Choristers up close - Paul Phillips
Paul Phillips - RMC Chairman
Section: Tenor 1
How did you come to join Risca Male Choir?
My daughter Bethan was friends with Anna Lacy who is daughter of our secretary, John Lacy. The two girls were together in 6th form at Bassaleg Comprehensive, where they both studied music A level, and played instruments together in Gwent Youth Orchestra. I guess I got to know John “through music”. I had sung in choirs before and John did a great job in extolling the virtues of RMC, I agreed to come along and listen, and that started my involvement with RMC.
How long have you been with our choir, and what are the things which have helped you stay?
I joined in early 2008, just as the choir started to rehearse Carbon 12. That was truly a baptism of fire and after a month I began to wonder what I’d let myself in for. I recall Martin Hodson (our music director at the time) telling me that it wasn’t always quite this difficult! I was warmly welcomed into the ranks of the top tenors, which was a bit surprising, never having sung there before. I was looked after initially by Gordon Williams and John Watkins, one either side of me. Great mentors! I was pleased over the next few months to sing some pieces which were a little less difficult, a little more traditional and quite a lot easier on the ear.
What music do you particularly enjoy singing and why?
I’m up for the challenge of singing most things, and I enjoy the diversity of the music that RMC takes on. As you might have guessed from my comments on Carbon 12, I am always happy to get back to the type of music that you might call “traditional” for a Welsh male choir. A challenging piece with some pleasing harmonies is my ideal. We have very many in our repertoire, and just as an example, I’m very pleased to see Y Tangnefeddwyr is back in our “learning list”.
Have you had any memorable musical moments that gave you pride and satisfaction?
Many memorable moments with RMC in my 12 years, but two highlights that spring to mind are singing Carbon 12 under the baton of Carlo Rizzi in the Wales Millennium Centre, and winning first prize in the Majestic Battle of the Choirs competition in Torquay in 2013.
Outside of RMC I’ve enjoyed singing with several other choirs through the years, particularly singing sacred choral works at Passiontide, such as Maunder’s Olivet to Calvary, Stainer’s Crucifixion and Bach’s St John’s Passion.
I was a keen campanologist for a long time, before other duties took over. As well as ringing tower bells, together with wife Lyn and daughter Bethan, we have taught many groups of young people to ring tunes on handbells over the years. Particularly popular at Christmas and we’ve raised many thousands of pounds over the years for various charities.
My musical roots however are in woodwind having started, as so many do, playing various recorders in school, progressing through flute and clarinet to oboe, where I reached the dizzy heights of second oboe in a year with the National Youth Orchestra of Wales.
Tell us briefly about your life outside of choir
For 42 years I worked for the same company under three different owners. Monsanto, then Solutia, then finally Eastman. I qualified as an industrial chemist and worked in that role for about 15 years before I’d had enough of the technical stuff. I moved into the field of training and development, and it was a natural progression into Human Resources (or Personnel as it was called then) in 2000. My last 10 years in industry were spent as European HR Director for Eastman Chemicals. Progressively I seemed to spend more time in airports than at home, and finally called it a day in 2018. I know everyone says as much, but since then I wonder how I had time to work! I’m a Presiding Justice (magistrate), a caravanner, chairman of the parochial church council, chairman of 2 small caravan clubs, and more recently a second home owner of a villa in Murcia, Spain…. Oh, and of course the current chairman of RMC. Life is busy, but that’s how I like it.
A final thought, if you have one
I look forward, as I know all of the RMC choristers do, to life getting back to normal, whatever that might mean. Most of all to being able to sing whilst standing next to fellow choristers, to being conducted by Tomos, accompanied by Alison and making that rich warm sound that RMC is recognised for.
