Famous Choir Honoured With Blue Plaque

Treorchy Male Choir has become the first choir in the country to be honoured with a Blue Plaque in recognition of its massive contribution to the rich cultural heritage of Wales.

The world-famous Rhondda choir had two Blue Plaques unveiled in Treorchy to celebrate its two distinct periods of history which stretch back over 125 years.

Rhondda Cynon Taf Council presented a plaque to be erected on the front of the Red Cow public house on High Street where the original “Treorky Male Choir” was formed in 1883 and later went on to perform for Queen Victoria at Windsor Castle.

The Choir decided to purchase a second plaque for their “home” at Treorchy Primary School where they were reformed following World War II on October 16th 1946 and still rehearse twice a week.

A special unveiling ceremony took place for both plaques at the school where Mayor of Rhondda Cynon Taf Cllr Robert Smith unveiled the first plaque, while President of the Choir Brian Bates unveiled the second.

Former conductors, accompanists and soloists joined members of the Choir for the very special event. Over 230 member of the Treorchy Primary School Choir thrilled the crowd with a performance.

Cllr Smith said: “It amazes me that wherever you go in the world people seem to have heard of the Treorchy Male Choir. They are an integral part of the make-up of our county borough and are wonderful ambassadors for us throughout the world.

“Many thousands of visitors come to Treorchy every year to hear them perform in concert or during rehearsals and now they will also be able to see the two Blue Plaques commemorating the wonderful work they have done for over a century.

“Their impressive record speaks for itself with international concert tours, almost annual records released, competition wins, royal command performances and of course many thousands of concerts in aid of so many charities. Congratulations to the Choir, members and staff past and present for their outstanding work.”

The unveiling of the Blue Plaques were one of the highlights of a very busy year for the Treorchy Choir who recently undertook a 20-concert tour of Australia and New Zealand, including performances in the Sydney Opera House. In July they opened the new £100 million Cardiff City Stadium and have released a new CD whose proceeds will go towards the Help for Heroes Campaign.

Assembly Member for the Rhondda Leighton Andrews and Headteacher of the Treorchy Primary School Louise Evans also praised the Choir, especially its work in encouraging children to sing and play instruments through the Treorchy Male Choir Junior Musician of the Year Competition which began four years ago.

For almost two years Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Libraries & Museums Service has been working closely with various voluntary organisations and individuals to determine 30 sites in the county borough as yet unrecognized for their historical background with the placing of a Blue Plaque

Due to £49,200 of Heritage Lottery funding, the project has set out to identify icons, events and buildings, culminating in the placing of blue plaques to commemorate their history and achievements.

The Treorchy Male Choir was formed in the summer of 1883 in the Red Cow public house when a group of miners held a farewell party for one of their colleagues who was emigrating to New Zealand. An eisteddfod was being held in the pub and they sang “Myfanwy”, won a pound and decided to form a Choir.

Over the next decade they won two National Eisteddfod competitions and sang at Windsor Castle for the Queen Empress and her Royal Family. The Choir continued throughout the early 20th century but disbanded in 1943 only to be reformed in October 1946 with conductor John Haydn Davies at the helm.

For the next twenty years they scaled the peaks of competition success claiming a record eight National Eisteddfod competitions, making weekly radio broadcast and later TV programmes and even a feature film. The Choir has enjoyed a forty-year relationship with EMI Records and has released almost sixty records and CDs.

Choristers have also given sell-out tours of Canada, USA and Australia many times and performed with such celebrities as Dame Shirley Bassey, Burt Bacharach, Ella Fitzgerald, Julie Andrews and Sir Tom Jones - who is an Honorary Member.