EXCELSIOR - Treorchy Male Choir

EXCELSIOR 7
and we hope they enjoy their inclusion in the Treorchy family. Sadly it was
a year when several choristers were forced to leave the Choir due to personal
reasons and I would like in particular to pay tribute to a dear friend in Alan
Lewis who has emigrated to Spain. For over 25 years Alan was a devoted
member of the First Bass section and I, along with his many friends, will certainly
miss him.
One of the highlights of the year was the unveiling of a second Blue Plaque
in honour of the Choir in Treorchy. This time a plaque was placed on the
front of the Red Cow public house, where the original “Treorky” first found
its voice in 1883. We enjoyed a celebrity evening of entertainment, televised
live on S4C with special guests including Joy Amman Davies, Roy Noble,
Dewi Griffiths, Wyn Calvin, Iona Jones, Kate Woolveridge, John Cynan
Jones, Bryan Davies and Jennifer Jones. It was also a joy to be reunited with
Miss Elvira Henry, the soprano soloist who appeared many times with the
Choir in the 1960s. Miss Henry and Wyn Calvin have also written in this
edition of Excelsior.
Other memorable moments included performing on the beautiful Brecon
Beacons one glorious sunny Sunday afternoon to film the Sky Sports television
campaign for the Ryder Cup golf tournament taking place at the Celtic
Manor. With over 80million homes around the world tuning into those
opening scenes with the Choir performing “Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau” shadowed
by the magnificent site of Pen-y-fan, one cannot underestimate the
international exposure enjoyed by Treorchy during those few days.
Similarly, its reputation for performing music on the international stage was
recognised by Stephen Sondheim, the American composer and lyricist, who
was enchanted by the Choir’s recording of his song, “Send in the Clowns”.
When a review of his work was produced on Broadway to celebrate his 80th
birthday, the Choir’s recording and broadcast was shown on stage along
with Barbra Streisand, Liza Minelli and Elizabeth Taylor.
Locally we remain committed to supporting Rhondda schools by encouraging
the talents of young people in our valleys. The Junior Musician
Competition, which this year welcomed both Roy Noble and Max Boyce as
special guests, remains another outstanding success. Also this year we contributed
to a history project by the pupils of our very own Treorchy Primary
School and were overjoyed to see the unveiling of an impressive mural in the
school grounds to commemorate the Choir’s world-fame. Teacher and head
of the project, Ed Sprague has kindly submitted an article for the magazine.
The Choir is indeed proud of its long history and was pleased to welcome