Currently rehearsing twice a week, the choir are preparing for the new concert season which begins with their annual concert today (Friday).
Their guest this year is the tenor Washington James from Cardigan. Washington is a National Eisteddfod winner several times over and continues to compete nationally.
The other guest appearing with the choir at this concert is Nicola Hughes. Nicola attended both the Northern College at Manchester and the Welsh College of Music and Drama at Cardiff where she studied singing. She currently studies opera with Maralyn Rees. She is a former member of the National Youth Choir and is a holder of the under 19 category in the National Eisteddfod.
Both guests have sung with Whitland before and the men and the choir look forward to singing with them once again.
The choir is also in rehearsal for a joint concert with Pembroke Male Voice Choir. Last July they sang with the men of Pembroke at St. Andrew's Church, Narberth. Their task at that concert was to make funds for KRUF the Welsh Kidney Research Charity. As a consequence, a cheque for £400 was handed over to the local group of Kidney Research.
Immediately after this concert, the Pembroke secretary, Phil Lloyd, was contacted by the local Cystic Fibrosis Society to repeat the event at the same venue. So, on Tuesday, March 23, the Whitland choir will be singing again with their friends from Pembroke, with a view to making funds for this worthy charity.
Both choirs will sing individual items in their own inimitable styles, but the main thrust of the evening is the two choirs singing together, ably led by the two conductors, David Gwynne, of Pembroke, and Juliet Rossiter, of Whitland, who have already conferred on the programme for this concert.
Beside these events, the MD of the choir and the choir committee are busy making plans for the making of the choir's new CD. This will be the first recording for the MD since taking over as conductor; the choir are very much 'old hands' at recording their work.
Everyone is looking forward to the challenges this year will bring. Concerts coming up this season include visits to Brecon to sing with four other choirs, an Easter concert at Pembroke, St. Mary's in Tenby, a return visit to Presteigne, Whitland and Port Talbot choirs in concert, and a concert with their friends from the Australian Welsh Male Voice Choir, who are in this country in October. Also, a visit to the Albert Hall in London to attend the Welsh Association's Male Voice Festival will most certainly be a highlight.
Anyone who would like more details about these or any other events in the choir's calendar or who may be interested in finding out more about the choir, please contact the secretary, Stan, on (01994) 240053 for more information.