THE GENTLEMEN SONGSTERS MALE VOICE CHOIR

"Singing from the heart of the Black Country"

CONGRATULATIONS

We are delighted to announce that our Assistant Accompanist, Phil James has been awarded a place at the Birmingham Conservatoire, commencing in September 2012, where he will study Percussion as his first subject, and Piano as his second.

We were already aware that Phil could beat out a good rhythm on the old ivories - and this now proves it! 

Well done Phil

For further details on Phil, he has his own website:-  www.philjamesmusician.co.uk

ANOTHER YEAR HAS GONE BY

After another busy and successful year, the larynxes, piano and pitch-pipe were stood down for a few weeks after the Christmas cheer had been distributed with both formal and informal seasonal performances

The Head Master's report for 2011 was very favourable:-

     -  We've grown in number by about seven members.

     -  We've added many new items to our repertoire 

     -  We've added a new and easily portable electronic piano to our stable

     -  We've sung in Concert Halls, Cathedrals, Churches, Care Homes, Pubs and even a Farmer's Field

     -  We've sung with some very special guest artists (and we've booked some more for the future)

     -  We've performed in some fantastic joint concerts with other choirs and bands (and more for 2012)

     -  We've filled our diary for 2012 (and we're already booked for dates through into 2014)    

     -  We've developed a very special relationship with two local charities (see below)

     -  We've generated in excess of £10,000 which has gone into local and national charities

     - We're up for it again in 2012

BEST WISHES TO ALL OUR FRIENDS - WE HOPE TO SEE YOU SOON 

Here's a list of all we did in 2011

CHEQUE PRESENTATION

We were delighted to be able to present cheques of £650 each to The Georgina Unit Leukaemia Appeal Fund, Russells Hall Hospital and Action Heart from the proceeds of our recent joint concert with Builth Male Voice Choir (click here for details)

Pictured above are Brian Tingley, Alan Powell, Bob Biggs and Bill Hart with Pauline Jenkins (Leukaemia Appeal Fund) and Joy Brown (Action Heart)

Picture courtesy of Ralph Mason Photography - our Official Choir Photographer

FUTURE CONCERTS

THE  WELSH  ARE  COMING  (AGAIN)      

We're not sure what the Welsh is for "entente cordiale" - but there's going to be more of it in 2012:-

On the 28th April, Tenby Male Choir will be visiting us for a joint concert in St Mary's Church, Kingswinford

And

On the 22nd September, Aled Jones will be appearing with us once more in Dudley Concert Hall

Full details of the above and all of our 2012 concerts will soon be announced on this page (but they are already in summary form on our Future Concerts Page)

OUR SUMMER 2011 CONCERTS

Details of the concerts which took place in the first half of 2011 have been transferred to our History Page

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Our final concert in 2011 took place in Dudley Concert Hall on Saturday 17th December when we joined together with all of our friends and supporters at our Christmas Charity Concert - on this occasion, joined also by The Langley Band, Oldswinford C of E Primary School Choir and our compère, Annie Hodkinson.

During this concert, we presented cheques amounting to £1,000 each to the major charities which we have been supporting during the year.

Click here to view poster for this concert

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On Sunday December 11th, a number of the choristers performed a selection of items from our repertoire and lead the singing of carols and seasonal music at our customary "Christmas Singalong" at the Jolly Crispin pub in Gornal. . On this occasion, the pub was so full when we arrived, that a game of musical chairs had to be played to generate some space for us to perform. Rob, the landlord, told us he will be thinking about a marquee extension for next year's event!

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We promoted, produced and appeared in the annual Festival of Remembrance on Thursday 10th November, in Dudley Concert Hall, when we were joined by one of the West Midlands' leading brass bands, Sovereign Brass and the new local singing sensation, Simbi Akande. Our compère for the evening was the Black Country Comedienne, Marlene.

Once more, we can report that the evening was a great success, and we are delighted to announce that we will be presenting a cheque for £2,500 to the local branch of the Royal British Legion on a date yet to be announced in the New Year

For details of Sovereign Brass, CLICK HERE

To view the poster for this event - CLICK HERE

Here are a few photographic memories of the concert - courtesy of Ralph Mason Photography

The service of dedication and remembrance

The Poppies are falling

A big smile from Marlene

Trevor Jones and Sovereign Brass take a bow

Simbi Akande sings to us

The Songsters in full flow

Event Organiser, and M.C., Ian Rawlings

Proudly wearing Dad and Grandad's medals

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The service of dedication and remembrance

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On Saturday 8th October we were "on duty" again, on this occasion sharing the stage with Builth Male Voice Choir, from Builth Wells, who were visiting the Black Country for the weekend.

Click here to view the poster for this event

Male choristers come from all walks of life, and each one has his own aims, objectives and expectations of what it is to be a chorister. But it is safe to say that all of those desires were achieved and exceeded by the proceedings in Kingswinford on the 8th October.

The church was full; The audience was in raptures; The choirs were immaculately turned out; The leadership of the Musical Directors was second to none; The Accompanists were brilliant; The individual choirs performed to perfection; The joint singing of the merged choir was magnificent - even though we had never met before;  Indeed, it was noticed by more than one of the choristers that the singing of Morte Cristie by the combined voices brought a tear to the eye of Luned Jones the MD of Builth Male Voice Choir; The compere (Mel Thomas) was hilarious; The afterglow at a local establishment was enjoyable. entertaining, full of bonhomie and kept going at a pace until well after midnight.

The only criticism which could be lodged by the Gentlemen Songsters Male Voice Choir was that those attending from the Principality made a lot of mileage about the disparate fortunes of the Welsh and English rugby teams in the events which had taken place in New Zealand earlier in the day.

Despite the last paragraph, we eagerly look forward to a return fixture at some point in the not too distant future

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Lesley Garrett was our special guest at our Autumn Concert, at Dudley Concert Hall on 17th September 2011, and once again, we were very pleased to welcome BBC Midlands Today's Michael Collie who acted as compère at this concert. The concert was eagerly anticipated by so many people, and the tickets were so much in demand, that the event was sold out nine weeks before it took place.

Lesley performed in two 25-minute spots during the concert, and we were pleased to be able to accompany her in  arrangements of three of her favourite numbers.

The evening was a resounding success, and was thoroughly enjoyed by the audience and choir alike.

There was a good reception by the local press, as can be seen by the copy of an article which appeared in the Wolverhampton Express and Star on the following Monday evening

Lesley Concert E&S.pdf   -  Click to view

For more information on Lesley, please visit her website -  www.lesleygarrett.co.uk

The following photographs were taken by our Official Photographer, Ralph Mason, during the day - both in rehearsal and in concert. Copies of these photographs may be sourced from Ralph by sending an email via his website (see the link below) and quoting "Lesley Garrett Concert" and the photo index number (from 1 to 149)

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Link to Ralph Mason Photography  - Click Here

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Following on from the above concert we performed at St Peter's Church, Kinver - where we had appeared at a wedding during the summer months. This concert consisted of a wide range of items from the choir's repertoire, plus a selection from a number of our very talented soloists

Click here to view the poster for this event

 

SPRING 2011 NEWSLETTER

To view / download a copy of our Spring 2011 Newsletter - CLICK HERE

Please note that we are currently inviting our supporters to join a new mailing list to receive our regular newsletters and future concert announcements.

If you would like to join this new list please email gsmvchoir@gmail.com with the words MAIL ME in the Subject.

We promise you will not be bombarded with spam - it will be regular (but not too frequent) information about the Songsters which we believe our supporters will be interested to receive

OUR CHOSEN CHARITIES FOR 2011

We have decided to support four main charities during 2011 - in the main, these charities will benefit from the proceeds of our Spring, Autumn and Christmas concerts - each promoted by the Gentlemen Songsters, and each held at Dudley Concert Hall

The chosen charities (in alphabetical order) are

Bliss Premature Babies Society

Glass House College

Parkinsons Disease Society

Royal National Lifeboat Institution

 

NEW BLOOD

We can't stop recruiting at present - our total singing membership now adds up to 70 members (September 2011)

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CHOIR PUBLICITY PHOTOGRAPHS

The following picture gallery contains recent publicity photographs, which are published with the kind permission of the Express & Star, Wolverhampton and Newsquest (The Stourbridge News and the Dudley News)

Click on the thumbnail image to view in detail

Promoting our concert with Faryl Smith (Spring 2011)

(Express & Star)

With The Mayor, Councillor Peter Miller, promioting Remembrance 2010

www.dudley.gov.uk

Preparing For The 2010 Festival of Remembrance

Wolverhampton Express & Star

Members at Russells Hall Hospital prior to the Aled Jones concert in September 2010

(Express and Star)

We're Blowin Our Own Trumpets

(Stourbridge News)

Michael Collie - "The Uke's Are Coming"

(Stourbridge News)

Carl Chinn helps us celebrate 50 years

(Express & Star)

Rehearsing for the 2006 Mayor's Charity Concert

(Phil Parker / Express & Star)

Singin 4 Suits

(Dudley News)

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Promoting our concert with Faryl Smith (Spring 2011)

(Express & Star)

OUR LATEST CD

PRICE £8.00

See below for details

BOOK LAUNCHED

A book titled "With A Song In Their Hearts" was launched at the same time as the choir's third CD.

The book written by Chris Smith delves into the fifty years of the choir's history - as seen through the eyes of an outsider.

Sale proceeds from the book will go towards choir funds, and it can be obtained through any of the choir members, or your usual choir contacts - it is priced at £6.50.

It is also available through all good booksellers under ISBN reference 978-0-9555484-0-6
 

 

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CHOIR CD's

Our most recent CD  - "From Puccini To Queen!"

Here are some of photos taken during one of the recording sessions:-

Early on Saturday morning	It's all smiles (from some of them!)	John in serious mode	Let's Face the Music

CLICK ON THIS LINK TO DOWNLOAD OUR CD ADVERT

Below are the track lists from our three CD's

Do You Hear The Songsters Sing? Track List		The 60’s & More From The Songsters Track List
My Fair Lady Medley		Sailing
The Rose		Unchained Melody
Bring Him Home		When I Fall In Love
Stout-Hearted Men		She
Speed Your Journey		Bridge Over Troubled Water
Some Enchanted Evening		Do You Hear The People Sing?
Younger Than Springtime		Bring Him Home
Pirates Of Penzance Medley		An American Trilogy
Gwahoddiad		Softly As I Leave You
My Lord What A Mornin’		I Will
Morte Criste		Yesterday
Rhythm Of Life		You’ll Never Walk Alone
		Thank You For The Music
Released in 2002		Released in 2004
From Puccini To Queen Track List
Comrades in Arms
An Eriskay Love Lilt
Nessun Dorma
Tydi A Roddaist
The Song Of The Jolly Roger
We Are The Champions
If Ever I Would Leave You
Anthem (from Chess)
Moon River
You Raise Me Up
Bohemian Rhapsody
Released in 2007

To hear and see " THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC", one of the tracks on "The 60's & More From The Songsters", select one of the two links below

For a low resolution short extract select::-    

For a higher resolution, complete version of the track select:- 

 

To hear " GWAHODDIAD", one of the tracks on "Do You Hear The Songsters Sing?" select the link below

 

 

To hear " AN ERISKAY LOVE LILT", one of the tracks on "From Puccini To Queen" select the link below

 

 

We have been delighted to work with Reelsound in the production of the above CD's - for further information on Reelsound - visit their website by clicking the link below

Our CD's are available for sale from choir members or from the address below.

We decided to help some of our local charitable organisations with a proportion of the CD's proceeds, so £1.00 is being donated to Mary Stevens Hospice, Stourbridge, for every copy of our first CD sold, and Action Heart will benefit with £1.00 for every copy of our second CD sold

CD's Nos 1 and 2 are priced at £5.00 per copy from choristers (this includes the £1.00 charity donation), or are also available by post at £6.00, including p&p from GSMVC, c/o 55 Orton Lane, Wombourne, South Staffs, WV5 9AP {please make cheques payable to GSMVC}

CD No 3 is available at £8.00 per copy plus £1.00 for p & p

- for further information please email gsmvchoir@gmail.com

Gentlemen Songsters concerts are arranged in various locations - for full details of all of these events, see our FUTURE CONCERTS page.

Tickets for all of our events are available through Derek Siviter, our Ticket Secretary. For details  how to contact Derek see our TICKET SALES page

 

                                    

     BERT BISSELL M.B.E.                                The Bert Bissell Memorial, Coronation Gardens

              1902 - 1998                                                                                    Dudley   

"The best is yet to be"

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