Lyceum Club

“The performance was magnificent”

“a fabulous evening”

“the programme was great”

“Faleiry was very enthusiastic and the singing was sensational.”

“a memorable occasion for us”

“Your Choir has a fine reputation of presenting a professional event and I believe the ladies and their guests were highly delighted with the whole evening.”
On a very warm and humid night, we assembled at St Peter’s to present a fundraising concert for the nearby Lyceum Club, whose lady members and their guests filled the church for a wide-ranging program. The full choir also included members from our Bendigo and Ballarat chapters.

What Would I Do Without My Music was melodically firmly answered before singing two Welsh favourites – Gwahoddiad and the more modern patriotic O Gymru. Bass Bob Ash then led the choir in the heavily emotional Working Man.

Multi-talented compère Stephen Pepper, a native Welsh speaker, next humorously engaged all the patrons in some educational audience participation, learning how to pronounce probably the longest word in the ‘language of heaven’.

Proving that a large male choir can not only sing without music but also without accompaniment, we sang a traditional Welsh lullaby before baritone Roger Bartlett led us fearlessly in You’ll Never Walk Alone. Thus fortified, the choir gave only our second public performance of the beautiful Y Tangnefeddwyr (The Peacemakers).

Two more talented soloists from the choir – tenors Rushan Hewawasam and Drew Hopkins – then stepped forward to beguile the musically appreciative audience with the beautiful Perhaps Love.

This led into the closing bracket of two Paul Jarman compositions.  Land of my Song, which we commissioned from Paul, giving its world premiere only 12 days earlier, was now given its second public performance, with sensitive solos by Bob Ash and tenor Geoff Roberts, to great acclaim, followed by the confronting Pemulwuy.

During interval, someone must have wondered if the very popular Cwm Rhondda would get an airing so our ever-flexible Musical Director started the second half with an impromptu rendition, ‘but only if the audience sings as well’. Fortunately, they were only too ready to join in which led nicely into a bracket of Celtic numbers. Tenor Ed Hughes caught the pathos in Danny Boy and bass Barry McMahon spiced up the harvesting of Wild Mountain Thyme. The famous and ever-popular Men of Harlech was then lustily sung in Welsh and English.

Switching the tone from a besieged army to a besieged wife, bass Geoff Serpell and tenor John Hales added a bit of costume to sing the famous humorous duet Ah Still Suits Me from the musical Showboat.

The finale comprised the impressive and dramatic medley arrangement from Les Misérables, including fine solos from Rushan and Roger.

After the applause had died down, everybody rose to sing the Welsh National Anthem (Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau) with the addition of a 92-year-old Welshman, who just happened to be in the front row and who also knew the words. It was a lovely moment for him and his family and a fitting end to a marvellous concert.

After gesturing for patrons to sit down again, the choir left the stage to fill all the aisles before bidding everybody a very warm goodnight with the haunting Sunset Poem.