To beguile their Saturday afternoon with some charming Welsh tunes, community members gathered at Marks Park Sports Club to listen to the choral talents of the Welsh Male Voice Choir of South Africa.
Known in Welsh as Côr Meibion Cymru de Affrig, this choir was formed back in 1978 and consists of amateur choristers led by an accomplished and professional team of musical directors and accompanists.
On this particular afternoon, in a gesture of solidarity for the people of Ukraine, they hosted a benefit concert to raise funds for Ukrainian child refugees. The echoes of their enchanting choral melodies were heard across the entire venue and on this special day, those echoes were heard being sung in Ukrainian too a first for the choir.
The talented Neil Bennett accompanied the choir on the piano. He explained they have a proud tradition of Welsh music which is unusual in an African country, “We have been able to maintain it and we are one of two Welsh choirs in the country.”
Though they sing in the Welsh tradition, they also sing in various South African languages.
Bennett explained they have been fortunate enough to resume their concert schedule since September last year, with this concert being their sixth of the year. After two years of inactivity, they are glad to be back on track.
To him, what makes this choir so special is the camaraderie and the common love of singing. “Plus, the pride in wearing the Welsh dragon on our blazers,” he said. He jokingly added they sometimes get confused with Parktown Boys’ High School insignia which he explained isn’t a dragon, it is a Griffin.
The pianist attributed the sustainability of the choir for the past 44 years, in part to its uniqueness, reiterating it is unusual to have a Welsh choir in South Africa. He said they are a strange entity on the continent, considering they are all male and predominantly white, “One wonders where does this all fit in, but somehow we do fit in.”
Their being able to fit in is clear in the way audiences receive them, with great affection.
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