As if one Welsh male voice choir wasn’t enough, Oxford is being treated to a double dose later this month as the world famous Fron MVC joins the Oxford Welsh Male Voice Choir Gala for the first time, to give us a night to remember on October 31.
Anyone who’s heard the unforgettable swell and sheer harmonised volume of a Welsh male voice choir will know what’s about to hit you. But to hear our esteemed local OWMVC alongside the Welsh superstars is quite something.
You may know Fron Male Voice Choir from their platinum selling albums, documentary series, Wrexham AFC pairing or world tours, but having never performed in Oxford before in their 80 year history, you can now experience them for yourselves.
‘Coming to Oxford is really exciting. We are really looking forward to it’
Simon Atkinson from Fron MVC says: “Coming to Oxford is really exciting. We are really looking forward to it and I know the acoustics in Oxford Town Hall will be stunning. We always have a break over the summer and then get a bit itchy to get back out there, so there is a lot of energy around this concert and we have been rehearsing for three months. Being invited as guests is a big thing! We literally can’t wait.”
So what can we expect? “We always vary the set by singing a mix of traditional hymns, musicals, mainstream pop, our national anthems and the classics in Welsh and English, and have around 200 songs in our repertoire. But because our audiences want to hear new things, we keep adding new ones all the time.
‘there is a lot of energy around this concert and we’ve been rehearsing for three months. Being invited as guests is a big thing! We literally can’t wait’
So where did this amazing tradition of male Welsh singing come from and why is it so awesome? “It’s how we were brought up. They would sing walking to work at the steel works, in the coalmines to clear the dust from their throats, in the chapels, in children’s competitions. We sing everywhere, it’s part of our cultural upbringing. Some choirs have three of four generations of men. Singing is in our blood!” Simon explains.
“There are probably 200 Welsh male voice choirs in Wales alone, because we take any opportunity to get together and sing. It’s quite a thing. But while we have some extraordinary stand out voices in our choir, our job is to make them blend in. That’s the trick.”
‘They would sing in the coal mines to clear the dust from their throats, in the chapels, in children’s competitions. We sing everywhere, it’s part of our culture’
How Fron MVC came to fruition is just as inspirational: “It was set up in 1947 in the village of Froncysyllte, near Llangollen, for the men returning from WW2, to bring people back together and compete in the newly established Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.
“The country was in the doldrums and they wanted to lift people’s spirits. They needed about 60 people to make it work but they were a bit short so the local clergy went round the local schools to recruit and promised beer after choir practice. How times have changed!” he laughs.
‘The choir was formed in the village of Froncysyllte, near Llangollen, for the men returning from WW2, to bring people back together’
“We still have two original members – Dennis Williams and Gren Gough – who are in their 90s and still singing with us. And it’s our 80th anniversary next year so there are lots of plans afoot.
“Thanks to our notoriety we have a big catchment and some of our choristers travel for up to 40 miles, twice a week, to come to practice. We have 70 choristers on the books so we are very fortunate.”
‘We still have two original members – Dennis Williams and Gren Gough – who are in their 90s and still singing with us’
“But our goal is to keep reinventing ourselves and raise our profile, to try new venues and opportunities and continue to evolve, so Oxford ticks all the boxes.
“So we will sing, and then Oxford Welsh Male Voice Choir will sing, and then we will join together at the end. We get as much out of singing as our audiences and we want to keep sharing our music.”
As an extra special bonus, the next day Fron MVC are stopping at the RSC in Stratford-Upon-Avon for a free concert in the foyer on their way home on November 1 at around 2pm-3pm.
OWMVC’s Annual Gala concert with Fron MVC is in Oxford Town Hall on October 31. BOOK HERE
