After 4 years as Music Director, I will be leaving Risca Male Choir to return to my hometown to take up a teaching position and eventually pursue a career as a conductor. My time with the choir has been unfortunately interrupted by a global pandemic, but that does not mean that it has been less enjoyable. In fact, coming back to rehearsals felt even better because of the interruption. This does mean that this will be my final blog for the choir.

We performed our first big concert since the pandemic at SS Julius and Aaron’s Church in Newport and it was a brilliant event. The accuracy, detail, and techniques we learnt in rehearsals were on show in a big way, especially in our new pieces. Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel and Gwinllan a Roddwyd were standout items that received high praise from the audience, and I must agree with them. Congratulations to the choir and the artistes on the night.

Welsh Musicians of the Month - Cerddorion Cymreig y Mis

Risca Male Choir

Yes, this is biased, but I believe the choir should be up there with the other musicians I have named throughout the months. Please go and listen to our CDs and possibly buy some when you get the chance.

Finally, I have some thank-yous to write. First, I’d like to thank the committee for organising our huge number of concerts, and events of all kinds among other things so smoothly and with great success. They have always been accommodating to all my requests and I thank them for that. I must also thank our music team; our amazing accompanist, Alison Thomas, who has helped me so much throughout my tenure with the choir, be it taking sectionals, rehearsals, noticing things I’ve missed, giving me pieces when I’ve forgotten them for an event…! Your efforts don’t go unnoticed. Also, a big thank you to our multi-talented accompanist/conductor/chorister/concert secretary, Martin Hodson. You have been an incredible mentor to me and have guided me to where I am today. Your constant advice and support is something I will miss very much. The choir, and I, wouldn’t be anywhere without you. And finally, the choir. I’ve had the pleasure of hearing four hours a week of dedication, development, and devotion to the choir for the last four years. Even with the pandemic hindering our progress, you have been so important to me since I joined, and I feel like I have been welcomed into your family. I have had the most fun here with the choir and I will be sure to return to visit when I can. Until then, thank you so much for everything you’ve done for me.

Therefore, I leave you with this quote by the great Leonard Bernstein:

"Life without music is unthinkable. Life without music is academic. That is why my contact with music is totally an embrace."

All about Tomos

For the last two years our website has featured the Choristers up close blogs, which have proved to be of great interest to our own members and also to the larger audience outside of the choir. We thought it a good idea, as a parting shot, to invite Tomos to contribute to the collection.

Well, he’s not a chorister, he’s our Music Director, and so needs something a little different, but still with the chance to cover some of the basic questions that have been set throughout the feature. The whole point of all these blogs is to get to know the person in a bit more detail.

Let us introduce:

Maestro under the microscope

Tomos Gwyn
Music Director

What were the circumstances that led to you becoming the MD of Risca Male Choir?

Having studied Music at the University of Manchester for 3 years, I conducted a few vocal ensembles and gained experience in the field of work that I loved. This led me to moving to Cardiff to study Choral Conducting for a master’s degree at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Here, I received excellent tuition from my tutors, Sarah Tenant-Flowers, and Adrian Partington, in the first year, and was lucky that my course mates were all fantastic conductors in their own right – some already had good jobs in the industry. I learned so much from all the conductors and the choral singers throughout the year. We had many masterclasses with visiting conductors teaching us about famous choral works such as Britten’s War Requiem, Mozart’s Requiem and Handel’s Messiah, and I use many of the tips and techniques taught in these sessions in my own directing style today.

One of the main priorities of the course was for the students to find a choir that will give them experience in rehearsing. So, I went searching for choirs that needed a Music Director on many different websites. I stumbled across this male choir that needed an MD, so I did my research and thought “they sound pretty good, I should try going for this post…”. I went through the interview process then did my audition (of which I thought the choir sounded pretty good but needed someone to teach them Welsh…!) and received the call asking me to take the job of Music Director. I remember Ian Meredith calling me and offering the job, to which I responded with “are you sure?” … I haven’t used that response since!! I initially didn’t have my car with me, so I had to take the train and be picked up by a chorister (usually Leigh Tucker or Andy Jenkins) for 2 months until I finally brought my car down to Cardiff. I remember accidentally falling asleep on the train after rehearsal once – that was not a good idea!! Anyway, I had my car which meant I could park at the Music Director’s allocated spot, which was the point where I felt I really began to settle into my role.

During the relatively short time you’ve been with us, what have been the most memorable moments?

Having only had 4 years with the choir and with one and a half of them being stuck indoors, the number of moments I’ve had are quite limited. Having said that, I can remember many things that have been positive for me.

Firstly, my first event with the choir, 3 weeks after I started, was at Waunfawr Park, and I really began to understand how good a choir I had. The a capella items, such as Ar Hyd y Nos, were sounding spectacular, and the easier items felt fun to work with.

Then, we went on tour to the Lake District in November 2018, and here is where the choir was introduced to my partner (now fiancée!!), Emily. She sang as our guest soloists in our concerts and made a very good impression. More importantly, the choir was very quick to accept her as part of the RMC family, and that is something we will be eternally grateful for.

Following the tour were the themed shows, and this was certainly an eye-opener for me. I’d never seen a choir open a concert by whistling Colonel Bogey, slot in so easily with two extra musicians in Dan Thomas and Olly Thomas, and even end the first half with You Sexy Thing!! That was the first time I’d done choreography with a choir too, so the shows were full of surprises!

My first Annual Concert in 2019 was a lot of fun, bringing Emily back to perform more music and introducing two fabulous musicians in Catherine Tanner-Williams on the oboe and Christopher Williams as guest accompanist. I got to introduce some of my own ideas into the choir for this concert, and they were quite well-received. Some were revivals of old repertoire, but we also brought in some newer items which are still part of the repertoire. A great event all-round.

How could we forget the pandemic? As much as it brought sadness into many of our lives, there are some positive moments gained from it. I remember Alison (our accompanist) and Paul Phillips (Chairman) coming with me to HQ to film us note-bashing and translating pieces for the choir to learn at home. Some enjoyed it, some not so much, but that’s what was joyous about it – you got to learn more about yourself and the choir from these experiences. I certainly learnt that I needed to practice what I said to introduce some pieces after a few ‘bloopers’ during filming!!

I really enjoyed beginning to arrange new items for the choir over the pandemic too. Some worked well, some I’ve yet to finish as I’m trialling new ideas. So, yes, I’m hoping to continue arranging pieces that may be of use for the choir in the future. Maybe I’ll even get to conduct them one day!

Finally, the most recent big concert was the best I’ve heard the choir sing under my direction. My arrangement of Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel was a personal highlight as I was slightly concerned it wouldn’t work, but over time I saw the choir understand what I wanted, and the culmination of our work came to fruition on the night to produce a spectacular performance of the piece, with our sextet of Henley Cegielski, Ian Meredith, Andy Jenkins, Dave Tutton, Robin Grayson, and Alan Davis on top form. Gwinllan a Roddwyd was also a showstopper, which was really exciting to experience.

What music have you most enjoyed conducting, and why?

I’ve already mentioned my arrangement of Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel which was a real challenge but lots of fun. I also enjoyed our rendition of Sanctus by Gounod, arranged by Martin Hodson, with our make-shift organ playing with the choir.

I loved conducting Tydi a Roddaist with Woodfalls Band as it’s a piece I have always loved to sing with the National Youth Choir of Wales, so to conduct it with a top brass band and RMC was brilliant for me.

Some say to never work with your loved ones, but I really enjoyed conducting The Rose with Emily singing the descant over the top. It may seem biased, but it was a lovely moment for me in particular as I think her voice is something special, so to combine her voice with RMC was a lovely mix.

Away from RMC, I have been lucky enough to conduct many outstanding pieces, which include Lassie, Wad Ye Loe Me by James Macmillan for my final recital for my master’s degree. I have also conducted Duruflé’s Requiem for my final recital for my undergraduate degree at the University of Manchester. One day, I would love to conduct Macmillan’s Miserere and Mozart’s or Verdi’s Requiem as they are my favourite choral works.

Tell us about your life outside the choir

The guys will know that much of my life revolves around music. Be it conducting, singing, drumming, or playing the French Horn, I love music in all its forms. I have a bookcase full of scores that I like to read from time to time to add to my intellectual knowledge of composers and choral music. Informing myself of how to sing properly is also important to me as I need to be certain that what I am teaching is healthy and accurate for the choristers. These may sound like additions to my work, but I enjoy doing them, so I guess they’re also hobbies!

I have recently qualified to be a teacher and will be moving up north to take up a teaching post at my old school in Mold. One of the primary reasons taking me back up north is my close ties to my friends and family – the pandemic taught me that being far away from them was more difficult than I had anticipated when I first moved down to Cardiff 5 years ago. Over the past two years, I have spent more and more time with them and being far away was difficult for my wellbeing, so moving closer to them will help so much.

Some final thoughts, if you have them

Risca Male Choir has helped me be who I am today. I am much more confident in myself than I was when I first joined, and I believe I am a better conductor now than I ever have been. My technique has developed, and my system of preparing music and concert repertoire has improved all thanks to the guys here at RMC. Their dedication to the choir is something I have never seen before, and I will miss them greatly. Not only for their hard work, but also for their constant laughs and support throughout the years. I feel like part of their family. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

With that said, for anyone who’s reading this and thinking about joining, I would strongly recommend stepping through the door into the rehearsal room. They will welcome you with open arms and guide you to be part of their family. They will pick you up when you feel at your lowest. They will show the same love to you as you give to them. What more motivation do you need than love?