History — City Of Truro Male Choir

A Brief History

2023 - 2017

Under Russell’s leadership we have recruited a range of much younger men. Our repertoire has expanded, and we have held regular singalong ‘shouts’ at the Rising Sun Pub in Truro. We were also delighted to sing at the enthronement of the new Bishop of Truro in the Cathedral. With lockdown we resorted to weekly ‘Zoom Practices’ and have also made several fun videos of ourselves which can be seen on our YouTube channel. We have returned to in-person practices and look forward to an interesting 2023

2016 - 2015

Mike Steer brought the choir on and we were very successful in the Cornwall County Music Festival in 2015 winning the Holman Cup for best male voice choir; the Everett Heath Cup for the best adult choir performance and the Edgar Kessell Gold Cup for the overall Vocal Championship choir. Unfortunately in 2016 Mike's job took him away from Cornwall. However, we are delighted that we have managed to recruit Cornish composer and bard, Russell Pascoe to become our new Musical Director.

2013

During 2013, the choir again entered the Cornwall Music Festival, achieving second place in the Male Voice Choir Championship Class and also entered the Sixth Cornwall International Male Voice Choral Festival in the 'Forty One Voices And Over' section for the first time. The choir were delighted to win the Pendennis Shipyard Trophy for the Best Cornish Choir in its category. Sadly due to qualifying as a teacher and having to move out of County, Hannah Stephenson resigned in September 2013 as Musical Director, to be replaced by Mike Steer. Mike became the third MD of the City of Truro Male Choir.

City of Truro Male Choir 2002 - 2012 (The First 10 Years)

In 2002 following the loss of their traditional village chapel base and demographic changes to the choristers, the Chacewater Carnon Vale Male Voice Choir relocated to Truro. At the same time they changed the choir’s name to reflect this move.

In May 2002 the choir participated in the Cheltenham Music Festival and their high standards enabled them to win the Senior Male Voice Choir Class Challenge Cup for the third time against strong opposition. During 2004 the Choir participated in the Gorsedh Kernow Concert and brought the world renowned Morriston Orpheus Choir to Truro for a joint charity concert, raising £1750.00 for Macmillan Cornwall.

Between 2002 and 2006 the choir visited Somerset, Hampshire and Yorkshire.

During 2007, the Choir began to attract youngsters to its numbers, something that continues to happen today.

In March 2008 the Choir participated in the Cornwall Music Festival winning The Holman Cup (Male Voice Choir - Championship - Class), The Everett Heath Cup (Best Adult Choir Performance) and The Jose Cup (Best Overall Choir Performance). Mark Tanner, the adjudicator gave the choir’s performance a score of 90. The score falls within the highest category of award and equates to ‘Outstanding’ which is defined by the British and International Federation of Festivals as an ‘exceptional performance’. Mark Tanner’s comments included ‘Rousing, Catching, Magical. A full rich texture and still reverberating in my ears!’

In September 2008 the choir went on an extremely successful tour of Belgium, receiving standing ovations at the the three venues where they sang. The Choir also visited Tyne Cot Military Cemetery at Ypres (the largest on the Western Front), where they sang a very emotional rendition of An Rosen Wyn (The White Rose). Since then the choir have been to Barnstaple, Seaton and have hosted Morriston Orpheus Choir.

The choir’s ever growing reputation is a result of the meticulous standards that have been set by the Musical Director and is confirmed by the large and enthusiastic audiences at our concerts and the requests for repeat performances.

In August 2011, the choir appointed a new Musical Director, Hannah Stephenson. The choir were privileged to be asked to sing at Lady Mary Holborow’s retirement concert when she stepped down as Lord Lieutenant of the County in September 2011. The choir entered the cornwall Music Festival in March 2012 when the choir were successful in winning the Holman Cup (Male Voice Choir - Championship - Class).

The choir entered the electronic age by creating a Social Media account on Facebook, something which continues today. The Social Media site has given the choir an historical record of its time since the 1940s and includes photographs.

The choir toured twice during the year, once to Bristol and then a week long and extremely successful tour of Spain, basing themselves in Torreveija. The choir undertook three concerts during the week and received standing ovations at each one. The second concert was in the beautiful surroundings of the Church of The Immaculate Conception in the heart of Torrevieja. The choir were accompanied by the Nordic Choir of Torrevieja and Truro’s own, Lynnette Carveth who is based in Madridand was described in Objectivo Torrevieja Gaceta Cultural & Informativa as putting a note of gold into the evening with several arias from Handel.

The church was filled to capacity with nearly 1,000 people mostly composed of British residents. The acoustics in the church were absolutely amazing, especially with the echo of 'In St Pauls'. Objectivo Torrevieja described Truro's Repertoire as a vocal gem with extraordinary contrasts in voices.

2003 City of Truro Male Choir at Truro Cathedral opening the First Cornwall International Male Voice Choral Festival & 2008 Winners at Cornwall Music Festival

2008 City of Truro Male Choir at; Bruges Cathedral Belgium, Tyne Cot Military Cemetery, Ypres, and 2012 the Palcio De La Musica, the first concert of the Spanish tour.

Chacewater & Carnon Vale Male Voice Choir 1991 - 2002

Although only five miles apart, the two choirs enjoyed a friendly relationship over the years giving the occasional joint concert together and even loaning each other singers when needed. However by the early 1990s the membership of both choirs was falling and the obvious solution was to amalgamate. After a unamimous vote in favour by both memberships amalgamation occurred in 1991, and the Chacewater Carnon Vale Male Voice Choir was born. Ann Birch became their Musical Director.

Over the next seven years the Choir, whilst carrying out a busy concert schedule was successful at festivals including Cheltenham and Truro. They also completed a ten day tour of Germany, basing themselves at Truro’s twin town of Boppard.

In 1998 the MD retired and the choir was fortunate to obtain the services of Paul Triggs. His training as a singer enabled him to focus on the choir’s voice production techniques. This resulted in the choir beginning to change its tone (which today is a hallmark of its performance).

Chacewater & District Male Voice Choir 1947 - 1991

In 1947 three men of the Chacewater Institute decided to form a choir. They persuaded an ex BBC bass, Foster Manley, to become their Musical Director. That November the twenty-eight members of the choir gave their first concert (in Chacewater).

Over the succeeding years the choir participated in local Music Festivals, winning at the county Music Festival in Truro in 1987 and 1989 and at Camborne in 1988 and 1989. During the same period they made three visits to Morlaix (Brittany) as part of twinning celebrations.

1950s Chacewater & District Male Voice Choir in Truro Methodist Church

Carnon Vale Male Voice Choir 1942 - 1991

In 1942 four men, led by Edgar Ham formed a choir and practised in Colonel Carey-Morgan’s barn at Calenick after their Home Guard duties. Gordon Hall, the organist of Falmouth Parish Church became their first Musical Director.

In 1945 at the end of the Second World War they expanded and moved to Kea School where the Head Master, Arnold Williams, became their second Musical Director. He held this post for the next twenty-eight years. During that time they won the County Music Festival on several occasions and took sixty-five singers to Wrexham in 1978. Two years later they provided eight singers to represent Cornwall at the L’orient Celtic Music Festival in Brittany.