Choristers up close - Gareth Phelps
Gareth Phelps
Section - Tenor 1
How did you come to join Risca Male Choir?
I have enjoyed singing from an early age with both sides of my family involved in choirs and choral societies.
My grandfather sang with the Dorian Singers (a famous South Wales Glee Party), and competed in Eisteddfods over the Southwest as a baritone. My mother is also a singer and is still doing so after 50 years’ service with Newbridge Ladies Choir. She also sang with the Islwyn Singers, which included late RMC choristers Bernard Cawsey, John James and John Coleman.
Singing has always been a part of my upbringing where I sang in school eisteddfods and took the leading role of Oliver at Newbridge Comprehensive as a 12-year-old (The music director at this time was a certain Martin Hodson).
It was the Songs of Praise Millennium celebrations which I was watching because my mother was singing as part of the mass choir, when Risca Male Choir was giving the first performance of a specially composed piece by Andrew Lloyd Weber (Prayer for the Third Millennium) using music from his show, Whistle down the Wind.
I turned to Sandra and my children and said “I’m going to join that choir!” The following Thursday 06/01/2000 (my 34th Birthday) I entered the rehearsal rooms.
It was a daunting task as I only knew Martin, and accompanist at the time, Julie. (She had taught my eldest daughter in Tynewydd Primary school). There were 60 choristers in the room that day who I had never met before, but within minutes of me stepping across the threshold, had made me feel welcome.
How long have you been with our choir, and what are the things which have helped you stay?
As I mentioned, I joined at the beginning of 2000 and have enjoyed my time enormously. I did take a short break, but returned and have enjoyed my time since. I suppose once you have music in your blood it’s hard to let it go. Being part of Risca Male Choir has helped me understand how important music is in bringing people together, and no more so than at Risca where the friendships I have made over the years have helped me stay, along with the wide range of music in the repertoire that the choir has become renowned for over the years.
I was fortunate to have the late Tony Jones (The Butcher) as my mentor who was a great character. John Hughes was another great character, and having Graham Brettell and Stephen Gunter as singing colleagues also helped. I have enjoyed the banter and comradeship that these and other people have brought to the choir over the years which have helped me stay.
What music do you particularly enjoy singing and why?
I enjoy all types of music, and being a small part of this fantastic choir has increased my love for music so much more, which makes it difficult to choose a favourite.
I particularly enjoy the show music, but also enjoy the more demanding pieces, such as Owain ab Urien (David Wynne), and I particularly enjoyed learning Verdi’s opera Nabucco which was performed with Crosskeys College Choral Society and the Welsh Sinfonia.
I suppose we all get attached to certain pieces, and for me it is some of the older music that I have learnt which sticks with. These include Gloire Immortelle (Soldiers’ Chorus from Gounod’s opera Faust), Gwahoddiad and Va Pensiero (The Chorus of Hebrew Slaves from Nabucco). Then there’s the folk song The Water is Wide (“Waly! Waly!” arranged by Martin Hodson). Dirait-on (Morten Lauridsen) is one of the more recent pieces that I really enjoy singing, along with some of the more rousing pieces including Karl Jenkins Benedictus and anything that has involved brass bands and orchestras.
Have you had any memorable musical moments that gave you pride and satisfaction?
There have been many over the years, which I’ve remembered for different reasons.
My first being my first Annual Concert at Risca Leisure Centre with famous bass, (Sir) Willard White, a very special guest artist for our Millennium concert.
Learning and performing Owain ab Urien for an invited audience at Caerphilly Castle stands out for me.
Who can remember, whilst performing Danny Boy in Galway 2003 when Martin stopped us all singing after a mobile phone starting ringing in the audience? The mood had been set, and the atmosphere was perfect with fantastic acoustics. We had just started singing and hadn’t reached the end of the first phrase when someone’s phone rang!!
More memories include singing with (Sir) Bryn Terfel at St. David’s Hall as part of a combined choir in Beethoven’s Choral Symphony, and the Austria/Poland Tour where we sang in Auschwitz, St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna and the Mariacki Basilica, Krakow.
Also, I must include performing as part of a combined choir in the Millennium Stadium for the Wales v South Africa Autumn International in 2014, and the Gary Speed memorial concert in the Cardiff City Stadium.
Tell us briefly about your life outside of choir.
Gareth, complete with tutu in the London Marathon, 2011
I have been married to Sandra for 29 years and we have three daughters, Natasha, Jade and Bethany, along with our 6 grandchildren (3 boys and 3 girls from 2 to 22). As well as babysitting we also dog sit for two French Bulldogs and a Dog De Bordeaux belonging to our daughters.
I work as a Shift Manager with Lyondellbasell where I have worked for the past 36 years.
I also enjoy sports, particularly rugby. I am a member of Oakdale RFC where I help as a kitman and linesman. I have also enjoyed running, competing in 2 London Marathons in 2011 and 2012, and numerous Cardiff 10k races. Plus, I am a member of Exert Gym Abercarn where I attempt to keep fit.
As many others, I enjoy travelling, and some highlights have been two American road trips and a surprise tour of Vietnam a few years back for my 50th birthday.
A final thought, if you have one
One of the best decisions I have made, was entering the rehearsal rooms all those years ago. I would encourage anyone who enjoys singing to join our ranks.
It may seem a daunting task at first, getting up off the settee and entering a room of people you have never met before, but you will not be disappointed.
Joining the choir has given me some fantastic highs that I could never have experienced outside of the choir. It also helps that we have a committee that is professionally run alongside a fantastic Music Team in Tomos, Alison and Martin.
