RISCA MALE CHOIR – THE PROJECT 2024 # 6
And so The Project comes to an end! But it’s not the end, rather a beginning. It’s the beginning of new and fresh horizons for Risca Male Choir to explore, with a realisation of what can be achieved when all parts work together for the same goal. To make the machine work properly, all the cogs, from the smallest component to the largest, need to work in unison, all parts are equally important and if one part doesn’t fit then the whole is compromised. In this case, all parts certainly did work, neatly synchronised, and work so well that the end result was an outstanding one.
Its legacy is one that Risca Male Choir can build on, certain of a future full of promise. The Project raised a lot of money (£20,000) for the MND Association, amazing in itself. But the benefits go beyond that with the choir membership being increased by 18 voices as a result of the fledgling ensemble, formed to instigate that fund raising.
Everyone worked together in so many different ways to accomplish this most remarkable venture, but there were two main components in the machinery. Here, they sum up what The Project has meant to them. We hope you have enjoyed all 6 of the features contributed by different people over the last weeks; features, articles, blogs, whatever you want to call them, that have appeared on the website and on our Facebook page. But now let Tim & Matt with their closing words, wrap this project up for the moment. As I said at the opening, this is not the end, this is a new beginning, there is more to come for certain.
Martin Hodson MBE. Music Director Emeritus
MeN Do Sing 24 “The Project” Closing review. Tim Stone
Six months on, following the initial concept of the idea and development plan, post recruitment, and post-concert (the final hurdle), “The Project” as it became known has finished. Fundraising for the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA) and the work of the PR and Recruitment Team, however, has not. Analysis of this venture is ongoing and plans for the next project whatever that may be, will be underway in the next few weeks. For the whole of 2024, the MNDA is Risca Male Choir’s (RMC) chosen charity and therefore fundraising continues.
Concluding the MeN Do Sing 24 success brings mixed emotions, sadness and joy. Sadness because this year’s project is over in terms of creating a charity choir, but joy because of the efforts that these men put in and their amazing achievement. The MND Choristers put so much effort into the whole plan from start to finish and beyond. What a great bunch, full of enthusiasm, totally inspiring and to be honest, I felt proud of them all. The MeN Do Sing 24 organisation team are amazed and overwhelmed that so many of them (17 in total, 16 choristers and 1 a connection to a new chorister) have joined RMC. We must have done something right!
I am not going to lie, it has been a tough few months of planning deliberations and pounding the streets of Risca, but the team have not faltered or wavered. Everyone had their role and we soon realised effective communication was key to success. Group meetings, WhatsApp messaging, emails, and phone calls. Wonderful to have modern technology to stay connected, spread any news, innovative ideas, make on the spot decisions and push forward rapidly. Thank you to all the team Alan Davis, Andrew Williams, Cliff James, David Williams, Keith Jefferson, Mark Knight-Davis, Martin Savery, feel proud all of you. I cannot forget our extra helpers David Rowlands and Geraint Price and our two extra mentors Ian Meredith and Trevor Baker, ‘Diolch’ everyone.
As a team we could not have even begun the process without each other every person a cog in the wheel, working in partnership. There are two other people I cannot leave out and need to say a massive thanks to. Firstly, Matthew James Harrison (RMC Music Director). From start to finish you have proven why RMC selected you as its Music Director in November 2022. What an impression you made on the new recruits in MeN Do Sing 24 and you are one of the major reasons why so many came and joined RMC. Secondly Music Director Emeritus Martin Hodson MBE. Your assistance in promotion pre-concert advertising and website blogs, post project reviews, Facebook media posts/blogs has assisted in launching this project to a much wider audience, even across the world.
Thank you to the MNDA South East Wales Branch members, their Vice Chair Judith Rice, Chair Jennifer Burgos, and to Regional Fundraiser for the Devolved Nations/Compere for the concert, Richard Shackelford, who I can now personally call friends. Your faith, trust, pre and post-concert involvement and appreciation mean so much to us all in the PR and Recruitment/MeN Do Sing 24 organisation team.
To explain my feelings after the concert itself and for a few weeks after that is easy. Absolutely over the moon and on a total high. A capacity audience of 410 at Rougemont School was amazing to see. It was wonderful to be singing to a full audience and mostly a new audience, all attentively listening breaking into thunderous applause in the right places (not always the right places though Drunken Sailor always the culprit. An appreciative audience brought smiles and boosted the experience for all involved.
Personal highlights were the first performance to an audience of Shout to God! (J.P Williams and J Williams), a fantastic choral arrangement full of energy and drama. I’m Goin’ up a Yonder (W Hawkins), another personal favourite is always sung well by RMC, showing the full ability of RMC in style. Gwinllan a Roddwyd (Caradog Williams) with 75+ voices was a treat, the sound so magnificent! But my number one highlight, and most memorable song for the night (receiving a standing ovation from everyone) Fix You (Berryman, Buckland, Champion and Martin arr. Ieuan Jones) performed by MeN Do Sing 24. Unconditionally the right song for the occasion (good, choice Mathhew James Harrison). Fix You sung with heart and soul, compassion, a depth of knowledge and understanding, and complete emotion. A full tribute to the MND community. You are unable to get a better critique than Richard Shackelford, announcing it should become the anthem for the MNDA. High praise indeed!
We cannot forget the contribution from the Cwmbran Deaf Choir. Who knew that this way of expressing music, could be so enchanting, enlightening and bring so much delight to all watching and the Deaf Choir themselves? Thank you, Lou Heirene, their volunteer conductor for engaging and collaborating with us. I sincerely hope RMC can do something more with you in the not-so-distant future.
Now onto the total. You have probably heard whispers and rumours, but I can confirm the South East Wales Branch of the MNDA will be receiving £20,000 from the “The Project’s” efforts. Over £11,000 from the JustGiving page, £1,000 in corporate sponsorship (covering some running costs) and the remainder through ticket sales, donations raffle and programme contributions. We cannot thank Risca and its surrounding communities enough for their overwhelming generosity. The money raised is partially due to the generosity of Rougemont School allowing us to use the venue and facilities free of charge, we thank you unconditionally.
I have taken my weekend break away now, so I am recharged and it’s back to the grindstone. What’s in store next? Let us see what bright ideas, light bulb moments the PR and Recruitment Team produce. Thinking caps on and grasp those inspirational thoughts ready to explore and develop. We will have a challenging task to beat 2024’s success.
Final words, Timothy Stone, MeN Do Sing 24 – Project Lead, signing off.
Mission accomplished!
Timothy Stone - MeN Do Sing 24 - Project Lead
RMC – Vice Chairman, PR and Recruitment Team Lead and Librarian.
MeN Do Sing 24 “The Project” Closing review. Matt Harrison
From my very first interview with Risca Male Choir back in October 2022, I made clear to the panel (Emeritus Music Director: Martin Hodson, Leigh Tucker: Vice Chairman, Paul Phillips: Chairman and Alison Thomas: Accompanist) that I would only accept the job, and only continue the role of MD if the choir was actively recruiting. Cut to May 2023 and I’d sent a letter to the committee to express my concern at the lack of recruitment, as up until this point we had only gained three new members since my appointment as MD, all of which were recruited into the choir by myself. Though some members of the committee didn’t agree with with my points regarding the choir’s current recruitment culture, they eventually came round and allowed a small tag team of us to create a new committee, dedicated solely to Recruitment and PR.
After a few initial meetings the sub-committee had come up with a lot of ideas to promote the choir and attract new members, but I was keen to make a bigger impact, and much sooner. This is where I must say a particular thank you to some of the leading voices in this field. Will Prideaux and Peterborough Male Choir in particular. Their annual Male Choir Conference is a gold mine of information and ideas for choirs looking towards the future and not doting on the past, and I would recommend attending or viewing these talks to any choir who are willing to be honest with themselves and move their choir forward. It was one of these ideas, mentioned at this conference, that RMC implemented.
To present this idea to the sub-committee and 5 months later to be stood on stage with 90+ men performing, half of which are doing so for the first time, was inspiring. Each of the gents contributed a huge amount of effort and time into making this work as well as it did and I don’t think I could have found a better team of guys to go through this process with. Particular thanks must go to team lead Tim Stone for his endless perseverance and determination to make this event as successful as it could be. From start to finish he was one of the biggest supporters of my efforts to recruit and when presented with it, dived head first into the project along with everyone on the team.
The first rehearsal for myself was the most daunting part of the project. You’ve initiated the project, the gents in the recruitment team are running with it and before you know it you’ve got 40+ gents signed up to this new project choir. Now it’s down to me to make sure that everything else was ready.
I spent a lot of time visualising and trying to imagine what the gents would experience on their first rehearsal and indeed the following 12 weeks. What would make them feel comfortable yet motivated and excited enough to come back next week? How would they know which section was right for them? Separating the swamp monsters (basses) from the choir boys (tenors). How and when to introduce them to all the different aspects of choral singing that make it sound satisfying?
The feedback I received from the gents both in choir and on the recruitment team, our first rehearsal was the start of something good! And it certainly felt that way. The atmosphere in the room was brilliant, and this carried on without wavering until our last rehearsal. The gents were an absolute pleasure to work with, they were quick to adapt new ideas and even quicker to adapt to my modus operandi. We had lots (and I mean lots) of laughs both at their expense and at mine, and also anyone who happened to walk in off the streets (if you know, you know). But overall I felt an immense sense of achievement from them whenever they would hear the improvements they were making, which made the small goals we achieved feel that much more satisfying.
Around ¾ of the way through we were joined by Risca’s Junior Assistant Accompanist – Millie Tran who had prepared the music diligently and certainly impressed the gents with her talents at such a young age. This gave me more time to focus in on the smaller details within the music. And in the last two weeks of the project we were joined by Judith Rice from MNDA South East Wales. She reminded the gents of the importance that this project and concert held. Alongside this the week before we were joined by our own Risca Legend and Emeritus Music Director, Martin Hodson MBE who was full of praise for the gents and what they had produced in such a short space of time. And in a way only Martin can achieve, his chat gave them a rousing, inspiring, yet completely off the cuff speech to spur them on in the final steps of our preparation.
The concert on the 18th of May was an extraordinary event. The atmosphere in the room was electrifying and you could sense that the audience didn’t know what to expect. But once the guys had sang through their first piece, Everybody Wants to Rule the World, this was quickly put to rest. For me, Fix You was the piece of the night. With such a small amount of preparation what the gents had achieved with this piece was amazing. The eruption of applause and immediate standing ovation hopefully confirmed that what they’d been working towards up until this point was worth it. And to finish the piece with Gwinllan a Roddwyd sung by the two choirs was an incredible achievement.
Talking to the guys and their friends, families, partners after the performance was a treat. To hear such good feedback on their experiences over the last 12 weeks and to hear how much of positive impact it’s had on each of them made it all worthwhile. And to the ladies who asked me when are you doing a ladies’ choir version, all I’ll say is - watch this space.
All of this, and to have raised over £20,000 for MNDA and recruiting 17/18 new choristers is just awe inspiring and something I’ll never forget. From starting my journey with Male Choirs 10 years ago now, I’ve never felt more positive for the future of this great tradition of male choral singing here in Wales. Whilst most choirs are struggling to see a future, I’m beyond grateful to have found a home in Risca Male Choir, they are a forward thinking and engaged group of gentlemen and their willingness and enthusiasm to deliver a project like this in such a short amount of time, is just yet another example of this.
Thank you to everyone who contributed both big and small, it’s been an unforgettable experience for everyone involved.
Over and out –
MJH
Matthew Harrison: Music Director: Risca Male Choir, MeN Do Sing 24
