At the Tenby Male Choir Concert, given on behalf of Christian Aid, at St. Mary's Church last week, the magnificent sum of £630 was raised for the charity. Almost 150 people were in the audience, mainly visitors on holiday in the area, but it was good to see a number of friends who are stalwart supporters of the choir, present also. After some days of torrential rain, Tuesday, May 15, turned into a delightful early summer evening, with a breeze blowing, but a warm and sunny evening in which to indulge in light summer clothing and no umbrellas necessary. A good contingent of choristers turned out 'though there were one or two absences due to holidays. It was good to see others back from their holidays to exotic places. The welcome to St. Mary's and introduction to the choir was given by Dr. John Harrison, who also told the audience about other events planned for Christian Aid Week. David Blackmore, top tenor, was the compére for the evening, and as ever, made an excellent job of it. He introduced each song with an interesting snippet of information and/or anecdote and this kept the audience informed and amused. It was also of interest for regular supporters to note some of the changes made by the choir's new conductor, Ian Williams. 'Shenandoah', for example, sung in the first set, ended 'a capella'. Soloists for the evening were two of the choristers, Eric and Paul, who each sang well, and whose voices and chosen pieces contrasted and complemented the choir's renditions. In their second section, the choir sang five pieces, two of which were in Welsh, one of which, 'Men of Harlech', David was to tell the audience, had been sung by two of Tenby Male Choir at 'Rorke's Drift on a trip to South Africa at few years ago, and finally 'Amen', which was sung at a furious pace! Fortunately, all ended together! Paul's and Eric's solo pieces then enabled the choristers to get their breaths back, before the final set of six pieces. The choir began the final set again in Welsh, with the second verse sung by the baritones and in the second song, a group of five top tenors took the lead. A favourite little prayer, 'Thanks be to God', was the next number, sung with great feeling, and this was followed by two very up-tempo pieces, giving a great contrast again. In Morté Christe, sung as a finalé, a visiting male chorister from Swindon was invited to join the choir, which he clearly enjoyed doing. As the concert approached its end, the Rev. Michael John came forward to give the vote of thanks. He reminded the audience of the good cause they were supporting this evening, and of the 'slogan' of Christian Aid: 'We believe in life before death'. He reflected that one of the ways in which a human being conveys that he has life, and not mere existence, is in the ability to sing, and he felt it was therefore so appropriate, that the choir, in its ability and willingness to sing, did so, so that others, needing the help of Christian Aid, might truly live. Rev. John then thanked the choir, accompanist Jill, MD Ian and the soloists for their work, time and generosity. After the singing of the National Anthems, the very happy and satisfied audience filed out into the still- light evening air.
