A message from Music Director, Tomos Gwyn

Ladies and gentlemen, Risca Male Choir has gone digital and has a brand-new website! We are so pleased to be able to share our history, events and recordings with the internet and we hope you enjoy reading about us: maybe you will be inspired enough to join us one day!

As I write this, in April 2020, we are in week  5 of the UK lock-down which has meant the choir has missed a total of 8 rehearsals, 2 concerts and a photo-shoot. We have also had to postpone or cancel future concerts up until October this year. This means the Annual Concert which was supposed to be in September has been postponed, but we will update you on when that will take place. The committee has been discussing many things concerning the choir’s events and maintenance and is keeping the choir updated on all necessary subjects, and I thank them all for their continuous hard work during this time.

Although the lack of rehearsals and concerts has made things very difficult, it has not stopped me keeping the choristers busy at home! I have been recording myself singing all four parts of the current repertoire and then sending them out to the corresponding sections for them to learn at home. I have also set up groups on Facebook for each section if anyone had any queries regarding my recordings or anything about the pieces. This has been useful for me as well as them as I am able to understand where the most difficult sections of a piece are located and, when we come back to rehearsals, I will be able to focus on specific areas according to the needs of the sections.

I have also been able to begin arranging pieces for the choir; so far I have written 3 pieces with the hope that 2 of them will be performed at the Christmas concerts ‘Risca Male Choir Sings the Shows’. The new repertoire for those concerts has been sent out and the tracks will be recorded very soon. I am looking forward to rehearsing for the Christmas period – particularly for the choreography of one of the pieces…!

If you follow our page on Facebook, you will know that, since the 25th of March, we have been asking our followers to request their favourite song we have performed in past concerts or on a CD. Through this, Music Director Emeritus Martin Hodson, has been ‘mining the archives’ and sharing a performance of the requested piece onto our page. Thus far, the post has been viewed by over 5,000 people! Martin has been working tirelessly to satisfy as many of the requests as he can, and I am extremely grateful for his everlasting commitment to working for the choir’s benefit.

I hope you are all keeping safe and healthy at this time. While you are here, why don’t you have a browse of our new website? It would make me a very happy conductor at least!

RMC