News

Concerts 2024

We have had several successful concerts this year in Henllys Hall, Beaumaris, St.John’s Church, Llandudno, and St.Mary’s Church Betws y Coed, and we won the cup for the best choir in the Llandegfan Eisteddfod, but unfortunately there was no trip abroad this year.

Our Christmas Concert with the other choirs from Caernarfon is on December 6th in Salem Chapel, Caernarfon.

We sang in Seilo chapel, Caernarfon with the ladies choir ‘3rd Day Choral’, from Dublin, Ireland and with the Perth Male Voice Choir from Australia, and having had an informal invitation we have started discussing the possibility of a trip to Australia in 2026.

We sang in the Caernarfon Food Festival, and we have had several social evenings of singing in the Newborough, Bontnewydd, the Alex in Caernarfon and in the Real Ale Festival in the station in Dinas, in order to try and attract some new members to the Choir. We also had a very successful social evening, with family members at the Rugby Club in Caernarfon, where we were entertained by the group Mônswn.

This has been quite successful and a number of new members have joined in this past year, but we are very pleased to hear of anyone else who in interested in joining.

The practices are every Tuesday evening in Galeri, Caernarfon at 7:30pm, and during the summer/autumn about 35 Americans call every week to listen to us singing and quite often visitors form countries such as Australia, Canada and several countries in Europe join them. They are usually very interested in the fact that the Conductor speaks to the Choir in Welsh, as most of them have never heard the language.

One visitor from Nashville, Tennessee was very interested in the choir, so who knows, maybe we will get an invitation to Nashville in the future ( we will probably then need to learn a couple of Elvis’ songs ).

If you would like more information about the Choir, please go on our Facebook page, or X and you will see all the latest news, or contact our Secretary, who’se email is on this website.

Concerts 2023

After the trip to Ireland in April, and singing in the Caernarfon Food Festival and the Rail Ale Festival ( see below ) the choir then sang on the ‘Llwyfan y Maes’ at the National Eisteddfod in Boduan. We also entertained a conference of scientists in Pontio, Bangor, then concerts in St.John’s Church, Llandudno and St. Mary’s Church, Betws y Coed. Our Christmas Concert with other choirs from Caernarfon is in Salem Chapel on the 1st of December 2023.

Some of the members also sang in the Gymanfa Choir and the Folk Choir in the Eisteddfod in Boduan.

There is a video of the choir singing ‘Gwinllan a Roddwyd’ in Llandudno on the choir’s Facebook page.

Singing in the Pub

Many of the choir’s members started singing in school, or in the chapel, or after a game in the rugby club or the football club, or in a local pub. Members do not need to have sung in eisteddfods or in other choirs. The only thing that you need is to enjoy singing, in Welsh, English and other languages, and that you can keep more or less to the correct notes!

In order for the present members to enjoy singing ( and the odd pint !! ) we have started to arrange evenings of song in local pubs. The members have enjoyed singing in the Newborough, Bontnewydd, Ty’n Llan, Llandwrog and in the Alex in Caernarfon, and also at the Real Ale Festival at the station in Dinas ( see photos. ) and we will be arranging more nights like this in the future.

Caernarfon Food Festival - June 2023

The Choir have sung in the Caernarfon Food Festival since it started several years ago, and in 2023 there was a large crowd listening to us on the Maes in Caernarfon. Everyone enjoyed the Choir singing and the lads enjoyed the Food Festival afterwards.

More pictures are included in the photographs section of this website.

The Choir’s trip to Ireland - April 2023

In April 2023 the choir went for a trip to Ireland , and stayed the first night in Portmarnock just North of Dublin, and sang in a concert at St. Gabriel’s Church in Clontarf with the Third Day Chorale Ladies Choir, and afterwards we had an enjoyable evening singing with them in a local pub. We travelled then to Wexford, for a concert in Clonard church with the Wexford Male Voice Choir and the Wexford Able-Disabled Club Choir before having another evening of song with the Wexford choir in the Talbot Hotel, Wexford. We travelled home the following day and stopped for lunch and a bit more singing in Johnnie Fox’s pub in Glencullen in the company of Robin McBride, the famous ex-Wales, Llanelli and British Lions rugby player who is a Vice-President of the Choir.

It was a very successful trip, with ‘standing ovations’ in both concerts, and we hope to arrange several similar trips to various locations in the future. If you would like Caernarfon Male Voice Choir to sing in your area , please contact our Secretary, or our social media pages.

The songs from the Clonard Church are on YouTube and there are more photos in the Photographs section

The Choir in 2022

In 2022 the Choir was only starting to recover after Covid-19, but even so we had a number of events and concerts including singing in the Old Courthouse, across the road from the Castle, singing in the Caernarfon Food Festival, and in Galeri with Rhys Meirion and others, in St John’s Church, Llandudno, in St.Mary’s Church, Betws y Coed and in our Christmas Concert with the other choirs from the town in Salem Chapel.

CÔR MEIBION CAERNARFON’S NEW WEBSITE AIMS TO ATTRACT NEW MEMBERS

Côr Meibion Caernarfon have launched a brand new website, using the same web address as before: www.cormeibioncaernarfon.org

Said Choir Chairman Alwynne Jones: “One of the aims of the revamped website is to attract new members. It explains how easy and rewarding it is to join one of Wales’s most successful male voice choirs.

“We are also keen to attract more local people and visitors to our weekly rehearsals held at 7.45pm on Tuesday evenings at Galeri, Caernarfon. Those who come enjoy free entertainment and leave with fond memories, especially if they’ve bought a choir CD!”

Alwynne Jones added: “Web designers Delwedd have done a great job. The new website is very easy to navigate and shows all aspects of the choir’s work.”

Said Aled Roberts, a director of Delwedd and also one of Côr Meibion Caernarfon’s vice presidents: “We used the latest technology in updating the choir’s website so that it now works well on computers, tablets and mobile phones.

“As a company from Caernarfon, based in Galeri, we are extremely proud of our long association with Côr Meibion Caernarfon.”

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SPRING TOUR OF GUERNSEY ATTRACTS CHOIR’S BIGGEST EVER SPONSORSHIP FROM THE JOINT FOUNDER OF SPECSAVERS

Thanks to the personal contacts of one of its members, Côr Meibion Caernarfon will visit Guernsey over the period 25-29 April 2019. The joint founder of Specsavers has made a large contribution towards the cost of the tour – the biggest sponsorship deal in the choir’s 51 year history.

The Cofis will fly to Guernsey at the invitation of Guernsey Welsh Male Voice Choir, staying for three nights in Saint Peter Port, the island’s capital. On the Saturday evening both choirs will sing in aid of a local charity at the prestigious St James Concert Hall.

The link with Guernsey was made by Guto Roberts, one of the choir’s second tenors and son of choir President, Dr Huw Roberts. Guto spent four years working in Guernsey as a nurse before returning to his home town of Caernarfon.

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FOUR CAERNARFON CHOIRS RAISE £1,243 FOR THE WALES AIR AMBULANCE

£1,243 was raised for the Wales Air Ambulance service at a successful Christmas concert in St Mary’s Church, Caernarfon on 7 December where carols were sung by four of the town’s choirs: Côr Dre, Côr Cofnod, CôrNarfon and Côr Meibion Caernarfon.

The town’s choirs take it in turn to organise this annual event and it was co-ordinated by Côr Meibion Caernarfon on this occasion. All four choirs agreed that the proceeds should go to the Wales Air Ambulance Service.

On Tuesday 8 January, Alwyn Jones, Gwynedd Community Co-ordinator for the Wales Air Ambulance Service, came to the Côr Meibion Caernarfon’s first rehearsal of the new year to receive the donation.

He said, “I thank all four choirs for their generosity. The huge sum of £1,243 was raised - an important and much appreciated contribution towards the £6.5 million we need to collect annually to keep our four helicopters flying throughout Wales.”

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CHOIR SINGS BEFORE ITS BIGGEST EVER AUDIENCE

Côr Meibion Caernarfon are the ones in blue coats!

On Saturday 10 November, Côr Meibion Caernarfon entertained the crowds at the Principality Stadium Cardiff before the Wales v Australia rugby match. The match was one of the highlights of the autumn international series. An added bonus was Wales beating Australia for the first time in 10 years and 13 matches!

The Cofis flew the flag for North Wales accompanied by three South Wales male voice choirs under the baton of Dr Haydn James, Musical Director for the Welsh Rugby Union. The other choirs were Llandovery Male Voice Choir, Tadau Trisant based in Pontyclun and the Gentlemen Songsters from Tonyrefail.

The choirs sang popular favourites to encourage the supporters to join in, including Calon Lân, Delilah and Waltzing Matilda. Finally, they led the singing of the two national anthems, Hen Wlad fy Nhadau and Advance Australia Fair.

The chairman of Côr Meibion Caernarfon, Alwynne T Jones said, “It was a great privilege to be invited to sing at the match. This was our biggest ever audience.

“The conductor, Dr Haydn James, was extremely pleased with the standard of the singing which had set a benchmark for others. Hopefully we did our bit to raise the spirits of the team and lead them to victory.

“As a welcome bonus, we also sang the previous night in a concert in Capel Salem, Canton at the invitation of Côr Meibion Taf. Everyone praised the standard of the concert and we caught up with old friends at the unofficial entertainment afterwards in the nearby Chapter Centre.”

Transatlantic Concert Raises £913 for the Wales Air Ambulance

Over £900 was raised for the Wales Air Ambulance service at successful transatlantic concert in St Mary’s Church, Caernarfon when Côr Meibion Caernarfon from Wales teamed up with the Northern Iowa Men’s Glee Club singers from the mid west of the USA.

On Tuesday 12 June, Alwyn Jones, Gwynedd Community Co-ordinator for the Wales Air Ambulance service came to the Caernarfon male voice choir’s weekly rehearsal in Galeri, Caernarfon to thank both choirs for their generosity.

He said, “The church was packed and £913 was raised - an important and much appreciated contribution towards the £6.5 million we need to collect annually to keep our four helicopters flying throughout Wales.”

He added, “The audience enjoyed outstanding performances by both choirs and they finished by singing Cwm Rhondda together, the American students having learnt the Welsh words of the first verse.”

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USA Choir Support Wales Air Ambulance

On Sunday evening 20 May, at 7.00pm the renowned University of Northern Iowa Men’s Glee Club, USA, will sing in St Mary’s Church Caernarfon as part of their tour of Britain and Ireland.

Hosted by Côr Meibion Caernarfon, this will be one of three performances in Wales following concerts at Abergele on 18 May with Côr Cytgan Clwyd and Llandudno on 19 May with Colwyn Bay Male Voice Choir.

There will be no admission charge for the Caernarfon concert, but a collection will be made in support of the Wales Air Ambulance. Admission will be by ticket which can be obtained in advance from Wales Air Ambulance, members of Côr Meibion Caernarfon or Palas Print bookshop in Palace Street Caernarfon. Any remaining tickets will be available at the door before the concert.

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