An evening with the Hong Kong Welsh Male Voice Choir

An evening with the

Hong Kong Welsh Male Voice Choir

1st October 2023

Hong Kong Welsh Male Voice Choir Musical Director: Peter Stapleton* Accompanist: Emas Au Male choral singing is one of the great traditions of Welsh culture, strongly linked to the principality's Methodist chapels and former mining industry.

Established by a group of Welsh expats in 1978 to bring this distinctive sound to the then-British territory, the Hong Kong Welsh Male Voice Choir has steadily grown in scope and reputation over the four decades since, with members now drawn from a dozen different nationalities, reflecting Hong Kong’s cosmopolitan nature.

Likewise the Choir's repertoire, while still featuring a number of rousing Welsh hymns, now spans a wide musical genre from Mozart to Abba and Queen, and languages from Latin to Chinese and even Swahili. They might even attempt so sing in Malay on this trip!

The Choir remain purely amateur and many of their performances are for charity fund-raising purposes. Besides making more than 20 appearances in Hong Kong each year, they make annual visits to Thailand and the Philippines and have also performed in Mainland China, Vietnam and Malaysia (the Great British Ball in KL in 2012), as well as venturing farther afield to such prestigious venues as London’s Royal Albert Hall and Sydney Opera House. In 2019, they rounded off their 40th Anniversary season in style by performing in Wales for the first time, at the world-famous Llangollen International Eisteddfod. *Unfortunately, Peter is unavailable for this trip, so the Choir will be led in Malaysia by Bryan Carter, who was Musical Director from 2003-09.

The Programme Negaraku HKWMVC, KTJ Primary and Secondary Choirs, and KTJ Orchestra Tshotsholoza KTJ Secondary Choir Wau Bulan HKWMVC and KTJ Secondary Choir Rachie Amazing Grace Song of the Jolly Roger HKWMVC Valse de Concert by A. Hasselmans Madelyn Tan Rou Yi Cwm Rhonda I Dreamed a Dream The Moon Represents my Heart HKWMVC Montegues and Capulets by Prokofiev Overture to "Nozze di Figaro" by Mozart KTJ Orchestra Bohemian Rhapsody HKWMVC and KTJ Rock Band Calon lan Take Me Home HKWMVC Thank You for the Music HKWMVC and KTJ Secondary Choir