Choir Constitution
Formally, the Choir is a registered charity
whose prime objective is to bring to West Wales live performances
of great choral music. It is affiliated to 'Making Music'
(formerly the National Federation of Music Societies) and to the
Welsh Amateur Music Federation. The governing body is an Annual
or Extraordinary General Meeting of full members which elects a
Committee to manage the day to day affairs of the Choir
Membership
Our Choir is rather more than a group of singers - it is 'family', with
a tradition, ambitions and, after 40 years, a formidable esprit-de-
corps. It demands commitment and, in return, gives immense
pleasure to both audiences and singers.
Subject, from time to time, to restrictions imposed by accommodation limits
and choir balance, membership is open to all :
- who can demonstrate at initial and review auditions the
requisite musical standard
- who are willing to sustain the requisite effort and
commitment
- who are willing to pay the required subscription and
conform to the Choir's Rules of Conduct.
The Choir has a nominal complement of 60 voices. This allows a wide
range of music to be performed but reflects the maximum number that
can be accommodated on stage at most local venues. The Choir welcomes
new faces, as choristers, patrons and friends. At the present time,
the Choir has a particular interest in expanding its Tenor and Bass
sections. For further details, please refer to 'How to Contact Us'
from the Site Index.
Finance
Realising our ambitions makes substantial demands upon the skills and
time of a great many choristers. Engaging professional soloists and a
30-strong professional orchestra, hiring the Cathedral, printing
tickets, erecting staging.... all these activities can see
£ 10,000 spent in a matter of 2-3 hours and rarely
is it fully recovered from ticket sales.
Arts Council grants are an occasional, very welcome but partial relief
as is the generosity of patrons and friends. For the rest, we rely on
our own resources. At the 2006 A.G.M. members voted by an overwhelming
margin to underwrite the financial viability of the Choir by
increasing the full annual subscription to £100 per annum. There
are appropriate rates for students and those not in full employment. In
general, such matters are not allowed to deny opportunity to talent.
Rehearsal Arrangements
Rehearsals are held every Tuesday night 7:30 - 9:30
pm at the Bloomfield Centre, Narberth, Pembs. There are
breaks in line with school holidays.
The hallmarks of the Choir are a passion for great music and
commitment to a high standard of performance. It is a measure of
the dedication of Choir members that they travel to Narberth every
week from all parts of Dyfed, involving journeys of 60 miles and
more. Former Music Directors - Christopher Barton and James Thomas
- travelled to the Narberth rehearsals each week from Newport, Gwent
and Brecon respectively, a round trip of 180-200 miles.
The Repertoire
Programmes for recent major concerts
illustrate the range of music undertaken.
2002
The Summer Concert featured Bach's B Minor Mass
and at Christmas the Choir performed Britten's St
Nicolas and a contemporary work The Mirror of
Perfection by Richard Blackford.
2003
The Spring Concert at St Peter's Church, Goodwick included
works by Tavener, Taverner and the Allegri Miserere;
the Summer Concert opened with Purcell's Hail Bright Cecilia
, followed by the Pergolesi Magnificat
and the Vivaldi Gloria. In September, that supreme
rite of passage for amateur choirs - Rachmaninov's Vespers
was performed in its entirety at the Tenby Festival of Arts
2004
The Rachmaninov Vespers
were repeated by invitation at the St Davids Cathedral Festival in
June. The Summer Concert, before a capacity audience was the Mozart 'Mass
in C Minor'
2005
Dyfed Choir concerts ranged from Horowitz's spoof
Horrortorio to Tallis Spem In Allium. In the
summer, there were acclaimed performances of the Verdi Requiem
at Carlow Cathedral, Eire and at St Davids Cathedral - both in a most
rewarding collaboration with the Carlow Choral Society. A busy concert
schedule was rounded off by a December performance of J.S.Bach's Christmas
Oratorio.
2006
In June, Dyfed Choir joined forces with the St Davids Festival
Chorus and the St Davids Cathedral Choir for a performance of
Benjamin Britten's War Requiem. and on December 23rd
contributed to the Christmas celebrations a sell-out performance of
Handel's Messiah which earned a standing ovation.
In sum, there are few significant works in the choral repertoire which
the Dyfed Choir has not performed.
Music Directors Past and Present
1967 - 1985 John S Davies
John S Davies was, and still is a leading figure in the musical life of
West Wales. The charismatic direction of the founder soon ensured
a fine reputation for the Choir. In its early days, it enjoyed a close
relationship with the Fishguard Festival and until the formation of a BBC
Cardiff Choir, was frequently retained by the BBC for performances with
orchestras such as the BBC Welsh Symphony Orchestra and the Royal
Liverpool Philharmonic, under guest conductors of the calibre of Roger
Norrington, Sir Colin Davies, Sir David Willcocks, Sir Charles
Mackerras and Richard Hickox.
1985 - 1998 Christopher Barton
Christopher Barton, Music Director and Master of Choristers at St
Woolos Cathedral, Newport developed the Choir's reputation for the late
Baroque and Classical repertoire. . During his tenure, there was
special interest in presenting Baroque music with ensembles of period
instruments. It was fitting that Christopher's last concerts in
charge of the Choir should have taken place on tour among
the Baroque splendours of Prague.
1998 - 2000 James Thomas
James Thomas, Director of Music at Christ College, Brecon extended the
repertoire with a range of music not previously performed by the Choir.
He moved to Sussex in mid-2000 but his relatively short tenure included
a memorable performance of the Vaughan-Williams 'Dona Nobis Pacem' and, to celebrate the
Millennium, the first ever performance at Saint Davids Cathedral of the
Bach 'St Matthew Passion'
.
2001 Seimon Morris
Seimon had been Deputy Music Director since 1986 and is well known
throughout the area as a music teacher in local schools, as a private
music teacher, as accompanist to the Pembrokeshire Youth Choir, as
Choirmaster of Wiston Parish Church, as a composer, as an active
participant in a wide variety of local music groups. Seimon resigned in
July 2001 to pursue his interest in alternative approaches to choral
music.
2002 - 2007 Timothy Noon
In September 2002, , Timothy Noon, Organist and Master of Choristers at
St Davids Cathedral was appointed Principal Conductor of the Dyfed
Choir.
Under his direction the Choir greatly extended its repertoire,
spanning the entire range from Renaissance to contemporary music,
including acclaimed performances of the taxing Rachmaninov 'Vespers',
Verdi 'Requiem'..........and 'A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square'!
He was also noted for his rapport with audiences, drawing them into the
event and explaining the origins and significance of the music they were
about to hear.
In the summer of 2007, Timothy Noon was appointed Director of Music at the
Metropolitan Cathedral, Liverpool
2008 -> Alexander Mason
With effect from 1st January 2008, Alexander Mason, Organist and Master of
Choristers at St Davids Cathedral will be the Music Director and Principal
Conductor of the Dyfed Choir
[more details]
Venues and Concert Tours
Cor Dyfed is a registered charity whose primary aim is to bring the
great choral music of the Christian faith to West Wales audiences.
Concerts are staged at churches throughout Dyfed including
at least one major concert each year at St Davids Cathedral.
When funds permit, the Choir seeks to maintain its standing and its
standards via engagements at major venues. In the past decade, the
Choir has sung in St Johns, Smith Square, London, Llandaff Cathedral,
York Minster, Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, Brangwyn Hall, Swansea and
has twice been engaged to perform Mozart and Dvorak in Prague.
The Choir has performed the Rutter 'Requiem' at the
Wexford Festival with John Rutter conducting. Cor Dyfed returned
to Ireland in July 2005 joining forces with Carlow Choral Society for
a performance of the Verdi 'Requiem' in Carlow Cathedral conducted by
Blonaid Murphy.
This page last amended on
9th February 2007
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