- Treorchy Male Choir
Treorchy Male Voice Choir is a
choir based inTreorchy in the Rhondda Valley,Wales ,United Kingdom .Choirs have existed in the Rhondda Valley for more than a hundred and fifty years and Treorchy is one of the best known from the area. One of its first male choirs was formed in the Red Cow Hotel in the summer of
1883 [ [http://www.malevoicechoir.net/choir_details.php?choirID=302 Malevoicechoir.net profile] ] and developed into aNational Eisteddfod winner, culminating in a royal command performance forQueen Victoria atWindsor Castle in1895 . ["The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales". John Davies,Nigel Jenkins , Menna Baines and Peredur Lynch (2008) pg532 ISBN 9780708319536] The choir would later disband after theSouth Wales Valleys suffered during the massive economic downturn of theGreat Depression in the United Kingdom and twoWorld War s, but they would later reform into a male voice choir that gained international recognition. The present Treorchy Male Choir was reformed on October 16, 1946 under the baton of John Haydn Davies. Davies led for 20 years, transforming musical recruits into an international institution. They reached musical distinction in the nationalEisteddfod by gaining a record eight national wins, making a total of twenty-two first prizes out of twenty seven entries. The Treorchy Male Voice Choir has been heard worldwide as they made regular radio broadcasts, television appearances, commercial recordings, two feature films and an overseas tour toSwitzerland . Treorchy was to become the first male choir to venture into the field of popular music and subsequently the choir has made more than fifty commercial recordings, making it one of the most recorded choirs in the world. In more recent years their radical attitude to music making included an album of music byFreddie Mercury and Queen, two recordings of music byBob Marley and in contrast they also recorded more classical works and became the first British choir to perform Sibelius’ Kullervo Symphony in Finnish. The choir has also shared the stage with some of the world’s greatest entertainers during its long and illustrious history. Television programmes with Sir Tom Jones,Ella Fitzgerald , DameJulie Andrews , SirHarry Secombe andBurt Bacharach was only the beginning of their long association with major celebrities. The choir has since appeared either on stage, screen or in the recording studio with the likes of DameShirley Bassey , Dame Gwyneth Jones, Micheal Ball,Katherine Jenkins [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/music/sites/katherinejenkins/pages/serenade.shtml BBC Music - Katherine Jenkins album review] ] ,Iris Williams ,Max Boyce ,Bryn Terfel ,Aled Jones ,Charlotte Church ,Ozzy Osbourne ,Jon Bon Jovi , SirCliff Richard ,Andrea Bocelli ,McFly ,Russell Watson andIl Divo . They have also performed for the likes of Oscar-winnerJoan Fontaine and Priscilla andLisa Marie Presley . Overseas tours have also played an important role in the ongoing success story of Treorchy. Since the early 1980s the choir has undertaken an enviable number of overseas tours beginning with two visits toCanada and a performance inStrasbourg Cathedral for its congregation of almost 6,000 people. A series of four successful tours of the USA followed, with visits to theWhite House and performances inSan Francisco ,Denver ,Seattle and the Mid West. Treorchy has also enjoyed a close connection withAustralia , becoming the first Welsh choir to appear at theSydney Opera House [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_east/6755783.stm BBC News - Cwm Rhondda's composer remembered] ] in 1986. In the latter years the choir has made two further visits to Australia appearing inBrisbane , Perth,Adelaide andMelbourne while making a return to the Opera House in Sydney. Closer to home and the choir has more recently appeared on theRoyal Variety Performance [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/4454382.stm BBC News - Comic asks if Queen is 'bovvered'] ] and has become a regular entertainer on the turf of theMillennium Stadium for variousrugby union international games.The Treorchy Male Choir, a registered charity devoted to raising tens of thousands of pounds per year for worthwhile causes, has more recently launched its own Junior Musician of the Year competition which encourages more than a thousand children per year throughout the Rhondda to enjoy the opportunity of performing.
External links
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/music/sites/treorchy_male_choir/ BBC Wales profile]
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*References
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