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Posted 7.5.17

Visitors from 'Down Under'

The Orpheus regularly welcomes visitors from all over the world to its twice weekly rehearsals. It's not often however that a whole choir and its supporters turn up. On 3 May the Choir was delighted to welcome the touring Melbourne Welsh Male Choir to share a few songs and afterwards a few beers!

To facilitate the evening the rehearsal was held at the Towers Hotel near to the Orpheus' regular rehearsal room at Swansea University's Bay Campus, with both choirs contributing music from their own repertoire before joining in two joint items to bring the music element of the evening to a close.

The links between the two choirs go back to 1984 when the Melbourne Choir was formed. Its first Musical Director (MD) was Bill Mead, a former chorister with the Orpheus before his emigration to Australia. The link has continued with a number of visits to Melbourne by the Orpheus' former MD and now Conductor Emeritus Alwyn Humphreys; who in 2003 became Patron of the Australian Choir.

The Melbourne Choir had competed in the Cornwall International Male Choral Festival prior to its journey to Swansea and with concerts in Maesteg and Bristol on either side of the evening with the Orpheus, the hosts were very appreciative of the effort that the visitors had made to join in the rehearsal.

Below are some photos from a very enjoyable evening.

 

The Morriston Orpheus, with MD Joy Amman Davies, gets the evening off to a rousing start.
Then it was the turn of the Melbourne Welsh, with MD David Ashton-Smith, to entertain the audience.
Melbourne Welsh MD, David Ashton-Smith, conducts both Choirs in 'Morte Criste' one of two joint items, accompanied by Simon Walters
David's turn to sit back and relax whilst Alwyn Humphreys conducts both Choirs in 'American Trilogy', accompanist: Ieuan Jones
Orpheus Chairman David Taylor (right) exchanges souvenir plaques with the President of Melbourne Welsh, Paul Gawthorn
The two Choirs, and musical staff

 

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