| June 2010 |
Mozart's Requiem Workshop
Several of our choristers attended a workshop at the BBC Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff Bay on Saturday 5th June to sing Mozart's Requiem under the leadership of Adrian Partington, Artistic Director of the BBC National Chorus of Wales.
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| May 2010 |
Birmingham Singalong
"Singalong with the CBSO: Brahms' Requiem"
On Sunday 23rd May twenty-one of our choristers left Newport and travelled by coach to Birmingham's Symphony Hall. We joined over a thousand singers from all over the UK and beyond to sing Brahms' German Requiem accompanied by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra conducted by the inspirational Simon Halsey. We rehearsed during the afternoon and then performed to a paying audience in the evening. The soloists were Welsh baritone, Jeremy Huw Williams (who has previously performed with us in Newport), and soprano Emma Morwood. It was an excellent day out, as everyone agreed, and not only did it improve our sight-reading skills, but also our German pronunciation.
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| May 2010 |
Spring Concert
Review - Newport Phil's Spring Concert : Saturday, May 8th, 2010
Newport Philharmonic Choir's Spring Concert, held at St. Julian's Methodist Church, was a mixture of contrasting short pieces, showcasing fresh young Welsh talent.
Musical Director, Guy Harbottle offered a sacred mosaic ranging from the opening, lively 16th Century setting of "Rejoice in the Lord alway" by John Redford, through better-known Church Music jewels by Tallis, Mozart and Tchaikovsky to modern cameos by South African John Joubert - an imposing representation of King Henry VIII's prayer, "O Lorde, the Maker of Al Thing" - and John Tavener's exposed but touching setting of William Blake's poem "The Lamb". The choir exhibited sensitivity and intensity, plus flashes of Russian sonority in Tchaikovsky's rousing "Hymn to the Trinity".
International flavours were extended in folksongs from Wales, Ireland, Scotland, Greece and American Indian, culminating in a Zulu encore! Both Guy and Assistant MD, Martyn Jones wrote atmospheric new settings of traditional tunes for this occasion, featuring soloists from the choir and (in "Dafydd y Garreg Wen") the evocative strains of local harpist, 16 year-old Bethan Machado. With some trepidation, the choir performed the traditional song "Tris Kopelles Lijeres" in Greek to an audience which included the father of our lovely soprano soloist, Eleni Constantinou, but they were given the thumbs up!
Bethan Machado delighted with two harp solos, Cardiff schoolgirl Eleni was poised and professional in Faure's "Pie Jesu", while soaring Neath tenor Joshua Mills had the audience in the palm of his hand, with a dazzling duo of songs from "The Magic Flute" and by Franz Lehar. Undoubtedly, we were witnessing stars of the future.
It was also pleasing to see the choir's staunch president, re-elected MP Paul Flynn, in the front row of the audience, after a punishing week in politics.
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| February 2010 |
Dydd Dewi Sant
On Sunday 28th February the Phil performed Gwahoddiad and Tydi a Roddaist at the annual St David's Day Service organised by Cymdeithas Cymry Casnewydd at Newport Cathedral.
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| Febuary 2010 |
"Medley of Music"
To celebrate 30 years of hospice care, St David's Foundation presented "a fantastic toe-tapping singalong musical evening" at the Riverfront, Newport on Saturday 20th February. The Phil were invited to take part, along with Risca Male Choir and other supporting artists. The evening was rounded off in grand style as the two choirs joined together for a show-stopping performance of "Morte Christe". It was clear from the audience reaction and subsequent feedback that a thoroughly enjoyable evening was had by all, while at the same time supporting such a worthy cause.
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| January 2010 |
Beryl Thomas
A large number of choristers joined the congregation at Thornhill Crematorium on Thursday 28th January for the funeral service of Beryl Thomas, who died on the 14th of January. The choir sang "Gwahoddiad" as a tribute to a much loved and valued vice-chair of Newport Phil. She will be greatly missed. |
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| December 2009 |
Choir Christmas Dinner
Once again this year the annual dinner took place at the Parc Golf Club, on 17th December when about seventy choristers/camp followers enjoyed a fine meal. The hotly contested quiz was won by Martyn's Gang. The second half of the evening consisted of a varied programme of entertainment of the highest order ;-)
Here are a few snaps from the event:
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| November 2009 |
Message from newly-weds Naomi & Guy
Guy and I would both like to say a huge thank you to all the members of the Newport Philharmonic Choir who sang at our wedding on the 6th November 2009 at St Crallo's Church in Coychurch. We were a little concerned that everyone would be bored whilst we were signing the registers but you all sang beautifully and entertained the guests well. Everyone of our guests commented after the ceremony how lovely you all sang. It really made our wedding day and we cannot thank you all enough.
We would definitely recommend you to any couples who are getting married who may like to add something a little special to their wedding day.
Here are a couple of snaps from the event:
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| October 2009 |
Message from Paul Flynn MP, after the Autumn Concert
A special thanks for the invitation to the concert of Handel's music at St Paul's Church. I cannot think of one that I have enjoyed more throughout the years. Although we might have heard more of the choir the combination of the baroque orchestra, the soloists, the new conductor and, of course, the choir was an inspiring treat. Please pass on my congratulations to the choir for the high quality of their work. They are a credit to the city of Newport and I am very proud to be associated with them.
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| May 2009 |
Spring Concert
Review by Nigel Jarrett - South Wales Argus Monday 11th May
Putting together a miscellany can be as onerous a task for an amateur choir as preparing one of the great juggernauts of the repertory for performance.
Many small items are concentrations of sentiment and fine-tuning and often demand to be sung unaccompanied.
So the first thing to be said about Newport Phil's Spring concert under MD Guy Harbottle is that its a capella singing of largely Renaissance pieces in the first half was impressive.
The most profound work in it - Byrd's Ave Verum Corpus - was sung by a choir alert to its stately chordal progression and overlapping melodic lines.
Elsewhere there was variety of pace and articulation, from Adriansen's Dibedibedon and Susato's Cum Decore (what an opener!) to Duruflé's Ubi Caritas et amor, its melody set among the altos with syllabic support. Vocal additions in Mr Harbottle's arrangement of The Skye Boat Song wafted the melody along nicely.
Assistant MD David Martyn Jones cushioned the choir elsewhere, at the organ in works by Balfour Gardiner and William Mathias, then and pre-eminently at the keyboard in the tricky accompaniment to La Delaissado, one of Canteloube's Songs from the Auvergne, a piano reduction from the orchestral score.
Solo spots were given to three students, sopranos Emma Sayle and Emma Wollum and harpist Bethan Machado, who sung and played handsomely. Bethan also accompanied in an arrangement of All Through the Night.
The choir's stirring account of the Erile, a traditional Zulu freedom song, underlined at the end its claim to have worked convincingly in several different idioms. |
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| December 2008 |
Choir Christmas Dinner
This took place on Monday 15th December at The Parc Golf Club, Newport. The usual crowd was there to enjoy a really successful evening of food, drink, friendship and entertainment. It was a first (hopefully of many) for new MD, Guy Harbottle, who entered into the spirit of the occasion with a fine rendition of the tender love song (hmm?) "Hand in hand ... in hand ... in hand ... in hand ... in hand ...".
Here are a couple of snaps from the event:
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| December 2008 |
Christmas Carol Concerts
Two successful concerts were held at St Julian's Baptist and St Paul's churches. They were both very well-received and helped to raise worthwhile funds for local branches of two charities: Health Help International and Multiple Sclerosis Society. They also provided opportunities for some talented young soloists starting out on their performing careers: Sam Woodford - clarinet, Amy Smith - soprano, Morgan Pritchard - tenor, Catrin Machado - piano, Bethan Machado - harp. Watch out for those names in the future.
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| November 2008 |
Trip to Heidenheim
A group of 15 choristers plus 4 "groupies" celebrated Guy Fawkes night by leaving the country on a plane bound for Stuttgart. We were invited over by the Oratorienchor Heidenheim to celebrate their centenary - which makes our 20 years seem positively juvenile! The plate on the right was commissioned from local artist, Molly Curley, and presented to the "Ora" to commemorate
the event.
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Chairman John recruiting a
new member for the Phil
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For some choristers the trip was a new experience but for most it was a renewing of old acquaintances. Most of us stayed with families. Indeed it seemed that we were all part of one extended family, such was the friendship and hospitality shown by our hosts.
There were rehearsals of course but there was also time for a guided tour around the vast Voith factory (the biggest employer in the area) and then, by way of contrast, a visit to the nearby Steiff Teddy-bear Museum.
( Click for an assortment of snaps from the trip. )
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On Saturday the concert itself, the Verdi Requiem, was a great success despite the late withdrawal of their conductor through illness. The subsequent reviews in the (German) press were very complimentary.
On Sunday we were invited to a civic "matinee" and reception in the morning to celebrate the Centenary and then a formal dinner in the evening where the Newport choristers provided the entertainment.
In fact, wining and dining was very much the theme of the trip - plus of course the singing. We parted with a few tears and the firm resolve to meet again in a couple of years when it will be the turn of the Ora to visit us in Newport.
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| October 2008 |
Our first concert with our new conductor
- a review by Nigel Jarrett in The Argus:
"To describe Newport Philharmonic Choir's first outing in public with its new musical director as auspicious would be an understatement. Either everyone rallied especially to make Guy Harbottle's debut memorable or he himself had made thorough preparation to make it so. Probably both, though it was obvious that here was a choir, in its 20th autumn concert, patently responding to the person in charge.
Haydn's oratorio The Creation is so wriggling with things on the move that it is almost impossible not to make a joyful and animated noise about it. In church or chapel the Phil's robust efforts might have dissolved among the rafters but at this venue and combined with the Welsh Sinfonia, kitted out for Haydn's various orchestral effects, they were full frontal. Supported by a trio rather than a quintet of well-versed soloists in Angela Kazimierczuk, Paul Badley and Gerard Delrez, the choruses were always graphic, now and then over-exuberant and a little fuzzy but everywhere full of a heady desire to move on.
The evening seemed to whiz by, the famous (but not exclusively strategic) The Heavens are Telling here and gone before anyone could say, with Mr Badley's Uriel, 'In splendour bright is rising now the sun'. Mr Delrez's opening declamation set the right mock-sombre tone for the rejoicing to come, crystallized in Ms Kazimierczuk's exchanges as Eve with her 'spouse adored' and some melodious and faultlessly sung trios. But for concentrated energy the chorus Awake the Harp! said it all - with feeling and conviction. "
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| August 2008 |
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Rhiannon Hodges's Wedding
Some members of the Choir (accompanied by David Martyn Jones) sang at the wedding of Rhiannon (alto) and Chris Kirk at the Wales Millennium Centreon Saturday August 23rd.
Click here for a selection of photos.
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| June 2008 |
Musical Director appointed!
After a long and well-contested process for selecting our new Musical Director from such a high calibre field a decision has finally been made. The three short-listed candidates have each taken a rehearsal to enable conductor to meet choir and vice-versa. The choristers have now cast their votes, with good support for all three candidates (well done to them all), but a clear winner has emerged. We are delighted to announce that the new Musical Director for Newport Philharmonic Choir is ....
Guy Harbottle
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| June 2008 |
Choir Barbecue
Click for photos
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On Saturday 7th June around thirty choristers and their guests plus children thoroughly enjoyed an afternoon of good food and company in the sunshine in the grounds of Tabernacle Church, Llanvaches. Emma's quiz engaged the mind while we munched through a seemingly endless supply of expertly cooked fare catering for the meat-eaters, vegetarians and those with a sweeter tooth ... and no need to get thirsty, even on a hot day. Many thanks to all who helped make it such a pleasurable social event. |
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| May 2008 |
Thanks Kate!
Our grateful thanks to Kate Woolveridge for taking time out of her busy schedule to fill the inter-regnum between Jeff Davies' departure and the appointment of a new Musical Director. Kate's enthusiasm and dynamic approach to rehearsals have helped the choir through what could have been a difficult period and enabled them to maintain momentum in preparing for their Autumn Concert, Haydn's Creation. |
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| May 2008 |
Jeff's Presentation 'Do'
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On May 2nd at Newport Golf Club we said goodbye (for now) to Jeff Davies who has been our Musical Director for the past 18 years. Over eighty choristers and guests enjoyed a fine meal during which an original painting by local artist, John Rosser, of the Newport Transporter Bridge was presented to Jeff in thanks and recognition of his valued service to the choir over many years. But we hope to see him again as a guest or soloist at future concerts. |
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| April 2008 |
Mal Pope Show
Some of you may have missed Mal's show at 5am on Sunday mornings! He features a different choir each week and on Sunday 13th April he interviewed choir secretary Alwena. You can hear the edited highlights here (11.7 Mb)
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| Feb.2008 |
Appointment of new MD
The Musical Director of the choir, Jeffery Vernon Davies, having held this position for 18 years, has decided to tender his resignation with effect from Saturday 26th April 2008.
During that time he has been a tremendous asset to the choir and it has made great progress under his leadership. Many challenging choral works have been performed and the choir's reputation established in Newport and further afield. He is going to be very difficult to replace.
The committee is now in the process of drawing up plans for the appointment of a new Musical Director. It is hoped that Jeff's replacement will have an equally impressive music pedigree and with the ambition to build on Jeff's success and develop the potential of the choir into the years to come.
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Musical Director: Guy Harbottle