Male choir bring the sound of the Welsh valleys home

You don’t have to be Welsh to join the Oxford Welsh Male Voice Choir but you do have to be male,” laughs Sharron Jenkinson, their events secretary, on the eve of their biannual concert in Oxford.

Appearing at Oxford’s Town Hall on Saturday, the 100-strong choir’s swelling sound will be raising the roof. And having sung at Cardiff Arms Park, the Albert Hall, and The Millennium Stadium, the choir are almost as well known nationwide as they are in Oxford.

But although emotional and rousing performers, it won’t be a novelty, because The Oxford Welsh Male Voice Choir has been going since 1928.

“The choir was largely made up by miners who left the Welsh Valleys and marched here on foot to Oxford to take jobs in the growing car industry,” Sharron tells me.

Many settled in Florence Park which is where Sharron grew up, “otherwise known as ‘the Welsh estate’ and full of people called Davies and Evans,” she adds proudly.

Sharron’s husband George is the chairman of the choir which performs two major Oxford concerts a year every spring and autumn and 15 to 20 smaller appearances throughout the rest of the year.

And with a new musical director on board, the choir is picking up pace and members at a swift rate.

If you haven’t seen a Welsh male voice choir, the sound is enough to stop you in your tracks. George tells me: “Spiritually the music is very moving, inspiring and spine-tingling.

“That’s because it’s a four-part choir with a big heart and a real quality of sound. You don’t have to be a music reader but timing is everything.”

On Saturday night, the choir will sing some rousing traditional Welsh songs in the first half, followed by some more contemporary numbers in the second – Unchained Melody, Elvis and even some Beatles numbers.

“The concert is on during the England/Australia rugby match, but that’s not something the Welsh will be worrying about,” George laughs.

And what’s in it for them? “The important thing is to enjoy it of course. About a third of our members are Welsh or have Welsh connections, but the main criteria is that you like singing and to enjoy the camaraderie as well because we all look out for each other.

“I have sung in all sorts of choirs in my life and grew up in Wiltshire, but this is something quite unique and very special,” George tells me.

“I’ve been singing with them for 10 years now and while they are an easy-going bunch, they really focus and concentrate on the music.

“It’s so uplifting. We just sing our hearts out and then go down the pub afterwards and sing some more,” he adds. “It’s like an afterglow.”

So what do they make of it in the pubs? “Well it’s funny you should ask that actually, because last time we went out, some scary looking Hells Angels came in and we were a bit worried, but as soon as we started singing they were crying like babies,” George remembers.

He then laughs and adds: “Hopefully out of joy.”

SEE IT
The Oxford Welsh Male Voice Choir is hosting its annual concert at Oxford Town Hall on Saturday joined by Caldicot Male Voice Choir. www.ticketsoxford.com