A little more about us...
It is a little surprising to find Welsh Culture alive and well amongst the dreaming spires of Oxford. So many Welshmen came to Oxford in the dark days of the 1920's depression looking for work, is it any wonder that their customs have survived them?
It was from these inauspicious beginnings that enthusiastic and talented Welshmen came together to form what is now the Oxford Welsh Male Voice Choir. There are many mixed choirs and musical societies in Oxford, fiercely competing for new members, and it is against this background that the choir maintains a fairly constant membership of between 35 - 40 choristers.
At 80 years young and still with many members with strong Welsh ties, the choir still prides itself in following the Welsh traditions and it is only on one day a year when there is any real dispute amongst the ranks - the annual Wales vs. England rugby match!
Equally at home in village halls or Cathedrals, the choir has something of a cult following in and around Oxford. The Oxford Welsh aim to perform, on average, one concert a month for charitable causes. The choir has ventured further afield. Venues include; Cardiff Arms Park, Dublin, Holland, South Africa and the USA. In 2000 & 2002 the choir joined many others in the Royal Albert Hall for the 1000 voices concerts. We returned to the RAH again in 2004 and 2007 and are now working towards the 2009 festival of massed voices.
In 2003 the choir celebrated it’s 75th anniversary. To mark the event, Morriston Orpheus joined us at a very special concert in the Oxford Town Hall, the venue of some of our earliest concerts (As you will see from our “History” page).. Also, since many founder members of the choir actually walked to Oxford from Wales, a few of the more brave choir members walked back - to Risca, where many connections with Oxford can be found. In all, we raised over £4000 by singing at hostelries on the way and from personal sponsorship. For more details of this escapade click here.
2008 is our 80th year and we are planning a number of events to celebrate the choirs long history. Highlights incude the first public appearance of our new uniforms on St Davids day, singing at the Millenium Stadium at the EDF Semi finals on March 22nd, choir of the year 1/4 finals (fingers crossed) and a Gala Concert and Dinner.
The
Choir is always looking for new members and people of all backgrounds
are welcome - with or without experience click
here.
Thank you very much - Diolch yn fawr