News

30/05/25

MORE NEW MEMBERS FOR SOLENT MVC

 

Like buses, you wait for a long time and then three come along, Huw Thomas, MD of the Solent Male Voice Choir was pleased to welcome three new members this month. All three had spent several weeks attending Tuesday night practices in The Pallant Centre in Havant before deciding if they really wanted to join the Choir.

 

One of the new recruits, Rex, had sung in a male voice choir in Wales and says “…  I joined the choir of St Faiths, in Havant and SMVC seemed a natural, though delayed, progression. A warm welcome has been delightfully enjoyed from all members of the Choir.”

 

Rex has found it is not just the music, but also the friendship and the feel-good factor that makes singing with SMVC so enjoyable.

 

Tuesday night practices are not just about singing, they are a big occasion, where members meet and chat. It is a singing club for men of all ages and abilities. The Choir has a varied repertoire of around twenty songs, some traditional, some modern, some hymns, which are added to, and some dropped, throughout the year, so that the Choir can give varied and interesting concerts four or five times each year. Plus, of course, a totally new repertoire is needed around Christmas.

 

New members are welcome at any time of the year. It doesn’t take long to learn the music, much of which will be songs you already know, and there is no need to be able to read music. Just turn up on a Tuesday evening. You will be made very welcome and go home feeling uplifted.

15 April, 2025

NEW CHAIRMAN FOR SMVC

After five years as Chairman Dave McVittie has retired and Harry Woodroof has been elected as Chairman for the Solent Male Voice Choir.  First Tenor Harry has been a member of the Choir since February 2008.  He was the only candidate for the position and he was elected en bloc with the rest of the committe at the recent AGM. 

Dave will continue to look after the website and publicity but not as a Committee Member or Trustee.


Photo show Harry congratulating Dave and handing a retirement gift from the Choir.

14th April, 2025

SOLENT MALE VOICE CHOIR TO SING AT WATERLOOVILLE MUSIC FESTIVAL


The ever popular Solent Male Voice Choir (SMVC) have been chosen, along with the Cascades Chorus, a ladies barber shop choir, to sing at the Waterlooville Music Festival on Thursday 12th June at 7.30pm.

Dave McVittie, Chairman at SMVC, said “We love singing at St Georges and to be invited to sing at the Festival this year is both exciting and an honour. The audience will certainly be well entertained at the Festival by two very different choirs.”

SMVC will be singing the first half of the concert. There will be a mixture of traditional male voice music, including songs in Welsh and hymns, and some newer music which has been arranged by their MD Huw Thomas.

Since they last sung in St Georges the SMVC has grown to over thirty singing members drawn from as far east as Bognor and as far West as Fareham. Future events include singing at the Stansted Summer Festival in June and welcoming the Treharris Male Voice Choir from Wales in November.

Taken form The EMS, local newspaper

January 2025 and written by Russell Bramley, Arts Correspondent


Walking into a room of strangers can be daunting, but then being asked to sing, well that could make you head for the door. With the Solent Male Voice Choir I can assure you these fears can be dispelled. Unannounced I visited a rehearsal where the enthusiastic and very talented MD Hugh Thomas and all were so warmly welcoming.


Social interaction is huge in life and being part of something that makes you walk away smiling is clearly what this choir is built on. With a 50 year history, this committed group perform concerts and charity events and have a well-deserved, applauded reputation. I now appreciate friends who say that being ‘part’ of a choir has given them a whole new sense of drive, purpose and fun.


With Tuesday rehearsal from 7.30-9.30 at the Pallant Centre, Havant PO9 1BE, the nicest part of the company's website states, ‘You don't have to sing, why not come along and just listen’ How refreshing is that. Listen I did and its something I’ll do again.

January 2025


AFTER A BUSY 2024, which concluded with a weekend at Abertillery in Wales in October and three concerts at Christmas, the Solent Male Voice Choir is already planning a busy 2025/26 season.


They will be returning to practices on Tuesday 14th January at 7.30pm. Their Musical Director, Huw Thomas, will be issuing the Choir with a new repertoire which must be learnt in time for the first concert in March with Bosmere School. In the summer the Choir has also been invited to sing at the Stansted Summer Festival. Dates for the various other events for later in the year are yet to be confirmed.


SMVC usually have around twenty songs prepared for any event during the year. A few Male Voice Choir “standards”, some of which may well be in Welsh. A few more songs revived from the 200+ titles in their extensive music library. And, of course, some of Huw’s brand new arrangements. Usually popular songs re-arranged for a four-part male voice choir. The programme for each concert is chosen from this core repertoire.


As the year progresses Huw will also add to the list, constantly challenging the Choir and adding to the fun of making music. Variety is the key to an interesting programme.


If any gentlemen would like a regular Tuesday night of fun and music they will be very welcome to join in on any Tuesday evening at 7.30pm, in The Pallant Centre, Havant. There is plenty of parking close by. There is no need to be able to read music and there are no auditions. You will soon pick up the tunes and the harmonies. All that is needed is enthusiasm and a sense of humour! More information, including recordings, can be found by googling Solent Male Voice Choir.

November 2024

SMVC Welcomes back the Ukrainian Volya Choir


Having had a very successful concert back in the Summer with the Ukrainian Volya Choir the Solent Male Voice Choir have invited them back to St Faith’s Church in Havant for a Christmas Concert on Thursday 19th December.


The Songs For Summer concert, last June, filled St Faith’s. As well as singing their own programme of Ukrainian Folk music the Volya Choir joined with the SMVC for a rousing finale.


At the Christmas Concert, on 19th December, Volya will sing some Ukrainian carols as well as joining in with the SMVC and the audience for the more traditional “English” carols.  Add to this a few readings, mulled wine and mince pies and you have a recipe for an excellent Christmas Concert for al the family.


Tickets, £10, are available online through Ticketsource. Accompanied children will be admitted free.


The Solent Male Voice Choir are planning their 2025/26 programme of events and would welcome any suggestions for concert venues.

Contact events@solentmalevoicechoir.org .


SING EARLY FOR CHRISTMAS!

5 October 2024



Returning from their trip to Abertillery in Wales in October, the Solent Male Voice Choir are buckling down to rehearse for a busy concert programme in December.


Their first concert of Christmas Music will be in aid of Rowan’s Hospice and held in the Portchester Methodist Church on Saturday 7th December at 7.30pm. This is one of SMVC’s favourite concerts of the year where they meet old friends and raise funds for a very deserving charity.


The SMVC’s own Christmas Concert is to be held in St Faith’s Church, Havant on Thursday 19th December at 7.30pm. A good mixture of Christmas songs and carols for the audience and choir make this a jolly and informal offering at Christmastime.


Our third event will be joining with others at the Community Carol Service, again at St Faith’s on Sunday 22nd December.


So it looks to be a busy and fun time for the Solent Male Voice Choir this Christmas and, if any gents think they would enjoy singing some concerts at Christmas they are welcome to come along on a Tuesday night and join us. We practice every Tuesday from 7.30pm in The Pallant Centre in Havant.

South Coast Choir triumphs in South Wales

15 October 2024


Solent Male Voice Choir has returned from a visit to two of South Wales’ leading choirs.  Solent Male Voice Choir (SMVC) is based in Havant and is over sixty years old, being fortunate enough to still have one of its earliest members still as a regular chorister. 


South Wales has a long and rich tradition of magnificent singing and so being asked to join with the Treharris Male Voice Choir on the Friday night and then with the award winning Abertillery Orpheus Male Choir on the Saturday night is recognition of the local high standard of the SMVC.  Indeed, at the Saturday night concert in a packed St Michaels Church, Abertillery, the choir received a standing ovation for its interpretation of some of their songs under the expert leadership of its Musical Director Mr. Huw Thomas from Southbourne.

Two choirs join for Songs for Summer

 3 May 2024


The Solent Male Voice Choir have invited the Ukranian Volya Choir, from Chichester, to join them at St Faith’s Church in Havant on Saturday 8th June for a concert of Songs For Summer.

 

The Ukranian Volya Choir was formed by refugees who have fled from the Ukraine who decided, before Christmas 2022, to get together to sing Ukranian Carols. From that simple thought the Volya Choir began.  Since then the Volya Choir has sung at more than twenty-five events in Chichester and West Sussex.

 

The Solent Male Voice Choir are excited to be performing alongside and with the Volya Choir. It will be a fascinating and varied concert with the choirs singing their own music as well as joining together for some items.

 

The concert starts at 7.00pm and tickets, £10 (accompanied children free) are available in advance through the SMVC website. There will, hopefully, be some tickets available on the door.

 

EXCEPTIONAL CONCERT WITH THE UKRAINIAN VOLYA CHOIR

25 July 2024


SMVC and the Ukrainian Volya Choir combined to create an exceptional concert of music and fun. Singing to a packed house at St Faith's Church in Havant the two choirs took turns to wow the audience, singing in their own inimtable styles.


Volya entranced the audience as they sang us folk siongs, partriotoc songs and even a Christmas carol when they sang Smetna's Carol of the Bells .

SMVC introduced new songs to their repertoire but did, of course, sing some Male Voice Choir standards our audiences have come to expect.

To round of the first half the Choirs combined as the Ukrainian Volya Choir sang a Ukrainian Patriotic Anthem supported by a strong tenor and bass line hummed by SMVC.

SMVC started the second half with a jolly Michael Row the Boat  and the Beatle's Penny Lane.  Then bringing the house down with their rendition of The Wellermen.


A further set from the Volya Choir was followed a final set by SMVC which included another new song the Beach Boy's God Only Knows

However the best part of the evening was yet to come when Volya rejoined SMVC to sing Hey Jude.  This was an amazing part of the concert with the chorus going on and on, far beyond what was on the score, Canon Tom Kennar accompanying and having a ball improvising on St Faith's Grand piano, and, of course, there was much audience participation.

SOLENT MALE VOICE CHOIR RETURN TO PRACTICES

9 January 2024

If you are a man who is fed up with the dark winter nights, looking for something to give you a lift, to bring an interest in to your life after Christmas, why not escape with a bunch of likeminded men to an evening of fun, laughter and friendship?

 

We meet once a week, share news and views, chat about this and that, all based around learning new songs to sing for our next event.


In these times when everyone is concerned for their mental health joining a group brings stability, and peace-of-mind. Singing is also great exercise, helping with breathing difficulties and giving both your vocal chords and your brain a good workout.


The Solent Male Voice Choir is returning to regular Tuesday evening practices as from Tuesday 9th January at The Pallant Centre in Havant and any male, over the age of eighteen, is very welcome to come along and see (and hear) what we are all about.


You will find it amazing how singing a few songs raises your spirits, bring joy in to your life and sends you home feeling happy and exercised.

SOLENT MVC prepares for another year.

29 November, 2023

Even as our three Christmas events were happening,  the Solent Male Voice Choir were already thinking about what we will be singing in 2024.


There is already one firm booking to sing at a St David’s Day Dinner in March, so we will, no doubt, be revising and adding to our Welsh repertoire. Singing in Welsh, whilst difficult for Englishmen, adds a certain something to the music. It makes the hairs on your neck stand up.


We will, no doubt, keep one or two items from last years repertoire but our Musical Director, Huw Thomas, tells us he is planning to add some classical music, such as the Liberame Domini from Faure’s Requiem. In complete contrast we may also be trying Jeff Lynne’s Mr Blue Sky.


One thing is certain, the arrangements Huw creates for the Solent Male Voice Choir will be challenging but great fun.


The Solent Male Voice Choir meet to practice every Tuesday evening at 7.30pm, in The Pallant Centre in Havant. Visitors and potential new members are always welcome to come along on a Tuesday. More information can be found on their website www.solentmalevoicechoirs.org


CHOIR MEMBERSHIP GROWS

11 February, 2024

After a few weeks off from practices the Solent Male Voice Choir started the New Year by welcoming four new members to the Choir. This brings the Choir up to a core of thirty members.


Maybe it is the new repertoire that their musical director Huw Thomas is introducing that has attracted the new members. Who could imagine that David Bowie’s “Life On Mars” or the Beatles’ “Penny Lane” would be so popular with the members of a Male Voice Choir? It must be Huw’s crafted arrangements.


Of course the traditional male voice choir repertoire is not being forgotten and, as the first event for SMVC is singing at a St David’s Day Dinner in March, some Welsh standards are being dusted off. Most, like “Cwm Rhonda”  and “Sunset Poem” are sung in English to their Welsh tunes but the Choir do manage to sing “Gwahhodiad” and “Myfanwy” in Welsh. And the Tom Jones hit “Delilah” will, no doubt, be a crowd pleaser at the St David’s Day Dinner.


Plans are being made for future concerts as well as a weekend tour of Wales later in the year.

SMVC are now a charity

14 November, 2023

We have decided to become a charity as it will help us access funding from various groups as well saving money when booking certain venues.

The SMVC has always undertaken charitable work, supporting both local and national charities with performances and we thought, as a struggling choir, by becoming a charity ourselves we can encourage others to support us.

Our charity status will not alter the way we function, the music we sing or who we support on a regular basis.  In fact, outwardly, nothing will change.

MUSIC TO YOUR EARS!

31st August, 2023

Two local choirs, Village Voices from Emsworth and the Solent Male Voice Choir who are based in Havant, are joining together for a concert in St Faiths Church, Havant on Saturday 14 th October.


The concert, which starts at 7.30pm, will feature the two choirs’ songs from their own inimitable and contrasting repertoires.

Village Voices is a mixed voice SATB choir and has 53 members. In contrast the Solent Male Voice Choir is, as their name suggests, an

all male choir singing in four-part harmony. The two choirs will combine for some songs culminating in a grand finale of George Frederick Handel’s Zadok the Priest.


Tickets, at £10, can be obtained online at

https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/solent-male-voice-choir or through choir members, or even on the door on the day.

We are still searching for a new accompanist

26 June 2023

But in the short-term we are very lucky to have, in our President, an excellent pianist.  Cannon Tom Kennar, he of the Parish of St Faith's in Havant, has ben our President for many years and has often apologised for not doing more for the Choir, for not taking a more active part.  Well he is certainly more active now.


Since his illness, and falling off his motorbike, he is taking life a little gentler and is, very kindly, finding time to accompany the Choir for practices on a Tuesday evening.  He claims he is not as accomplished as our previous accompanists but, as far as we the choir, are concerned he is excellent and our real manna from heaven.

And now we move on to the Summer...

29 May, 2023

Since singing with the Welsh National Opera in May the Solent Male Voice Choir have been preparing for their upcoming concert at St George’s Church, Portsea on 14th July. They will be joined by a ladies choir, the Kidderminster Valentines, who are “on tour”.  Profits from this concert will go to the RNLI.

 

In August SMVC will be again singing at the Emsworth Show. Our two sessions at the Show were well received last year and we are aiming to impress again this year.

 

On October 15th we will be joining forces with Village Voices in a joint concert at St Faith’s Church in Havant.

 

More information about these concerts, as well as tickets, are available through on this website.

A MALE VOICE CHOIR, BUT NOT AS YOU MAY THINK

 21st March, 2023

For many people a Male Voice Choir conjures up the sounds of Welsh miners singing hymns in English or Welsh.

 

Whilst the Solent Male Voice Choir has a Musical Director who is Welsh their repertoire has, in recent years, expanded to include a wider range of music, some of it very modern, especially arranged for the SMVC.

 

A popular piece for many male voice choirs is “An American Trilogy” made famous by Elvis Presley.  SMVC now have their own Celtic Trilogy: All Through the Night, Danny Boy and The Skye Boat Song. More innovative are the arrangements of the Flying Pickets hit “Only You”, and Paul MaCartney’s “Blackbird”. Soon SMVC will be adding Jeff Lynne’s “Mr. Blue Sky” to the list.

 

Songs from the shows are always popular with audiences. So new arrangements of “There is Nothin’ Like a Dame” from South Pacific and a medley from The Sound of Music are there to lighten any concert programme.

Dave McVittie, Chairman of the Solent Male Voice Choir says “We haven’t forgotten our roots. We do still sing many of the old MVC standards. We have several long term members and they would soon complain if we turned away from our old repertoire. However, these new songs, arranged specifically for us, are great fun. We are all enjoying the change, the variety and the challenge.”

 

The SMVC will be singing in many concerts this year: in St Faith’s, Havant; in St George’s, Portsea; at the Emsworth Show; in St Faith’s, Lee-on-the-Solent; in Portchester and back in St Faith’s, Havant at Christmas. Many opportunities to hear an excellent male voice choir singing something different.

Welsh National Opera ask SMVC to sing in a new opera

10th March, 2023

Yes, we have have been asked by the WNO to join them in a new opera Blaze Of Glory! when the touring opera comes to the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton.

The opera is about Welsh miners who want to restart their choir after a mining disaster some years earlier.  It charts their success through an Eisteddfod and a link with Paul Robson.

Our part in this opera is to join in singing three Welsh songs: Llef, Yn Y Man and the big finale with Gwahoddiad.

We think that we were chosen becuase we do already sing some songs in Welsh and someone from WNO must have heard Huw's recent broadcast on BBC Radio Solent when he talked about singing the Welsh National Anthem at the World Cup and managed to mention Solent Male Voice Choir once or twice during the interview!

The opera is on Saturday 20th May, 2023 at the Mayflower Theatre, Southampton. Tickets are available through the WNO or the Mayflower websites. 

A busy run up to Christmas with four concerts in two weeks for the Solent Male Voice Choir

AN ACCLAIMED choir is readying itself for a busy festive sprint through four concerts in two weeks.

By Chris Broom  THE NEWS, December 2022


For the concerts Solent Male Voice Choir will be unwrapping three rarely sung carols to join a sparkling sackful of favourites, all arranged by musical director Hugh Thomas. The newcomers are Stable Carol by Vaughan Meakins, Tomorrow Is My Dancing Day by John Gardner and I Wish You Christmas by John Rutter.


The dash gets under way with the choir at Portchester Methodist Church on Sunday, December 3 at 7.30pm for Rowans Hospice, tickets £7. Then on December 10, they will entertain shoppers at the Meridian Centre, Havant from about 10.30am. At lunchtime that day the choristers will call at the Robin Hood pub, Havant to sing for an hour. Both concerts are free

The finale for the 20-strong choir will be a performance at its home base, St Faith's Church, Havant on Thursday, December 15 at 7.30pm, tickets £10.


Membership on the up

1st February 2023

Since our concert last October we gained three new members, two baritones and a bass, which gave us a great boost to our Choir for our Christmas concerts.


Now we are back practicing for the 2023 season we have gained two more new members, a baritone and a first tenor, with another prospective member who has just joined us.


As well as introducing some new material, Huw is revising some of our old repertoire. Of course for anyone who has joined since October this is not so much a revision but learning from scratch. It is a bit tough on the newer members and so we are starting an addition practice night on Thursdays, run by Chairman Dave McVittie, singing to backing tracks played from a computer, especially for the older repertoire. Any choir members are welcome at these additional sessions, and there is no expectance for regular attendance. It is just an evening of fun singing, learning our parts, without any pressure. We have been fortunate enough to obtain the use of the Community Space in Tesco Extra at Havant free of charge. Thank you Tesco

Abertillery are coming to Chichester

26th August 2022

The Solent Male Voice Choir are hosting a joint concert with the Abertillery Orpheus Male Choir on Saturday 15th October in St Paul’s Church, Chichester.

 

The Abertillery OMC are old hands at touring having toured Italy, Canada, the USA and most of Europe. As well as singing with the Solent Male Voice Choir this year they have sung in Torbay, at the Usk Choral Festival and they have been invited to sing as part of the on-field choir for the Wales V. New Zealand Rugby match on 22nd November.

 

Whilst the Solent Male Voice Choir have not been touring they have sung in Peterfield and Havant already this year, they will be singing in Basingstoke later in October and Portchester and Havant at Christmas.

 

SMVC have been brushing up their Welsh so that as well as individual items from each choir at the concert in Chichester, the two choirs can combine for a grand finale.

 

Tickets for the concert, at £12, are available online through the SMVC web site www.solentmalevoicechoir.org

 

As St Paul’s is large venue it is expected that there will also be tickets available on the door.

May 2022 was a busy month

30th May 2022

The Solent Male Voice Choir had a busy May. It all started with a Lunchtime Concert in St Faith’s Church, Havant. The concert, on May 4th, was in aid of the St Faith’s Big Build Fund.

On 19th May, SMVC sang for the Petersfield Welsh Society. The concert was originally planned to celebrate the Society’s 50th Anniversary but had to be postponed for two years due to the pandemic. The suitably predominantly Welsh concert, with several songs actually suing in Welsh, was well received by the Society’s Members and Guests.

 

On 24th May, back at St Faith’s Church, the Choir joined up with the children of Bosmere Junior School Choir for a joint concert in aid of both the St Faith’s Big Build Fund and the SANDS Neonatal Bereavement Chairty.

 

Fifty children performed beautifully, in note-perfect harmony, some challenging pieces. SMVC premiered some new pieces for them including a medley of Perry Como songs in set entitled “Nice ‘N’ Easy” and David Fanshawes’ “The Lord’s Prayer”, taken from his African Sanctus.

 

A packed audience enjoyed the concert which raised over £400 from a retiring collection.

2nd November, 2021

Although the funeral of Charles “Mac” MacAndrew, last November, was a sad day for SMVC it was great to see many old SMVC members again.

Uniquely we had three SMVC Musical Directors in attendance. Howard Wilkie (left) was superceded by his Assistant MD Geoff Porter (centre) who handed over to his assistant, and the current Musical Director, Huw Thomas, right.

(Suggested collective names: a Triad; a Triplet; a Chord; a Batton)

A great joint concert with Abertillery

25th October 2022

St.Pauls Church, Chichester was the forum for an evening of friendly choral "jousting" between two proud choirs - the hosts Solent Male Voice Choir, based in Havant and wearing blue jackets and the men from Wales, the red-clad Abertillery Male Voice Choir.


With their Musical Director Huw Thomas driving them on, Solent scored early with two old favourites "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and "The Rose" - but Aber showed their mettle with a classy "Bossa Nova" and a stunning version of "Alexander's Ragtime Band."


Going into the interval it was anyone's game,but when play resumed Abertillery, with energetic encouragement from their conductor Stephen Bard, raised the bar with their powerful twosome "African Prayer" and "Benedictus".


Solent's accompanist James Thomas, son of Huw, surpassed his usual,excellent playing as Solent sung "All Through The Night", "Danny Boy"and "Skye Boat Song".

Two new Life Members of SMVC

19th July 2022

At an Extraordinary General Meeting called on  Tuesday 19th July Brian and Margaert Goff were both elected to Life Membership of the Solent Male Voice Choir.

In rembered history Brian has been both Chairman and Wardrobe Master.  Margaret was treasurer to the now defunct "Ladies Committee".  They have in all probabilty done much more than that. Despite he can no longer drive, Brian and Margaret still attend weekly practices.  They come by taxi.  That is real dedication.

SMVC Celebrates Sixty years

4th February 2022

A year late due to the pandemic SMVC members and friends gathered at The Brookfield Hotel, Emsworth for a celebratory Dinner.

Chairman Dave McVittie spoke of the origins of the Choir and presented previous MD Geoff Porter with a “thank-you” gift.  Geoff spoke of the highlights of his tenure, such as the trips to Barnstaple and The Royal Albert Hall.

Long Service Awards were presented to John Rees, Terry Sheldrake, Brian Goff and Trevor Jenkins.

The evening was rounded off with musical entertainment by Choir President Canon Tom Kennar , Dave and James Thomas and, of course, the Choir.

What is a collective name for a group of Musical Directors?

Solent Male Voivce Choir - 3 Musical Directors

A busy December ahead

SMVC will be bring Christmas joy to several audiences during December. Starting on Saturday December 3rd the choir will be returning to Portchester Methodist Church to sing the now annual concert in aid of Rowan’s Hospice. The choir enjoy the atmosphere in Portchester as well as the excellent post concert buffet and grand raffle, all in aid of Rowan’s Hospice. The concert will be more poignant this year as one of our choir members, Martin Ellwood, died. He was in the care of Rowan’s.


Just one week later we will be Singing In The Centre, to be precise The Meridian Shopping Centre in Havant, between 11.001m and noon. Following on immediately from the Meridian Centre we hope to be singing in The Robin Hood public house in Havant.


Our own Christmas Concert will be held on Thursday 15th December at 7.30pm in St Faith’s Church, Havant. There will be a mix of congregational carols and choir items, many of which have been especially arranged for the choir by the choir’s MD Huw Thomas. There may also be a guest soloist. Watch this space for more information!


What fun we had at Emsworth Show

30 August 2022

What fun we had at the Emsworth Show


The Solent Male Voice Choir were booked to sing two sets at the recent Emsworth Horticultural Show held on August bank Holiday Monday.


The Emsworth Show was held in the grounds of the New Life Church in Hermitage, Emsworth and, as well as a grand Horticultural Marquee, features arena entertainment, a dog show, many fairground attractions, craft stall and a “bandstand area”. This year the three musical items were supplied by Alder Valley Brass, Slowburn (a reggae band) and, in complete contrast the Solent Male Voice Choir.


Led by the Musical Director Huw Thomas the SMVC sang traditional male voice songs plus a few popular songs from the shows. A good audience enjoyed the singing and even joined in. James Thomas accompanied the choir on the keyboard.


SMVC Chairman Dave McVittie said “This was a first for SMVC, singing outdoors. The weather was great and we held a good audience in both of our sets. I noticed that many of the men in the audience were singing along with us and so I invited them to turn up to our weekly practice, which happened to be the next day. Amazingly three gentlemen did turn up on Tuesday and we are hoping they will become members.”

Singing at The Meridian

5th March, 2022

Solent Male Voice Choir sang in The Meridian Centre, Havant for an hour on Saturday 5th March, entertaining the shoppers.

 

By all accounts the singing was well received by the customers and shop owners alike in the Centre. The original plan had been to sing to raise awareness of SMVC’s upcoming Open Night which is to be held on Tuesday 15th March. 

 

However, recent events in the Ukraine took over and, assisted by SMVC’s President, Cannon Tom Kennar, a collection was made for the people of the Ukraine.

The Choir’s repertoire included “Let There Be Peace On Earth” which was written by Jill and Sy Miller in 1955.  SMVC’s rendition was particularly moving at this time.

 

Other pieces included the piratical “Song of The Jolly Roger”; “I Dreamed A Dream” from Les Miserables; a Perry Como medley which includes “Catch a Falling Star” and “And I Love Her So” and “ Magic Moments” and, of course a male voice choir favourite “Gwahoddiad”, sung in Welsh.