About us
Croeso - Welcome
The London Welsh Chorale has been performing in and around the capital since 1983. Members come from a wide range of professions and backgrounds, and the repertoire ranges from the Renaissance to the modern. The Chorale is also committed to keeping Welsh music alive in London, and has supported hundreds of young professional singers and orchestral players.
The Chorale promotes three concerts a year in London, usually drawn from the standard choral repertoire, and is available for professional bookings at reasonable rates. Recent engagements include a Six Nations rugby match at the Millennium Stadium, performances alongside Bryn Terfel in Cardiff, The Royal Festival Hall and at the Henley Festival, and a celebration of the late Michael Foot in London's West End.
The Chorale can also provide smaller groups for weddings and other special occasions. More.
If you're interested in coming to a concert or want to book the choir, please follow the links above or contact us.
History of The Chorale... click to read more
The London Welsh Chorale was founded in 1983, under the musical direction of the distinguished operatic tenor, Kenneth Bowen, now Conductor Emeritus. Since its formation it has gained a reputation for musical excellence, performing a considerable repertoire of major choral works at principal London venues, including the Queen Elizabeth Hall, St John's Smith Square, Southwark Cathedral, St Giles Cripplegate in the Barbican, and the Royal Academy of Music. In addition the choir has toured extensively at home and abroad, from Barbados to Bangor.
An avowed commitment to Welsh music - traditional, liturgical and contemporary - is a unique strand of the chorale's work. Much of this music is sadly neglected and rarely heard today, even within the Principality, and the Chorale's several recordings, including the only commercially available recording of a lost work by Joseph Parry, have endeavoured to keep alive the nation's musical heritage. The choir is also firmly committed to performing contemporary Welsh music, commissioning major works by William Mathias and Mervyn Burtch.
The Chorale is always keen to expand its repertoire, whether contributing to works by Roger Waters and Towering Inferno, recording the theme tune to the UEFA Champions' League, or performing on stage with Bryn Terfel. The choir has also performed on the pitch at the Millennium Stadium during the Six Nations rugby tournament and in London's West End.
Dr Bowen retired as Musical Director at the end of 2008. He was succeeded by Gareth Hancock and, in 2011, Edward-Rhys Harry, under whose baton the Chorale continues to develop in new and exciting ways.
Click the images to read more....
Jenny Trew - Accompanist
Jenny was born in Swansea and after two years as a scholarship holder at Chetham’s School of Music, she went on to study at the Royal Academy of Music with Christopher Elton. While there, she was awarded several prizes for her solo playing, including the John Ireland Prize and the Frank Britton Scholarship. With the support of the Welsh Arts Council and a scholarship from the Guildhall School of Music, she spent two post-graduate years specialising in accompaniment. She now freelances in London and has given recitals throughout the UK supported by the Countess of Munster Recital Scheme. Overseas work has taken her on tours in Italy, France, Russia and the Czech Republic. Television and radio broadcasts include a live recital on Classic FM and Channel 4’s Late Late Show.
Edward-Rhys Harry - Musical Director
Edward-Rhys Harry works across the UK and internationally as a voice coach, adjudicator, composer, arranger and choral conductor. Edward became the Musical Director of the London Welsh Chorale in 2011.
He comes from Penclawdd, on the North Coast of The Gower Peninsula. Aged 14 he was employed as an organist and also began conducting rehearsals for choirs in local chapels and churches. Undergraduate studies in composition and voice at University of Wales Bangor (through the medium of Welsh) were followed with postgraduate study in Music Technology and Sound Recording, his PGCE and an MMus degree in composition from the London College of Music, where he studied with Francis Pott, Terry Davies and Laurence Roman.
In 2006 he became a member of the Gorsedd Y Beirdd.
He left full time teaching to study Choral Conducting with Simon Halsey, Adrian Partington and Neil Ferris at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, in Cardiff. There he was the first (and second) recipient of the RWCMD Glynne Jones Conducting Scholarship and graduated with an MA degree. Edward is the first Welshman to receive a recognized qualification in Choral Conducting.
Having being awarded the prestigious Elphinstone Scholarship, along with the Derek Ogston scholarship in composition, Edward is now studying for a PhD in choral composition with Phillip Cooke and Paul Mealor.
His compositions are published by Boosey and Hawkes, Banks Music Publications, Curiad Cyf. (in Wales) and Chichester Music Press. He is consultant vocal coach for Volgograd Opera House Chorus in Russia and is the Artistic Director of ‘Voces Volgograd’ –an Anglo-Russia Choral Festival.
No stranger to media work, Edward has directed performances for S4C (channel 4 Wales), Sky Sports, ITV advertisements, ‘ident’ music for BBC 1,2,3,4 and all radio channels, as well as appearing on programmes such as BBC 1’s ‘The Apprentice – You’ve Been Fired’, ‘Dr Who’ the Rob Brydon Christmas Show (conducting Bryn Terfel with the London Welsh Male Voice Choir) and ‘Sports Relief’.
Edward is the Artistic Director of Côr Siambr Cymru/Chamber Choir Wales, a professional chamber choir, as well as ‘The Harry Ensemble’ – his own chamber choir who, through performances and recordings, promote British choral music overseas. Their deubut album ‘Remember’ is available to download now. Give them a listen!
Edward is Musical Director of: London Welsh Male Voice Choir, Reading Festival Chorus, the Atheneum Singers of Warminster and, of course, the London Welsh Chorale.
Edward is a member of the training team for the Association of British Choral Directors, leading workshops in singing and conducting across the UK and is the Conductor-in-Residence of the British Sinfonietta orchestra.
For further information please visit www.edwardrhysharry.com or www.harryensemble.com or download his ‘app’ to your mobile phone or tablet!