-chorister Malcolm Andrews’ fault! Before starting a new life down under, Malcolm used to live in the same street as me. Every Christmas a neighbour of ours (now sadly deceased) would decorate his house with a wonderful array of lights and clever mechanical festive characters for charity. To kick off proceedings he would open up his home to the whole street with drinks and nibbles which preceded the grand lighting up ceremony. I would play carols and popular songs on the piano and take requests, again with all the money taken going to a local charity. Malcolm heard me singing and suggested I gave RMC a try (in fact I didn’t take much persuading as I had wanted to join a choir for years!). To be honest it is one of the best things I have ever done and I truly wish I had joined much earlier.
How long have you been with our choir, and what are the things which have helped you stay?
I joined just before Christmas 2010. It was shortly after RMC had completed a memorable tour of Poland and a particularly moving visit to Auschwitz. A video of the choir singing Prayer for the Children which I am sure many of you will have seen on YouTube, always brings tears to my eyes.
A love of singing is of course the glue that binds RMC together but it goes much deeper than that. The banter and camaraderie and the enduring friendships I have made since joining makes the music even more enjoyable and, after a difficult day in the office, our practice sessions on Thursdays and Sundays are the perfect antidote to the stresses and strains of the day. It really is the best therapy!
But it’s also about education, personal development and extending your own musical boundaries. As well as teaching us the actual pieces, Martin and Tomos impart important background about the composers, the era in which they lived and other information which for me really brings the music to life - which of course is then reflected in our interpretation and performance.
What music do you particularly enjoy singing and why?
I believe the key to RMC’s success over many years is the range and diversity of the music we perform. I do like a musical challenge and both Martin and Tomos certainly keep us on our toes in that respect. I’m a real sucker for a melody and my favourites over the years have been Robat Arwyn’s Benedictus, the Cantique de Jean Racine by Gabriel Fauré and Bach’s Bist du bei mir. Our interpretation of the challenging Drunken Sailor always makes me smile too! Equally I enjoy the music of the shows and other more contemporary music we perform. Variety is, after all, the spice of life!
I have to say, of all the languages in which we sing, I still find Welsh to be the most challenging. However, the sense of achievement I get once we’ve mastered it, is just the best feeling.
Have you had any memorable musical moments that gave you pride and satisfaction?
As others have said, to date the top of my list of RMC memorable moments has to be winning the ‘Battle of the Choirs’ in Torquay. I never thought I’d see Leigh Tucker cry – but cry he did! But the tours to Leipzig (where we sung in the fabulous St Thomas’ Church) and France and Belgium (in particular singing at the Menin Gate at Ypres) were experiences I shall remember and treasure forever.
On a purely self-indulgent note however, I really did enjoy the opportunity to sing Cruella De Vil as a trio (alongside Stevie Ramm and Ian Meredith) at RMC’s Christmas show in 2019. By the time we’d sung it for the 4th time I think we got it right!!
Dave is never too far from a keyboard! Here he is taking steps to do just that in San Francisco
Tell us briefly about your life outside of choir.
Like most of my fellow choristers I am a family man at heart and Olga and I are very proud of our two grown up sons, Matthew and Jamie.
Last year I celebrated 40 years in the Welsh Government during which time I have worked in Economic Statistics, Health (when the archaic mental illness hospitals were closed and the Care in the Community policy introduced), and for the last 20 plus years in Education, where I now deal with policies to support children and young people with mental health and wellbeing difficulties. That support is now more important than ever with more and more of our younger pupils presenting with emotional difficulties as a result of the pandemic and resultant lockdown pressures on many families.
As well as playing piano and keyboards, I am a keen DIY-er and a frustrated mechanic.I’ve always enjoyed servicing, maintaining and generally fiddling with cars and if anything good has come out of lockdown for me it is having some spare time to restore an ancient Honda 50cc scooter which I bought as a barn find on eBay!!Much to Olga’s displeasure, I have spent many hours in the garage rebuilding the (now running) engine.For some reason she wasn’t too happy on arriving home early one day to find me disassembling the carburettor on the dining room table, can’t think why!
A final thought, if you have one.
Like all of us at RMC, I crave normality and am desperately looking forward to resuming practice and working with Tomos and Alison to create beautiful music once more.
After 40 plus years in harness I am also looking forward to retirement which will give me more opportunity to support the choir in other ways and pursue other musical adventures such as a-cappella (in particular barbershop) singing and joining some friends of mine who play jazz and blues music in a band on an ad hoc basis.
I think it was the great author and writer George Elliot who once said, ‘Life seems to go on without effort when I am filled with music’. And I for one certainly subscribe to that.
