An evening with the
1st
Hong Kong Welsh Male Voice Choir 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