The chairman of Saundersfoot RNLI branch committee, Helen Baggott, was happy to welcome a good audience of visitors and locals to the Regency Hall, Saundersfoot, on Wednesday, June 14, when Tenby Male Choir and Tenby Brass Band gave a concert on behalf of the charity. After a warm welcome from Helen, she introduced their president, Monica, who presented Christine, MD of the choir, and Jill, accompanist of the choir, with beautiful buttonholes to wear for the evening. Then at 8 pm, the music began. Opening with a stirring Welsh hymn, sung in Welsh, the choir continued with three more items from their current repertoire, to much applause. It was a beautiful evening and very warm. The men were rather squashed together on the floor of the hall, but their singing was as lovely as ever. When the band were introduced, the audience could see that their MD Robert Thompson was among the players. Guest conductor for the evening was Dr. John Harrison of St. Mary's Church. With his wide musical knowledge and expertise, John introduced each of the band's items with some interesting bits of information. Firstly, the band played a traditional brass band march 'The Chieftain' and then the very famous and somewhat poignant 'Jupiter' from Holst's 'Plant Suite' of the 1930s. Next came a piece by Mozart in tribute to the 250th centenary of Mozart and then the evocative theme tune from the film 'Dances with Wolves.' The band's final item in this set of pieces was the concert overture 'Caliph of Bagdad'. When the audience had had a short interval and the raffle had been drawn (there were 11 prizes, all donated), the choristers returned for another set of four pieces. 'The Gospel Train' proved popular with the audience, followed by 'Eli Jenkins's Prayer,' sung unaccompanied, and then 'Men of Harlech,' sung in English. Their final piece was the beautiful 'Nivrana.' In returning to stage, the band opened up once again playing Mozart, moving on to a very different tempo and tune in 'Basin St. Blues.' Next came a piece known as 'Serenta' by Enrico Pacelli and a Maori song which neither Dr. John or many in the audience could pronounce. This was where Robert stepped in to give the title, his only spoken words of the evening. Finishing the set with a very beautiful overture called 'The Lonely Mill,' the band had completed the evening's entertainment. The choir returned and band, choir and audience sang the Welsh and English National Anthems. Before the audience took their leave, Helen was able to announce that the evening had raised over £570 for the RNLI, with which the committee were delighted. This annual event has come to be an important date in the calendar for the Saundersfoot RNLI and before the evening was over, a member of the committee had asked the chairman of Tenby Male Choir to please 'come again next year.' The choristers and bandsmen were then invited to a truly excellent buffet in the hall provided by the RNLI team. This was much appreciated and enjoyed. Tenby Male Choir will be singing at the dedication ceremony for the naming of the new lifeboat on Sunday evening at the harbour. Any male readers who may be interested in joining Tenby Male Choir would be very welcome. 'Phone chairman Tom Pearce on (01646) 687150 for further information. The choir are planning celebrations for their 30th anniversary in September and details of events will be announced soon.
