| Biography | The Choir was formed on 23 April 1935 by Ivor E Sims and, in its early days, concentrated primarily on competitions and local concerts. In 1937 the Choir achieved its first success at the Royal National Eisteddfod in Machynlleth, going on to win at the "National" on 6 further occasions.
Over the years, successive Musical Directors have developed and broadened the repertoire. Variety is now the hallmark of the Choir's performances which include arrangements by Dr Alwyn Humphreys MBE, Musical Director from 1979 to January 2005 and now Conductor Emeritus.
Often called the unofficial ambassadors for Wales, the Choir is internationally-acclaimed as a leading exponent of male choral singing. Within the United Kingdom the Choir is in constant demand with around 25 engagements a year, including concerts, TV and after-dinner performances. Although itself a registered charity and financially self-supporting, much of its work is devoted to assisting local and national good causes, at home and overseas, such as Leukaemia Research, Action for Children, RNLI, Royal National Eisteddfod, Urdd Gobaith Cymru and Save the Children Fund.
Highlights of previous overseas tours have included four appearances at British Military Tattoos and Concerts in the former West Berlin, participating at International Choral Festivals in Nancy, France, and Toronto, Canada, representing Wales at Expo '92 in Seville, Spain, and becoming in 1996 the first British choir to perform at the International Choral Festival in Bydgoszcz, Poland.
The Choir's recordings (over 60 and is featured in over 100 compilation CDs and LPs) are in great demand on radio programmes. Successful ventures into the "pop" world have included recordings with chart-topping T'Pau and the Welsh group, The Alarm (click here to view two videos of 'A New South Wales'.). The Choir has most recently recorded with eighties pop icon Howard Jones, and appeared with Elvis Imperials. Current recordings are available for purchase from our online shop. |