UPDATE: Since my last report, the Chepstow Male Voice Choir have sung at a wedding at Shirenewton Church and shared the stage with Bream Silver band at Lydney Town Hall as part of the Lydney Festival in a Proms concert.

As last year, there was much flag-waving and patriotic singing from the audience with Rule Britannia, Jerusalem etc. All very enjoyable, and thanks to the organisers for inviting the choir once again.

It has to be said our Taster Evening was disappointing inasmuch there were not many prospective new choristers, after all the organising and anticipation, it was a bit of an anti-climax.

We have, however, not shelved the idea as a recruitment tool. Constantly we hear that most male voice choir’s have similar difficulties, the traditions seem to have little appeal today.

On a positive front, after we complete our summer break in August, we look forward to sharing the stage with the Caldicot Male Voice Choir, as their guests in their Gala Concert at Caldicot Leisure Centre, on Saturday September 9 at 7pm. Tickets can be obtained at The Leisure Centre, Caldicot.

That same day, in fact at 1.30pm, the choir is also booked to sing at a wedding in St Mary’s Priory Church, so we have a busy day on our hands.

We sing at another wedding at St Pierre Resort on Saturday September 16, and the following Saturday, perform in a concert at Shirenewton Church in aid of the RNLI charity.

Last Sunday, it was our turn to sing on the Bandstand in Chepstow. The weather poured, and a very Spartan few held out until the ‘sound engineers’ called time on the performance, as they deemed it dangerous with so much water not being best bedfellows with the sound equipment.

Looking forward slightly more into the autumn, we will be enjoying a weekend away in The Lake District. We will be performing concerts with The K Shoes Male Voice Choir in Kendal on the Saturday evening, and the following day, in the afternoon, we will join in concert with The Dalston Male Voice Choir in a district of Carlisle.

Our journey up to Cumbria, will be broken in Blackburn, Lancashire where we will give a 40 minute recital in Blackburn Cathedral at lunchtime. The programme will consist solely of religious/sacred music, and we look forward to finding out how the acoustics are in the venue.