The Choir Activities

Singing with the women

Croydon MVC had another successful evening when it staged a joint concert with the Swift Singers in Coulsdon on March 13, 2010.

The two choirs performed seven pieces each, then came together for a finale of Baby It's Cold Outside followed by I Believe combined with Ave Maria.   They were greeted with rapturous applause.

The Swift Singers are a ladies choir from South Woodham Ferrers, near Chelmsford in Essex.  They previously shared a concert with CMVC at John's, Coulsdon, in February 2007.

Solos were performed by soprano Ann-Louise Straker, a long-time friend of Croydon MVC.

The two choirs were generous in singing each other's praise after the concert. The Croydon men hailed their counterparts for a spirited and uplifting performance.

The Swifts' secretary, Jean Chasmer, said the men "made a magnificent sound - the tone and quality of your singing was wonderful".

Afterwards the two choirs repaired for an apres sing to the John Fisher rugby club, where the informal singing continued beyond midnight.  The Swifts have invited Croydon to take part in a return match in Chelmsford in 2011 or 2012.

Croydon's Dick Diplock gets it on with Swifts' Jean Chasmer at Coulsdon apres.  Home page photo shows musical directors Richard Hoyle (CMVC) and Clive Smith (Swifts) taking applause after the final numbers. Photos by Phil Talmage

Croydon sings at St Clement Danes

Croydon Male Voice Choir sang to a packed audience at St Clement Danes church on December 10 2009.  The Croydon choir was taking part in the Jack Lane DFC Memorial Christmas Concert, held every other year at the RAF's central church.

The choir sang a selection from its current repertoire, starting with Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines, which was greatly appreciated by the audience.  Its final piece, the resounding Battle Hymn of the Republic, was greeted with thunderous applause.

Other performers in the three-hour programme included the international soprano Ann-Louise Straker, together with baritone Bruce Graham and tenor Barry Clark, and supported by the talented young singers Victoria Whittaker and James Irving.

The choir was warmly thanked by Flt-Lt Kevin Mehmet, commander of the 1475 (Dulwich) Squadron of the Air Training Corps, which stages the concert for the RAF Benevolent Fund.

Musical director Richard Hoyle takes the applause on behalf of the choir at St Clement Danes

Della's masterclass

Choir president Della Jones thrilled and delighted the choir with a singing masterclass at choir rehearsal on Thursday, November 12.   Della, a distinguished mezzo-soprano,  took two members, bass Jon Evans and second tenor Trevor Watkins, through their vocal paces.  

Della encouraged the pair to start breathing in the rhythm of the piece, to emphasise their vowels, and to decide which words from the lyric were important.  She was both a stern and encouraging tutor who praised the two singers for the progress they made during their 10-minute ordeal.   The choir responded with rousing applause for both Della and her pupils.

Della, who sat in on the entire evening rehearsal, praised the choir’s “fantastic” singing and said she was “proud and honoured” to be its president.  The choir staged an après performance in the Sandilands bar after the rehearsal and Della joined in the singing of the Welsh piece Calon Lan. 

Afterwards Jon Evans said Della’s tutoring had been “inspiring and humbling” – adding that he had learned “there was a lot more to singing than you realised”.  He particularly valued her advice to “sing the vowels”.

Della has a wealth of prestigious international appearances and recordings to her name.  In February she is to due to take the part of Adelaide in a production of Strauss's opera Arabella in Innsbruck. 

Della  confirmed that she would be appearing at the choir's patrons' concert in July 2010.  She will take two solo spots and will also be accompanied by the choir when she sings Habanera from Carmen's Bizet, in a arrangement by choir musical director Richard Hoyle.  

Richard will accompany Della when she sings in her solo spots.  "I'm looking forward very much to rehearsing with her in June," Richard said.


Della with pupils Jon Evans (left) and Trevor Watkins

The Choir at Truro

In May 2009, Croydon Male Voice Choir took part in the International Festival and Competition for Male Voice Choirs in Truro, Cornwall.  It won a highly commendable fifth place in the competition for choirs with 41 voices and over.   The choir was awarded 84 points out of 100, putting it just two points behind the third-place choir, Dursley MVC from Gloucestershire.  

Croydon was praised by the judges for the quality of its singing and presentation.  One said that the choir's performance "demonstrated the fine training you are receiving from your conductor."   Top two places went to Cornish choirs, Four Lanes MVC and Mevagissey MVC.

Musical director Richard Hoyle said he had learned a lot from the competition for the future.  The choir took part  in sucessful regional gala concerts at Redruth, Launceston and the Eden Project.  It won a standing ovation from  Weybridge MVC at Redruth for its performance of the special festival piece "Seven Ages of Song".    Its rendition of the competition piece "Full Fathom Five" has been included on a commemorative CD issued by the festival organisers.

The CMVC sings at Cornwall's Eden Project 

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Royal Festival Hall

On November 2nd 2008, the Croydon choir took the stage at London's Royal Festival Hall.  The occasion was one of the innovative Sunday afternoon foyer concerts, introduced at the RFH in June 2008.  Some of Britain's finest choirs have appeared on the foyer stage and in November it was Croydon's turn.  

The choir sang for an hour, selecting show-stopping songs from its extensive and eclectic repertoire.  At the start, there were some 200 people listening; by the end, the audience had grown to around 500, according to reliable choir estimates.  After rapturous applause, the choir performed a rousing encore. 

Following its performance, the choir took to the river in the historic pleasure craft Kingwood, a veteran of Dunkirk.  We spent four hours cruising between Chelsea and Greenwich; many songs were sung and much refreshment was imbibed.    Afterwards the South Bank Centre management said it was delighted by Croydon's performance and has already made enquiries about booking a return date.

Ladies night

Ladies night dinner - always a convivial occasion

Around Christmas every year, the CMVC holds its Ladies Night Dinner in order to thank the members' wives and partners for their hard work in support of the choir.   The ladies' activities include fund-raising, providing refreshments, preparing food at social events, and a host of others.  The dinner, hosted by a local rugby club, is invariably a convivial occasion, with multiple toasts not just to the ladies but also to a range of choir sections and members.  The dinner also sees the Alan Shield presented to the choir member who has given outstanding support and assitance that year.  

Recording

In June 2008, the choir recorded its latest CD in the church of St Marks in Woodcote (photo left).  The CD, entitled Voicemale, was recorded over two long sessions on successive Saturdays.   During the first, the choir recorded ten songs, with accompaniment from Richard Mander - one of the choir's life patrons - on the church's magnificent organ. During the second, the choir performed eleven songs, accompanied by pianist Elspeth Wyllie, who was playing with the choir for the last time before she moved on in her career.

The CD, the fifth recording the CMVC has made, is now on sale. (See CD Recordings On Sale section of website).   Several of our previous recordings can be purchased at our concerts and at our annual pre-Christmas performances at Croydon's Whitgift Centre.

The Apres Sing

After most concerts, the choir retires to a nearby hostelry to wind down and relax.  But the singing is not ended - far from it.  The choir follows a long-established ritual known as the apres, when it sings pieces from an informal repertoire, bringing pleasure to itself, its camp followers, and the other occupants of the bar.  The session traditionally starts with the Whiffenpoof Song - the Yale university lyric, based on a poem by Rudyard Kipling, which is a favourite of glee clubs and was recorded by Elvis Presley.  The sessions are usually led by bass Neville Clark, who exhorts the singers to greater efforts if he feels their energies are wavering.  One of the best recent apres sessions was held at a pub in Redruth, Cornwall, at the end of the Cornwall tour, when the choirs of Croydon, Wadebridge and Weybridge competed with each other to hold the stage.  The result was considered an honourable draw.   Photo (above) of a recent apres by Phil Talmage. 

The Alan Shield

 Chairman Kim Ormond (left) presents baritone Philip Talmage with the Alan Robertshaw Shield

Baritone Philip Talmage is the 2010 winner of the Alan Robertshaw Shield.  He received the shield from choir chair Kim Ormond at the annual Ladies' Night dinner on February 6.  Phil, who joined the choir in 2003, received the award for his hard work in producing rehearsal tracks containing the words and music for the choir's repertoire.   The recordings, which can be played at home or during car journeys,  are tailored to each choir section and are of great assistance to musical director Richard Hoyle when rehearsing.  

The Alan Shield was originally presented to Croydon Male Voice Choir by former member Alan Robertshaw, and is awarded to the choir member adjudged to have made the greatest contribution to the choir's activities and management in the previous 12 months.  Past winners include: 

2007 John Marshall

2008 Brian Cantrell

2009 John Ward Turner

Croydon Parish Church

In November 2007, the Croydon choir was proud to be invited to sing at the Commemoration Service for Lord Weatherill, former speaker of the House of Commons and a Croydon MP,  held at Croydon Parish Church.   The service, which was attended by many leading local figures, together with Lord Weatherill's family, proved a moving occasion.  Lord Weatherill received a range of tributes testifying to the range of activities and interests of a very accomplished yet always modest and friendly man. 

The church choirs sang Psalm 23 and the Laudate Dominum.   Croydon MVC then sang the powerful anthem, Battle Hymn of the Republic, which had been specially requested by Lord Weatherill's family in the knowledge that it was one of his favourites.  The piece captured the spirit of the occasion, with its mood swings, building from tender refrains to the massive crescendos of the final Amen. Neville Clark, a choir baritone, sang the solo verses.

Afterwards Lord Weatherill's family complimented the choir on its performance, which remains a treasured choir memory.

Marriage Service

Our photograph shows the choir singing at a recent wedding in Bromley.   The songs were selected by the bride and groom, to be performed during the signing of the register.   Afterwards the choir posed for photographs with the happy couple. 

We can be engaged to sing at weddings and other formal and festive occasions.  Please contact our concert secretary for further details (see Contacts page).  

Yorkshire Tour 2008

The Croydon choir poses before its performance at St George's, Brockholes

In May 2008, the choir embarked on a tour of Yorkshire, performing at two venues:  St Mary's, the parish church of Barnsley, and St George's in Brockholes.  The tour marked a home-coming for musical director Richard Hoyle, who grew up in Huddersfield, renowned as a centre of choral singing.  Richard's father attended the Brockholes concert, where local choir-members were lavish in their praise of Croydon's performance.

Between concerts the choir visited Holmfirth, home of the BBCtv series "Last of the Summer Wine".  It posed for photos outside Sid's Cafe, a celebrated location in the series, and serenaded visitors with songs.  The choir travelled from Croydon by coach, staying in Brighouse for two nights and lunching at the the Haycock Hotel in Wansford during the journey north and at the Ferry Boat in Holywell on the River Ouse during the return.

The choir normally makes one tour each year.  Other recent venues include South Wales, Cornwall, and Lille - where it performed at concerts in both France and Belgium.   The choir is currently planning a tour of Holland in spring 2010 and a visit to Arnhem in September 2010, as part of the Croydon-Arnhem link.  

The Croydon choir sings its stuff outside Sid's Cafe, Holmfiirth, celebrated venue in Last of the Summer Wine