Choristers up close - Kevin Cegielski
Kevin Cegielski
Section - Tenor 1
How did you come to join Risca Male Choir?
Whilst I have enjoyed singing hymns at my local church on Sundays, because of work and family commitments, I had never considered joining a male choir, although I spent a lot of time supporting my son’s Marek and Henley with their music studies and involvement with Markham Brass Band.
For several years before joining RMC, Judith and I supported Risca Male Choir as patrons and attended the annual concerts at Crosskeys Campus, and were impressed by the quality of the singing and the variety of music performed.
It was my son Henley who encouraged me to attend a rehearsal in May 2013 and at the half time break I was given a voice test by the MD Martin Hodson MBE and was allowed to sit in the 1st Tenor section next to my mentor the late Graham Brettell.
My first 12 months was extremely hard as a newcomer given the number of songs in the repertoire that had to be learnt from scratch. To this end, I was extremely grateful to Graham who gave me a set of RMC tapes so that I could listen and learn at my own pace.
I feel very lucky to sit next to my son Henley at rehearsals and to perform with him on stage doing something that we both enjoy immensely.
How long have you been with our choir, and what are the things which have helped you stay?
This year (2022), I will have been a member of the choir for 9 years, and during this time have enjoyed the camaraderie of the choristers and have made lifelong friends.
What music do you particularly enjoy singing and why?
I enjoy the extensive repertoire of songs which allows us to sing in several European languages and of course, Welsh. The latter I find being the hardest to master.
My personal favourites include the Prisoners’ Chorus O, Welche Lust from Beethoven’s opera Fidelio, the Cantique de Jean Racine (Fauré), and Eric Jones’ Y Tangnefeddwyr a setting of the words of Waldo Williams.
Working on pieces such as Bristol Roads (Mervyn Burtch), The Ballad of Little Musgrove (Benjamin Britten), were challenging, but were great to perform.
Have you had any memorable musical moments that gave you pride and satisfaction?
Whilst I am a relatively newcomer to the choir there have been some memorable moments that will stay with me. The first was my debut performance with the choir which took place at the wonderful Cathedral of St David’s in Pembrokeshire.
Taking part with the Welsh Guards Band at Thiepval, which was followed by a wonderful and moving experience of the Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate in Ypres was another very memorable experience for me.
During the tour of Belgium, we also held concerts at Arras and Ghent Cathedrals.
Tell us briefly about your life outside of choir
I have been married to my wife Judith for 39 years this coming September, and have two sons, Marek and Henley who are both very musical.
We have 4 grandchildren Harry (2) who you may have seen on Henley’s recent Choristers up Close blog. He is a bundle of energy and is great company, he loves to sing and dance, and is already a performer just like his mam and dad.
Marek, our eldest son has 3 children, Josh (19) is a keen footballer and a Cardiff City season ticket holder. Halle (11) has represented Wales in gymnastics and selected for the GB performance pathway. She is also the current South and East Wales champion.
Her sister Evie (5) is also a gymnast, and since 2021 both girls have also taken up dance in addition to their gymnastics commitments. Halle was placed in her first ever dance competition last October and both most recently in Birmingham.
Judith and I are very proud of what has been achieved by our sons and grandchildren, and acknowledge this is down to their dedication and hard work over many years.
As a young man I played a lot of football and spent several years as a schoolboy with Cardiff City FC.
I played in the Southern league with Merthyr Tydfil and Telford United who were then managed by Sir Jeff Hurst MBE.
On the working front, I am a former Tax Investigator with the Department of Inland Revenue until returning back to South Wales in 1989, when I moved over into the accountancy profession.
For the past 18 years I have been operating my own business offering accountancy/taxation and investigation services to sole traders, partnerships and small limited companies.
During the summer months Judith and I spend most weekends in the beautiful county of Pembrokeshire
A final thought, if you have one
It has been a hard couple of years for all choirs dealing with Covid 19, and we have lost several members who have passed away, or retired due to ill health. However, the restrictions are being lifted, and we can once again meet up as a group to practise and learn new repertoire under the leadership of our talented MD, Tomos Gwyn, and accompanying pianist, Alison Thomas.
Our diary for this year is starting to fill up which is great for all involved, although we are always happy to receive new members interested in joining this wonderful band of brothers.
