It’s been suggested that choir life is a calm slow movement with the occasional high point of activity. Indeed, one of the choir’s attractions, for some, is the opportunity to put day-to-day worries to one side, for a couple of hours at least.
Except for the small question of concerts and the occasional informal sing in a pub, usually winding down from rehearsals or a concert, we have very little contact with the outside world.
Then something comes along which takes everyone by surprise. On Boxing Day 2004, a tsunami occurred in the Indian Ocean, killing over 230,000 people in 14 countries. Waves of 30 metres were recorded.
At the end of our Llandudno rehearsal weekend, 23rd January 2005, we joined Cantorion Colin Jones in Betws-y-Coed, N Wales, for a charity concert. £1400 were raised for the disaster relief fund. 27th February, we took part in Huddersfield in Harmony, again in aid of the victims of the tsunami. This concert, at Huddersfield Town Hall, was the brainchild of Graham Dawson, who brought together Honley and Gledholt MVCs, Honley and Marsh Ladies, Vocal Expressions, Sellers International and Hade Edge bands, compered by Harry Gration, raising, with an Examiner raffle, £20,000.
Cantorion, an awesome choir if you like Welsh male voices, was founded by Colin Jones in 1992. He invited singers, who he knew and had taught and conducted previously in other choirs across N Wales, to join his new chorus. He retired in 2008. Len knew Colin and the two choirs had a short association. We performed with them twice, in addition to the Tsunami concert: Huddersfield Town Hall and Wrexham. During our spell of Llandudno rehearsal weekends, we used to travel up the Conwy Valley to Betwys on the Sunday afternoon on our way home. Colin came to us on several occasions as a voice coach.
The Welsh Tsunami concert was reviewed by Terence Brockley. It’s one thing to visit Wrexham on the Welsh border and sing, it’s quite another to go into welsh-speaking heartlands of the Conwy valley in North Wales and come away knowing we’d gone well.
The Betwys concert was a triumph. As we waited, I felt much as I used to prior to a big rugby match. The longer the delay the more wound up I became – or in more politically correct terms, focused and in the zone. We nailed it – or in more politically correct terms, we were technically competent and passionate in performance. Rod Gooch, who’d sat in the audience with Alan Dalgetty, had a wobble in his voice when he spoke at the next rehearsal – so proud he was to be a part of the choir.
Rod Gooch sat and watched the Betwys concert, with Alan Dalgetty. The rehearsal following he stood and gave an impassioned summary of how he was proud to be a part of the choir. I felt much as I used to prior to a big match. The longer we waited the more wound up I got. We used to be ready to rip their heads off – or in more politically correct terms, focused, in the zone. Well we did didn’t we? We nailed it.
