FOR eight decades the dulcet tones of the Oxford Welsh Male Voice Choir have been the star attraction to mark St David’s Day. But this year there’s a rival invading their turf – leading to a serious lack of harmony.

Oxford’s choir will be performing on Saturday at the Wesley Memorial Church in New Inn Hall Street. And down at the Town Hall in St Aldate’s will be the South Wales Male Choir, breaking what the Oxford choir says is an unwritten rule amongst groups not to perform on each other’s patch on the same day.

They’ve asked the Welsh to call off their performance but the interlopers would not budge.

It turned out the concert was organised by two former Oxford choir members who left to sing with South Wales several years ago.

Now, Oxford will ask the Welsh Association Of Male Choirs to make the unwritten rule a written one, so everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet.

Chairman George Jenkinson, who lives in Steventon, said: “Usually we have just worked in a gentlemanly way; this has never arisen before.”

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He said it “shouldn’t be necessary” to have what was a gentleman’s agreement turned into written legislation.

But he said: “I have good friends in the association and I’m sure they could add this as a little rule.”

Mr Jenkinson, 62, added: “I feel a bit sorry for them in a way – our audience will be unaffected, but their audience I know will be diminished.”

Oxford Welsh Male Voice Choir will hold its concert on Saturday from 6.30pm. South Wales Male Choir start half an hour later.

The Oxford choir said it had sold 250 out of 300 tickets.

Colin Edwards, of South Wales Male Choir, said his group had sold 400 tickets, “significantly down” from their last Oxford concert, in 2013, when they sold all 730 tickets.

Mr Edwards, who lives in Wolvercote, booked his choir to sing through Oxfordshire Welsh Society, which he founded with John Prout after they both left Oxford Welsh Male Voice Choir.

They now rehearse with a practice group of the South Wales choir based in Wantage, the only practice group outside South Wales.

Mr Edwards said when his choir was contacted by Oxford, Oxfordshire Welsh Society had already booked the town hall for the concert.

He said he had not spoken to Oxford directly, but if he had he would have said: “I’m awfully sorry we have clashed but sadly we can’t move our date.”

Oxford say they will ask the national association to debate a rule in March.

Now you decide...

Oxford

South Wales