2024 Concert - rehearsal dates
Posted 28 August 2023
We have now agreed the rehearsal dates for the 2024 concert, and the rehearsal rooms are booked! Please mark the dates in your diary - see HERE.
2024 Concert - initial announcement
Posted 12 July 2023
Following the success of our belated centenary concert in May 2023, we
are delighted to announce that the 2024 Montgomery County Music
Festival will be held on Saturday 4th May at The Hafren. It will
be Handel's Messiah.
Please mark the concert date in
your diary. Rehearsal dates to follow.
2023 Concert poster and updates
Posted 11 April 2023
The advertising poster for the 2023 Centenary Concert is now appearing on noticeboards and in windows.
Only a month to go before the performance! Check out the appropriate pages of this website for details of the soloists,
the members of orchestra (which is an extensive one this year), and updated conductor biographies. Do tell your friends - tickets available from The Hafren.
2023 Concert announced - a belated Centenary
As you are no doubt aware, due to the Covid-19 pandemic we had to cancel our 2020 annual concert and postpone our 2021 Centenary Concert. We
are now delighted to announce our programme for the belated Centenary Concert for the 2023 Montgomery County Music
Festival, to be held on Saturday 13th May. It will
be:
Mozart - Requiem
Larley - The Gentle Earth of Wales
Larley - Let there be Joy! A Choral Fanfare for a New Monarch
The two main works will contrast new and old. The 'new' is the choral cantata we commissioned Patrick to write for us for the choir’s 90th anniversary
in 2011: The Gentle Earth of
Wales. The 'old' is a work that was performed for the inaugural Montgomery County Music Festival in 1921, and which we had half learnt for 2020: Mozart's Requiem.
Please mark the concert and rehearsal dates in
your diary - see HERE.
Centenary Day events
Posted 22 July 2021
Two events were held on 21st July 2021, to mark the centenary of the first Montgomery County Music Festival on 21st July 1921.
Although a mass get-together was not an option, a very successful afternoon sing-along took place in the afternoon at Ysgol Dafydd Llwyd in Newtown. The 21 choristers, plus Barbara Powell on the piano, were all double-vaccinated, masked and socially-distanced. The group was conducted by Stella Gratrix.
The music sung was:
- Be Still My Soul (K.A. von Shlegel), from Finlandia by Sibelius
- Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehova (WW Pantycelyn), to Cwm Rhondda by John Hughes
- Eli Jenkin's Prayer (Dylan Thomas); Troyte's Chant (Alleluiatic Seq.)
- Calon Lân (Gwyrosydd); Calon Lân (John Hughes)
- Ave Verum, KV 618, by W.A. Mozart
Congratulations to our Chairman, Eurwyn Pierce Jones, for organising the enjoyable event.
In the evening, the Zoom presentation 'Full of glorious possibilities' was given by Dr Rhian Davies, Artistic Director of Gŵyl Gregynog Festival. See below for details.
Welsh-language articles about the Festival in Seren Hafren
Posted 28 June 2021
From our Chairman, Eurwyn Pierce Jones:
To celebrate a hundred years since the first ever of MCMF's annual concerts, back on the 21st July 1921, the Welsh language monthly local newspaper for the Upper Severn Valley, Seren Hafren, ('Seren Hafren' = 'The Severn Star') has very generously featured four separate articles this year, one article per month, to mark the occasions of the following:
- April Edition - to note that it was in April 1921 that discussions first got underway both (i) to establish a Montgomeryshire-wide 'mass' Choral Society, and (ii) to acquire a large site and possibly a large undercovering - even better still a building - within which annual concerts could be staged, somewhere within the county of Montgomeryshire.
- May Edition - to note the many exploratory discussions and negotiations that took place in May 1921 in an attempt to proceed with making the above 'dream' a reality, starting with the acquiring of a potential piece of land in Newtown on which to erect a very large permanently-sited 'affordable' building.
- June Edition - to note the fortuitous purchasing, on the 28th June 1921, of a redundant ex-RAF military 'hangar' building in Lincolnshire, and immediately thereafter arrange to have that building dismantled, transported to Newtown, and re-erected with amazing speediness and enthusiasm.
- July Edition - to note the fast pace of erecting the County Pavilion in Newtown, with such rapidity as to be able to stage within it, on the 21st July 1921, the very first of what was destined to be annual choral concerts.
All four articles were, of course, presented in the Welsh language; English translations may be made available.
'Full of glorious possibilities': Zoom presentation for Centenary of the Montgomery County Music Festival
Posted 21 June 2021
From Dr Rhian Davies, Artistic Director, Gŵyl Gregynog Festival:
"During the lockdown, I have been creating a Zoom presentation to mark next month's Centenary of the Montgomery County Music Festival, an event in which Gwendoline and Margaret Davies were closely involved. Visiting soloists stayed at the Hall and Henry Walford Davies and Adrian Boult led study-days in the Music Room to which conductors and choristers from across the county were invited to rehearse the repertoire.
Several members of today's Festival Choir have kindly shared information with me, and I shall also be drawing on my own memories of singing the great oratorios in the old Pavilion when I was growing up in Newtown.
Do join me on Centenary Day, 21 July 2021, from 5.00pm, to explore the rich history of the County Music Festival and its significant place within the tradition of massed choral singing in Wales. The title of the presentation is 'Full of glorious possibilities', taken from Walford Davies' Foreword to the first Festival programme.
We are grateful to the National Library of Wales for hosting the Zoom presentation and you can book your free place to attend by visiting the Events section of their website, or simply watch live via the Library's Facebook page and on demand thereafter."
Plans for 2021
Posted 24 November 2020
Although we now have the promise of a vaccine for Covid-19 being rolled out in the spring, we will clearly not be able to start rehearsals for 2021 in January. Sadly, this means that we will not be able to hold our centenary concert in May 2021, and lack of availability at The Hafren means that postponing it until the autumn is also not an option.
The good news is that it should be possible to hold a concert at a smaller venue in the autumn of 2021. Rather than trying to celebrate our centenary in a muted fashion, we are planning a church performance of Faure's Requiem. This will give our choristers the chance to get back into the swing of singing, and should be an enjoyable experience for all. We will notify you of arrangements nearer the time.
Our postponed "Centenary" concert will then be held in The Hafren in May 2022.
Keep safe, and keep singing at home!
Future plans
Posted 8 July 2020
When we postponed the 2020 Festival Concert because of the Covid-19 epidemic, we had hoped that it might be possible to reschedule it. Unfortunately, it soon became evident that this would not be possible. Sadly, singing in a choir seems to be a very efficient way of transmitting the virus!
It is difficult to predict what life is going to look like in the future, but at the moment we are planning to continue next year with our Centenary Concert, with rehearsals starting in January 2021. The two main works that we hope to perform are to contrast new and old. The 'new' will be the choral cantata we commissioned Patrick to write for us for the choir’s 90th anniversary
in 2011: The Gentle Earth of
Wales. The 'old' will be a work that was performed for the inaugural Montgomery County Music Festival in 1921, and which we had half learnt for 2020: Mozart's Requiem. There will also be other items of celebration.
There will NOT be a workshop in January, so that we can concentrate on concert items.
If all goes according to plan we will perform the Schubert Mass in 2022.
In the meantime, choristers, do keep singing at home - whether with Choralia, or interacting with other singers via Zoom, or on your own in the shower!
Keep safe, and we hope to see you in January.
2020 Festival Concert postponed
Like so many other organisations that have cancelled events because of the Covid-19 epidemic, we have had to postpone the 2020 Festival Concert, which was due to be held on 9th May. We are hoping that it might be possible to reschedule it for later in the year, although The Hafren is booked up so it would need to be at a different venue. We will let you know as soon as we have any definite arrangements. We hope that all our choristers and supporters are keeping safe in these difficult times.
Beryl Jones retires, Lynne Beck takes up the baton
After celebrating 40 years as conductor of Welshpool Choral Society in November 2018, Beryl Jones retired after the 2019 Festival Concert. The Festival Choir is very grateful to her for her long-standing commitment, professionalism and inspiration. We are pleased to announce that Lynne Beck has taken up the baton as the new conductor of Welshpool Choral Society.
Choral Workshop 2020 CANCELLED
It is with great regret that we have had to take the decision to cancel Saturday's Workshop as the number of bookings is just not sufficient for the day to work effectively - especially with only two tenors! We realise that this is at very short notice: we made every effort last week to try to get increased numbers but it simply does not seem to have captured people's imagination the way we believed it would. If you can confirm postal addresses we will issue refunds as quickly as possible: unfortunately we do not have the facility to make electronic payments. We would like to know whether you would be interested if we looked at re-planning the workshop to be at the end of the summer. Some people have indicated concerns over the January date given that the Festival Choir have already had a mass rehearsal on the 11th.
Choral
Workshop 2020 - Verdi Requiem (selected choruses)
Continuing our popular series of annual
singing days led by Patrick Larley, we will be
holding a choral workshop studying Verdi's
Requiem (selected choruses) on Sat 25th
January 2020 (10:30 - 17:45) in
Welshpool Methodist Church.
In the Requiem, Verdi draws on all
his experience as a composer of dramatic operas
– and this work certainly has drama! The Dies
Irae (Day of Wrath) has been described
as terrifying; Lacrymosa (Day of
Lamentation) is beautiful in its sighing melody; Agnus
Dei is a tender and lyrical unison melody
shared antiphonally between the Soprano and Mezzo
soloists and the chorus; and the resolute and
powerful fugue, Libera Me, finally melts
into the dying whispers of the closing few bars.
Patrick Larley leads the workshop, introducing
some of the most dramatic choruses of this
monumental choral work, which is arguably one of
the most popular and exciting in the repertoire.
The workshop is open to all. Fee for the day
is £18, or £14 for members of the Festival
Choir, and music will be provided if required.
More information is given on the booking form: Download Booking Form
AGM and Social Evening - October 18th 2019
This year's AGM and Social Evening will be
held on Friday October 18th at 7pm, in The
Methodist Church, Newtown - this is the church in
which the "mass rehearsals" are held,
in Back Lane next door to Argos (SY16 2NH).
The evening will provide an opportunity to
relax and socialize together, and coffee and
biscuits will be available. We will also be
discussing a proposed increase to the annual
subs, so if you have an opinion on this please
attend and make your voice heard!
The first rehearsal for the new season is in
Llanidloes on Monday 4th November at 7.30pm, in
the Baptist Church.
2020 Concert Programme announced
Following the success of our 2019 festival, we
are delighted to announce the annual concert
programme for the 2020 Montgomery County Music
Festival, to be held on Saturday 9th May. It will
be:
Mozart - Requiem
Mozart - Ave Verum Corpus
Schubert - Mass in Bb major
Larley - Choral Fanfare for the 75th anniversary
of VE Day
Please mark the concert and rehearsal dates in
your diary - see HERE.
Note that the May Day bank holiday for 2020
has been moved from the Monday preceding our
concert to the Friday, the day before our event.
This is because of the commemoration of the 75th
anniversary of VE Day. We really hope this won't
affect choristers' availability both for that
Friday evening rehearsal and the Saturday event.
To enhance our acknowledgement of the VE Day
commemorations, Patrick Larley has devised an
appropriate programme, with special additions to
our original plan. These include a brand new
Choral Fanfare by Patrick, composed especially
for the anniversary.
Enjoyable singing day, 26th January 2019
We had a great time singing English part-songs
at the Choral Workshop, led by Patrick Larley.
Good to see some new faces among an excellent
turnout. And Welshpool Methodist Church did us
proud with the lunch, too! Many thanks to
everybody involved.
For more photos of the event, see our Facebook page.
Choral Workshop 2019 - The English
Renaissance
Continuing our popular series of annual
singing days led by Patrick Larley, we will be
holding a choral workshop studying English Choral
Music on Sat 26th January 2019
(10.30 - 18:00) in Welshpool Methodist Church.
The late 19th Century and early 20th Century
is often referred to as The English Musical
Renaissance - a movement led by C.V. Stanford and
C.H.H.Parry but also including the music of Elgar
and Vaughan Williams. It is a 'renaissance' in
the sense that it rejuvenated English music after
what may be considered as a barren period of
English composition compared with that of
mainstream Europe. The music, in different ways,
is characterised by what we might term 'a
typically English style' - a style reflecting a
certain nationalism and specific identity
breaking away from the direct influences of the
European composers and, as in the case of Vaughan
Williams, seeking inspiration from the very roots
of England - its folk music and the polyphony and
modal music of the 16th Century. The 'partsong'
therefore became a very distinct form in the
hands of English composers of this era, providing
us with some really beautiful gems of choral
composition.
The workshop is open to all. Fee for the day
is £16, or £13 for members of the Festival
Choir, and music will be provided. More
information is given on the booking form: Download Booking Form
AGM and Social Evening - November 9th 2018
This year's AGM and Social Evening will be
held on Friday November 9th at 7pm, in The
Methodist Church, Newtown - this is the church in
which the "mass rehearsals" are held,
in Back Lane next door to Argos (SY16 2NH).
The evening will provide an opportunity to
relax and socialize together, and coffee and
biscuits will be available.
The first rehearsal for the new season is in
Llanidloes on Monday 12th November at 7.30pm, in
the Baptist Church.
2019 Concert Programme announced
We are delighted to announce the annual
concert programme for the 2019 Montgomery County
Music Festival. It will be:
Britten - Saint Nicolas
Chilcott - A Little Jazz Mass
Horovitz - Captain Noah and his Floating Zoo
Britten - A Simple Symphony (orchestral)
Please mark the concert and rehearsal dates in
your diary - see HERE.
Singing Day 2018 - Mozart Requiem
Continuing our popular series of annual
singing days, we will be holding a choral
workshop studying Mozart's Requiem on Sat
27th January 2018 (10.30 - 18:00) in
Welshpool Methodist Church.
The workshop will be led by Patrick Larley,
who will offer advice on basic vocal technique
with specific relation to the vocal demands of
Mozart's choruses. The workshop will explore the
historical background and numerous anecdotes
surrounding this popular work. There will be a
limited opportunity for singers to tackle some of
the solo arias.
The workshop is open to all. Fee for the day
is £15, or £12 for members of the Festival
Choir. More information is given on the booking
form. Download
Booking Form
AGM and Social Evening - November 3rd 2017
This year's AGM and Social Evening will be
held on Friday November 3rd at 7pm, in The
Methodist Church, Newtown. Note the different
venue this year: it is the church in which the
"mass rehearsals" are held, in Back
Lane next door to Argos (SY16 2NH).
The evening will provide an opportunity to
relax and socialize together, and coffee and
biscuits will be available.
Festival conductor Patrick
Larley is looking forward to attending, and
hopefully the business of the AGM will be as
brief as possible! Please do try to come to this
evening to show your support to the Festival,
Patrick and the Committee, and also do feel free
to bring along any chorister you may know who has
shown interest in becoming a singer in the
Montgomeryshire County Music Festival.
The first rehearsal for the new season is in
Llanidloes on Monday 6th November at 7.30pm, in
the Baptist Church. This is preceded by the Llanidloes
Choral Society AGM at 7pm - we do hope
that you can attend both! The AGM will include
announcements about the new season, so please
arrive at 7pm if you can, so that we don't use up
rehearsal time repeating the information for
late-comers.
New season - Haydn mass and Brahms Requiem
for 2018
Get ready for the new season! The Festival
concert will be at Theatr Hafren on 5th May 2018.
(Note that this is the Saturday in the early May
bank holiday weekend and not the Saturday
afterwards as usual, so please book this date and
ignore all invitations to go away for a short
break!)
We will be performing Haydn's Little Organ
Mass, together with a piano duet, in the
first half, and the second half will be Brahms' Requiem.
If you need to order a copy
or copies please email Stella Gratrix (sgratrix
AT yahoo DOT co DOT uk) by the middle of
September so that she can order in bulk to obtain
a discount.
We hope that all the choristers from recent
concerts will be singing with us again in these
glorious works, and please do encourage friends
to join us in another memorable occasion. We had
a very enjoyable concert on May 6th 2017, with
great praise for the Vivaldi and even more
appreciation from the audience for In Praise
of Music. Patrick Larley was very pleased
with the performance and admired our bold
confident singing. And the excellent orchestra
added another layer to the night.
The AGM this year will be on Friday 3rd
November in Newtown, and Llanidloes rehearsals
begin on the following Monday 6th.
There will be a workshop again in 2018, on
27th January. Due to the success of the 2017
event, it will be held in Welshpool again -
details to follow.
In addition to working hard planning the 2018
programme, Patrick Larley also has tentative
plans right up to 2021 and our centenary year.
Watch this space!
New soprano soloist
Sarah-Ann Cromwell, our scheduled soprano for
the concert on 6 May 2017, will be unable to sing
due to health issues. However, we are delighted
that Phillippa Lay, who sang with
us last year, has stepped into the breach!
Hallelujah!
The singing day, studying Handel's most
popular oratorio, MESSIAH, was
well-attended and a great success. Welshpool
Methodist Church proved to be an excellent venue,
and the lunch was very popular. Everybody had a
most enjoyable time.
Llani rehearsals start, Monday 7th November
The first rehearsal for the new season is in
Llanidloes on Monday 7th November at 7.30pm, in
the Baptist Church. This is preceded by the Llanidloes
Choral Society AGM at 7pm - we do hope
that you can attend both! The AGM will include
announcements about the new season, so please
arrive at 7pm if you can, so that we don't use up
rehearsal time repeating the information for
late-comers.
Singing Day booking form
The booking form for the Messiah choruses
singing day on 7th January is now available here:
Download
Booking Form
AGM and Social Evening - October 7th 2016
This year's AGM and Social Evening will be
held on Friday October 7th at 7pm, in The St Mary
Suite function room at The Elephant and Castle in
Newtown. It will be an opportunity to relax and
socialize together, and a bar will be available.
Festival conductor Patrick
Larley is looking forward to attending, and
hopefully the business of the AGM will be as
brief as possible! Please do try to come to this
evening to show your support to the Festival,
Patrick and the Committee, and also do feel free
to bring along any chorister you may know who has
shown interest in becoming a singer in the MMF.
Singing Day 2017 - Hallelujah!
Following the success of choral workshop on
Elijah choruses in February 2016, we will be
holding a singing day studying Handel's most
popular oratorio, MESSIAH, on Sat
7th January 2017 (10.30 - 5.45) in
Welshpool Methodist Church.
The workshop will be led by Patrick Larley,
who will offer advice on basic vocal technique
with specific relation to the vocal demsnds of
Handel's challenging choruses. The workshop will
also explore the historical background and
numerous anecdotes surrounding this monumental
work. There may also be a limited opportunity for
singers to tackle the some of the solo arias.
Put the date in your diary - booking form to
follow.
New season - Vivaldi and Larley for 2017
Get ready for the new season! The Festival
concert will be at Theatr Hafren on 6th May 2017.
We will be performing Vivaldi's Gloria in
D, and In Praise of Music by
Patrick Larley, together with other works from
the Festival Orchestra and Bro Hafren Junior
Choir.
In Praise of Music was commissioned
by Ludlow Choral Society for its 150th
Anniversary in 2008, and includes settings of
texts by Dryden, Pythagoras, Milton, and from The
Psalter and Prayers of North American Indians.
Gay Roberts
 We
were very sad to hear of the passing of Gay
Roberts, a former Secretary of the Montgomery
County Music Festival.
Gay first sang with the Festival when she was
16 years old, together with her parents and
sister. After retiring from working life and many
years later it gave her great pleasure to sing
again with the festival. She carried out the
duties of Concert Secretary for several years,
and in 2012 was invited to become a vice
president in recognition of her contribution to
the Festival. We are very grateful to have been
her chosen charity, and have received donations
of over £400 in her memory.
Gay's musical heritage stretched back to 1784:
she was a direct-line descendent of Harpist Evan
Jones (the "Blind Harpist of Waenoer")
who was born in Garthbeibio and was, by all
accounts, an excellent exponent of the
triple-stringed harp, regularly playing for the
Earl of Powis and his guests and accompanying
well-known Banwy Valley penillion singers of the
day.
Gay's parents and sister were very active
musicians and singers in their home village of
Llanfair Caereinion, and through their influence
music, particularly singing, was always
Gay's passion. Her training and experience were
carried out in London under the tutorage of
Professor Joseph Hislop at the Guildhall School
of Music and Drama, subsequently being
successfully auditioned for Sadlers Wells Opera
Company.
In addition to her role with the Montgomery
County Music Festival, Gay was also Secretary of
Côr Merched Maldwyn (Montgomeryshire Ladies
Choir) from 2001 to 2011.
Choral Workshop - Elijah Choruses
The choral workshop in St Nicholas Church,
Montgomery, was a great success and much enjoyed
by all who attended. By popular demand, we are
planning to hold another workshop as part of next
year's festival. Suggestions for works are
welcomed!
Patrick
Larley summoning forth an exciting
performance of Elijah choruses
For more photos of the event, see
our Facebook page.
Parking for the "mass" rehearsal,
March 5th
Please note that the Mid Wales Rally will be
meeting in Newtown on March 5th, and it is likely
that much of the Back Lane car park will not be
available for public parking on that day.
So please allow plenty of time for parking and
getting to the rehearsal.
Carmina Burana - What's it all about?
If you have ever wondered what Carl Orff's Carmina
Burana is really all about, you can read the
text of this introductory
talk by Patrick Larley, the Festival's
Musical Director. Very enlightening!
Carmina Burana - Royal Albert Hall
Following last year's sucessful weekend in
London for a performance of Karl Jenkin's The Armed
Man - A Mass for Peace organised by The
Really Big Chorus, the Festival Choir are now
organising a visit to the 2016 event.
On the weekend of July 9th and 10th The
Really Big Chorus are this year
(coincidentally!) performing Carl Orff's Carmina
Burana in a concert along with Grieg's Peer
Gynt Suite No.1 and Tchaikovsky's Romeo
and Juliet Overture.
Tickets can be arranged for various packages
including concert tickets for singers and
audience, plus transport to London and/or hotel
accomodation for the Saturday night.
For further details and/or to arrange bookings
download the attached form and return it
no later than 10th of February.
 As
an extension of the 2016 Festival, and as part of
our fund-raising, we will be holding a Choral
Workshop of Elijah Choruses in Montgomery on 27th
February.
Patrick Larley
leads the workshop day introducing some of the
loveliest and most dramatic choruses of this most
popular choral work.
Mendelssohn composed the oratorio, Elijah,
for the Triennial Festival in Birmingham and
conducted the first performance in 1846,
returning to Birmingham a year later to conduct a
revised version shortly before his death in 1847.
Stories from the life of the great prophet Elijah
are told through music which is dramatic,
memorable and exciting. Elijah which
stands alongside some of the greatest choral
works ever written, such as Messiah, Creation
and the masterpieces of J. S. Bach.
The workshop is open to all.
Fee for the day is £14, or £12 for members of
the Festival Choir. More information is given on
the booking form. Download
Booking Form
Merry Christmas! And news for January 2016
We hope that all our choristers and supporters
have a wonderful Christmas and New Year.
Llanidloes Choral Society will start
rehearsing again on Monday 4th January.
The first "mass" rehearsal will be
on January 16th. Please note the change
in venue for this rehearsal - our normal
venue is not available on that date, so we will
be at the Crescent Christian Centre
in Newtown. This is on the corner of the
roundabout on Milford Road (over the bridge and
up the road from the town centre). There is
limited parking there, so please only park there
if you have mobility problems. Otherwise, park in
the usual car park in Back Lane and walk round.
Thanks!
Bad weather
The rehearsal in Llanidloes on Monday 30th
November is cancelled due to bad weather and
flooded roads.
Monday 7th December will be the last rehearsal
for Llanidloes Choral Society before Christmas.
AGM and Social Evening - October 16th 2015
This year's AGM and Social Evening will be
held on Friday October 16th at 7pm, in The St
Mary Suite function room at The Elephant and
Castle in Newtown. It will be an opportunity to
relax and socialize together, and a bar will be
available.
Festival conductor Patrick
Larley is looking forward to attending, and
hopefully the business of the AGM will be as
brief as possible! Please do try to come to this
evening to show your support to the Festival,
Patrick and the Committee, and also do feel free
to bring along any chorister you may know who has
shown interest in becoming a singer in the MMF.
The intended dates for the Mass Rehearsals for
next year will be available at the meeting for
you to keep in your diary or calendar. Also there
may be news of an exciting new venture that may
be initiated this year involving a 'Come and Sing
Workshop', depending if costs and response are
suitable.
New season - Carl Orff's Carmina Burana for
2016
Get ready for the new season! We will be
performing Carl Orff's Carmina Burana at Theatr
Hafren on 7th May 2016.
Watch this space for further programme items,
and for news of exciting things planned for the
new season. Tell your friends!
The first practice and the AGM
of Llanidloes Choral Society will be on Monday
November 9th - the AGM at 7pm and the
practice beginning at 7.30 pm in the Baptist
School Room, Llanidloes.
Concert success!
The 2015 Montgomeryshre County Music Festival
was a great success, with increased choir
numbers, a bumper audience and many fine
accolades.
Percussion Workshop added to Festival
programme
As part of the 2015 Montgomeryshre County
Music Festival, there will be a Percussion
Workshop entitled 'Around the World
in 80 Beats', on Sat. 9th May, 11am
- 12.30 at the Hafren, Newtown.
The workshop, run by Dewi Ellis Jones, will
include a wide range of percussion instruments,
and will be a mix of demonstrations, performance
and hands-on. Free, all ages.
Dewi Ellis Jones is also performing in the
concert that evening, both as a soloist as as part of
the Festival Chamber Ensemble.
Montgomeryshre County Music Festival committee
are very grateful to Dewi Ellis Jones and Hafren
Education for enabling this event.
Composing success for Patrick Larley
Festival conductor Patrick
Larley has achieved a significant composing
success. He says "Delighted that my A GIRL
FOR THE BLUE has been chosen as the only UK
winner in the 2015 ORTUS INTERNATIONAL NEW MUSIC
COMPETITION out of over 600 entries. It will be
showcased by KHORIKOS, one of New York's top a
cappella choirs, in June."
You can have a listen to A Girl for the
Blue here.
'Peace in the World' added to concert
programme
We are delighted to announce that the Festival
Concert will include the additional work Peace
in the World by Patrick Larley. This is
scored for female voices, and the text is taken
from a Chinese proverb.
Full programme for 2015
We now have the full programme for the 2015
festival. In addition to the main work, Karl
Jenkins' The Armed Man, the choir will
perform Martin Shaw's Choral Fanfare: Gloria
in excelsis.
There will be a short programme of works on
the theme of Peace by Bro Hafren Junior
Choir, conducted by Ann Evans. The choir
is affiliated to the Montgomeryshire County Music
Festival, and performed with the Festival Choir
to great acclaim in Andrew Carter's Benedicite
in the 2013 festival.
In addition, there will be a percussion solo
by Dewi Ellis Jones.
The festival will be extended with a special
percussion workshop for children, led by
percussionist and composer Dewi Ellis Jones. More
information to follow.
Pat Small
The choir was saddened to hear of the sudden
death of Pat Small. Pat had sung in the festival
for many years and was the administrator of the
Newtown, Caersws and Llandinam choirs. She was a
dedicated singer and will be greatly missed.
Starting the new season
The first rehearsal in Llanidloes will take
place on Monday November 10th with the AGM for
Llanidloes Choral Society being at 7pm and the
practice beginning at 7.30pm.
If you want to order a copy of the score for The
Armed Man please let Stella know by October
10th so that she can make the order in plenty of
time. Price will be under £10.
AGM and Social Evening - October 10th
Following the success of last year's AGM and
Social Evening, the process was repeated for 2014
on October 10th. The meeting again took
place in The Elephant and Castle Hotel, Broad St.
Newtown in the St Mary's Function Room, where a
bar was available.
We were very pleased that Patrick Larley was
able to attend. He spoke enthusiastically about
the 2014 Rossini concert, and how much it had
been enjoyed by both the choir and the audience..
Karl Jenkins's 70th birthday celebration
Karl Jenkins's 70th birthday was celebrated at
the ABCD annual convention in Cardiff at the
weekend of 23rd August 2014.
Work chosen for 2015 concert
After a very well received and enjoyable
concert this year, the committee met in July to
plan next year's concert. After much discussion
they decided to choose the option of The
Armed Man by Karl Jenkins, to be performed
with a small orchestral group. Many choristers
over the past few years have indicated a desire
to perform this work, and we expected it to
attract some new members to join us. In fact, as
rumours of what we are doing have begun to
circulate, interest from new people who want to
sing this work has been growing. For those among
you who aren't that familiar with the work, just
listen to the wonderful Benedictus for a
taster!
The work itself lasts for about an hour, so
the concert will be as usual in two halves. The
first half will be opened by the choir with a
choral fanfare, followed by a short programme by
Bro Hafren Junior Choir, and then hopefully a
Percussion piece. The second half will be the
performance of The Armed Man.
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