The Canolfan Gerdd William Mathias Chamber Choir took part in a concert at St Asaph Cathedral on Sunday the 24th of September as part of the Welsh National Opera Community Chorus and performed the Welsh premier of Oliver Tarney and Paul Mealor’s Magnificats.
“This was a great experience for the choir to be part of the WNO chorus and to sing in such a stunning location as St Asaph Cathedral” said Jenny Pearson, the choir’s conductor.
Jenny Pearson has been leading the Choir for almost a decade, and under her direction, the choir has experienced many successes, including taking part in a cultural exchange project with the Incantanti Choir from Switzerland only last year.
Some of the more ambitious and most successful performances given by the choir in recent years include: Bach Magnificat, Handel’s Zadok the Priest, Fauré’s Cantique de Jean Racine and Mozart’s Requiem.
Many of the choir members have gone on to sing with the National Youth Choir of Wales, WNO Youth Opera, and on to renowned conservatoires.
With several of the choir members having moved on to universities and conservatoires in September, the choir is now very eager to appeal to new members to join the team.
The choir is open to singers between 12 – 25 years of age, and Jenny Pearson is eager to emphasise that past experience of singing in choirs is not necessary in order to join:
“Côr Siambr CGWM is open to all – regardless of experience, you don’t need to be receiving singing lessons, and there’s no audition. If your child is a music geek of any sort, they’ll love it! Being a part of the choir is also of benefit for those receiving instrumental lessons – helping with aural and sight-reading skills and their knowledge of music theory.”
The first rehearsal in the series will be held for free, on Thursday the 5th of October between 4:45 – 6:00pm, at SP3, Galeri Caernarfon.
This first free rehearsal is a great opportunity for children who wish to have a taste of being a part of the choir before registering for the series, as well as having an opportunity to have an informal chat with Jenny. To register for the free taster rehearsal and to learn more about the CGWM Chamber Choir, contact 01286 685 230
