Croesyceiliog Male Choir held a charity concert on Saturday 23rd November in aid of Prostate Cymru, the leading prostate health charity in Wales supporting men with benign prostate disease and prostate cancer. The local choir were joined by special guests Hereford Rail Male Voice Choir for the event at St Julian’s Methodist Church in Newport.
Established over fifty years ago, Croesyceiliog Male Choir have performed at concerts locally, throughout the UK and in European countries. The choir is a registered charity and as such raise funds through concerts for major charities and local good causes. Their pursuance of performing for good causes has led the choir to sing for the Queen and the Princes of Wales amongst others. The ensemble, who rehearse at Croesyceiliog Cricket and Rugby Club, currently has thirty-four members and are led by musical director Rodger Appleby.
Hereford Rail Male Voice Choir, the guest ensemble at this charity evening, features thirty members under the direction of Derek Gough. The choir, which was formed twenty five years ago, do around twenty concerts a year for charity and have also toured Holland, Cornwall and Wales.
The choirs performed separately during the concert before combining, much to the audience’s delight, for the final two pieces: Morte Christie and American Trilogy. Both choirs demonstrated a varied repertoire, performing a range of spirituals, traditional Welsh tunes and popular music. They also performed a number of musical theatre favourites including ‘Anthem’ from Chess and ‘Stars’ and ‘Do You Hear The People Sing?’ from Les Miserables.