A very pleasing number of visitors and locals attended the concert given by Tenby Male Choir on behalf of the Tenby Sea Cadets and Air Cadets (ATC) on Tuesday evening at St. Mary's Church. The evening was cooler than has been of late, but was still warm enough for the audience to come along in light summer dress, and to wander 'home' afterwards in the light but warm wind. The audience were greeted and welcomed by the Lt. Commander, who introduced the choir, their MD and accompanist. It was good to see a number of young people in their appropriate uniforms, looking very smart and alert as they directed and escorted people to their seats. They were a credit to their leaders. The Lt. Commander began by explaining the purposes of the cadet corps and thanked the choir in advance for their willingness to give the concert on behalf of these young people. In their opening set of four, the MD included the romantic ballad 'She' and dedicated it to the ladies in the audience, but in particular, one whose birthday falls this week. The lady in question was further delighted when the choir then began a harmonised version of 'Happy Birthday to you,' which everyone joined in. Thank you, boys! The choir soloists were David Llewelyn, Paul Varallo and Eric Mullins, all of whom were much enjoyed as they sang solos accompanied by Jill. Guest artist for the evening was a new 'rising star' from Greenhill School, Phoebe Osborne. A Year 12 student, Phoebe is preparing for entering (second year sixth form) Year 13 in September and taking four A levels in maths, music, French and history, an excellent combination of subjects. This was Phoebe's first performance to such a large (unknown) audience and she carefully chose her programme to include four very different pieces. Having gained her grade 8 exam last year, Phoebe is clearly an accomplished and well-qualified pianist, and despite her nervousness in her opening number, Debussey's 'The girl with the flaxen hair,' she gained considerable confidence in her second piece, which was a Chopin 'Nocturne.' It was from Opus 72 and was beautifully played, with depth and feeling. After the choir's second set, which included 'The Rose,' arranged by Christine, and the 'Fantasia on Welsh Airs,' which, by itself, consists of four numbers, including the very popular 'Hark Afar' and 'Men of Harlech,' Paul returned to sing solo. His rendition of 'Bless this House' always goes down well. He was followed by Eric Mullins singing the Hippopotamus Song, in which he encouraged the audience to sing along to the chorus of 'Mud, mud, glorious mud.' Half of them were mouthing the words as Eric was singing, anyway. It's an amusing and very 'English' piece, which was enthusiastically applauded. As was the duet between David and Eric of 'The Bold Gendarmes,' and the audience clearly enjoyed the fact that the two men were laughing themselves, so much so, that David almost forgot his line! When Phoebe returned, it was to play two demanding pieces; Mozart's Sonata in B flat major (1st movement) and the well-known, much-loved Chopin Waltz in E minor. Both were very much up- tempo and the Chopin piece - so distinct from the first Chopin piece Phoebe played - was extremely fast and complex, with Phoebe not reading her music at all, but playing with great dramatic flair and final flourish. With barely an acknowledgement to the audience, Phoebe hurried off-stage, but her applause was repeated again when Christine returned and asked the audience, 'Wasn't that wonderful.' We all hope to hear more of Phoebe in the future, and were sorry she couldn't stay until the end of the concert to receive further applause. For their final numbers, Tenby Male Choir sang some of their 'best' pieces. As Christine announced the spiritual 'Amen,' there were many murmurs of approval, and to crown this they sang 'Shenandoah' and finally 'Nirvana,' which they sang with great drama, depth and feeling. The sustained applause reflected the audience's approval and appreciation for this excellent finale. Before the National Anthems, the Lt. Commander spoke on behalf of the chairman of the TSC and ATC when he thanked the Rector for the use of the church, Dr. John Harrison for his 'technical' help, the choristers and Christine and Jill. Two young cadets then walked smartly down the aisle to present Jill and Christine with a lovely bouquet of flowers, each. The concert ended with the singing of the English and Welsh National Anthems.

M. N.