It had rained all day. Rained in torrents. In the evening, there was a slight let-up. But it was still a wonderful surprise to see so many people crammed into the sanctuary at St. Johns, when Tenby Male Choir sang to raise funds for the church.

From the moment the welcomes and introductions had been given by a church elder, and David Blackmore, choir compère, the atmosphere became alive with excitement and pleasure.

The very first piece, a Welsh hymn, brought long and sustained applause, and so it continued all evening. And what was so wonderful, was that it lifted the already highly-polished performance of the choir to new heights.

Perhaps it's the acoustics at St. Johns, perhaps it's the nearness of the audience to the choir, perhaps it's the new staging the choir use so that all the choristers can see MD Ian and all the choristers can be seen by the audience, or it maybe that Tenby Male Choir, and in particular their MD, never rest on their laurels, but continue to rehearse and perform to their best of every concert.

Audience mood also contributes to the atmosphere, and one could tell from very early on, that the audience were 'at one' in looking forward to the evening.

One couple arrived an hour early at the door, and were enabled to view the art exhibition in the schoolroom for a short while, until the sanctuary was opened up. It turned out, that this couple, Dr. and Mrs. Macfarlane, from Old Basing, near Basingstoke, had seen the choir 34 years ago, and arriving in Tenby only that afternoon, following a visit to the Gower, were delighted to see the notice about the concert outside the doors of St. Johns. At the end of the concert, they said how very much they had enjoyed the wonderful music, as did many others in the audience.

Following the lively rendering of 'The Gospel Train', the choir moved into three mellow and emotive pieces, including a beautiful solo rendering of 'Bui Doi' from David Blackmore, with support from the choir, which moved several in the audience to tears.

Paul Varallo then sang two items from musical shows of the 1940s/1950s and a Welsh lullaby.

Continuing with their seasonal repertoire, the choir gave a powerful rendering of 'O Gymru', which David explained briefly beforehand, and then came two lovely romantic ballads, at which Tenby Male Choir excel. After two further numbers, they ended the set with the evocative 'Bring him home', which was dedicated to the much-missed 'Dave Flan'.

It was good to see an almost full complement of choristers on stage. With many new faces over the past 12-months or so, it not only adds depth and volume to the choir, but stature. The increase in numbers in the bass section is especially good, and Ian has worked hard with the two centre sections, giving them more prominence, and therefore the choir has a much fuller 'rounder' sound.

Paul's second set of three pieces were very much enjoyed by the audience. Their extended applause meant Paul had to take several quick bows, instead of his usual one!

In the final section, David made his usual invitation to any visiting choristers to join the last number, giving them 10 minutes notice in advance, and after a torrid rendering of 'Amen' which gained sustained and enthusiastic applause, five visitors joined the boys to sing 'American Trilogy'.

It was a joy to see that one of those was a young man of about 17. It was also good to see several children in the audience, and as the funds were being raised for the chapel, there was no charge for children. They were perfectly good throughout the whole concert, and it is nice to think that maybe more families could enjoy such a lovely evening's entertainment, together.

On behalf of the elders of St. Johns, Mrs. Mollie Neate, thanked the audience for coming along to support the concert, and thanked Paul, David, Ian (the man who just waves his arms about), and Jill (the wonderful lady in the sparkly blouse) who, week after week, plays to such perfection.

After the singing of the national anthems, there was an opportunity for the many people in the audience who wanted to say personal 'thank you' to chat to the choristers or elders of the chapel who were 'on duty'.

The ladies of St. Johns catering committee provided tea and refreshments in the schoolroom for the choir after the concert, which was very welcome, because despite the choristers obvious enjoyment of their singing, it is hard work. Later, many of the choristers went 'back to base' at the County Club to chat and relax over a pint.

The choir's next outing is, after Sardis Chapel's anniversary last evening, at St. Mary's on Tuesday, August 11, at 8 pm.

M.N.