Most of our church-hosted concerts take place in St. Johns or St. Mary's Church, so it was a pleasant change to hold a concert at St. Teilo's Church, Tenby, on Thursday. It's been a very long time since we held a concert there, although we have sung there for weddings and funerals. Hopefully it will not be too long before we can fit in another concert at this very nice venue with excellent acoustics.

The programme for this concert featured Hannah Lowe on violin, beautifully accompanied by her mother Sian on piano - what a talented family. Twenty-one-year-old Hannah is a former pupil of Greenhill School where she was leader of the school and county orchestras. She is now studying her secondary music education at Cardiff Metropolitan University.

Once again, however, the main soloist was Paul Varallo who sang 'Wishing you were somehow here again' from Phantom of the Opera, 'Ideale Ideal' by Francesco Paolo Tosti, 'Suo Gan', a traditional Welsh lullaby, and 'Turna a Surriento' Come Back to Sorrento.

Paul joined the choir in 2000 when his wife apparently got fed up with him cluttering up the sofa. Although with little formal musical education, he's been singing from an early age. Both his parents were church choristers and his mother's father was the leader of Poole Town Band. As his uncles also had to learn a musical instrument, the frequent family parties became singalongs, with everybody expected to contribute.

The name Varallo, of course, also hints at Italian roots and indeed Paul's great-grandfather was a harpist from Viggiano in Southern Italy, who came to Poole in 1880. Viggiano was a renowned centre for the production of harps, guitars and flutes in the 18th and 19th centuries. The musicante Viggiani (musicians from Viggiano) toured Italy and further afield in Europe playing the music of the day, often simple dance tunes. Clearly Paul has inherited something as he too is often harpist after concerts!

Paul was a soprano soloist with his church and school choirs and in his 20s was lead singer for a number of folk-style bands in Bristol and Swansea where he moved in 1975. He didn't really discover music again until he joined Tenby Male Choir as a second tenor and has been singing solos with the choir for the past 10 years. So we can safely say that he's really made it now!

On Thursday, April 25, there is another opportunity to come and see Paul and the choir perform, as we will be holding a concert at St. Johns Church, Tenby, starting at 8 pm.

As I've mentioned before, the members of the choir come from all different parts and we have been pleased to welcome new member Charlie McFee who hails originally from Middlesbrough. Charlie has been coming for about four weeks now and seems to be settling in well.

There are lots of ways to find out more about the choir, including links to some of our recorded videos. There is a web site http://www.tenbymalechoir.org">www.tenbymalechoir.org and a Facebook account (just Google Tenby Male Choir Facebook). Or if you prefer to meet us face to face just come along for a drink to meet some of the choir after one of our Tuesday or Thursday rehearsals. We finish rehearsals at 9.30 pm and there are always a number of the choir who stay behind for a drink or two before going home. You will always get a warm welcome and any information you need.

A.G.K.