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News -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Home from the USA
What a wonderful experience we had during our two weeks in Michigan and Wisconsin. Having landed at Minneapolis on Monday 23rd July 2007, we coached to Calumet, Upper Michigan, in the Copper Country where the 14th Gathering of Cornish Cousins in USA had been arranged to coincide with our tour.
On the Wednesday 20 members of our party re-created the morning dance as performed on Flora Day. The difference being that the temperature was 35oC (95oF)
Helston Flora Dance at Calumet led by Joy Glasson (wife of the Choir Secretary) and David Bray (Secretary Elect) both of whom are Helston born.
The first concert was in the Theatre at Calumet which proved to be a sell-out.
During our time in the Upper Peninsula we also sang at the Central Mines Methodist Church. This is now a heritage building having originally been built by the Cornish Miners. There is no electricity so our accompanist Richard Reed had to play a harmonium!
Holman-Climax Choir, on stage at the Opera House, Mineral Point, Wisconsin
On leaving Mineral Point we travelled to Livonia, Detroit, where again we had a wonderful reception.
One of the items we sang was the well known "White Rose".
In this item the two quartets combined to sing a verse and
the chorus in Cornish Everyone who went on the Tour, Choir Members, wives and supporters were agreed that we all had a wonderful time.
Finale at Livonia, Michigan
We arrived home after two weeks away, tired but very happy.
August 2007 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Once again the Choir held its AGM at the Lowenac Hotel, Camborne. The Choir has had a very good year performing 21 concerts around Cornwall and North Devon. One of the highlights was the performance of "The Ballad of St Piran" words by David Dearlove and music by our President Goff Richards. This was performed in Truro Cathedral at the opening of the bi-annual International Male Choirs Festival.
One Choir member, Trevor Hodge, achieved 100% attendance at both concerts and rehearsals and was presented with the "Garfield Martin" cup by the Chairman Rodney Grigg.
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The chairman also presented Melville Strike with a Certificate marking his 20 years service to the Choir.
------------------------------------------------- Michael Gray, having served 30 years as a top tenor in the Choir and becoming a Life Member was presented with his tie to mark the occasion
------------------------------------------------- The Chairman thanked all the officers of the Choir for their dedication and hard work and also those many people who work behind the scenes to help keep the Choir running smoothly.
We now look forward to our trip to Michigan and Wisconsin at the end of July.
13th July 2007 ==================================== Accident - Stand in Accompanist Unfortunately our accompanist, Agnes Jane, has had an accident. She fell at home and has broken her left arm. We hope that she will mend quickly and soon be back in her usual place.
On Sunday 17th June we performed a concert at St Mawgan in Pydar Church, nr Newquay. Our MD accompanied the Choir and our deputy conductor Andrew Thomas did the conducting. It all seemed to work very well and provided a most enjoyable evening.
The Choir is very fortunate to have such talented people to lead us.
18 June 2007 ======================================================
USA Tour
After these visits we will be going to Livonia for our final concert before returning home to Cornwall. For fuller details of concert dates etc follow the link to 'Concerts' then 'Concert Dates'
24th May 2007 =======================================================================
Trevithick Day A great day enjoyed by thousands in Camborne, bathed in glorious sunshine, celebrating the age of steam and Richard Trevithick's part in designing and building the first steam locomotive.
Large crowds listened to the Choir perform near the fountain in Commercial Square. They heard a good mix of popular sacred and secular songs sung by the Choir, conducted by Roger Wills GRSM ARCM, and accompanied by the evergreen Agnes Jane.
The choir finished with a rousing rendition of Kenneth Pelmear's arrangement of Trelawny and were joined by many in the appreciative crowd.
29th April 2007 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING At the Annual General Meeting the Secretary, Ivor Glasson, reported that we had had another successful year under the direction of Roger Wills, ably assisted by Agnes Jane our wonderful accompanist. It is regretted by the whole choir that our
Musical Director, Roger Wills has announced his retirement from that
position from July 2008. He will be greatly missed by all Male
Voice Choirs in the County and elsewhere. The Chairman, Secretary and Publicity Secretary, who had stated an intention of not continuing in their respective offices, were persuaded to continue and so Rodney Grigg is the Chairman, Ivor Glasson the Secretary and David Oates the Publicity Secretary. We now look forward to yet another great year of learning and making music for all to enjoy. July 2006 _________________________________________________________________ Well, Trevithick Day was a success for the Choir. We sang for almost an hour beside the fountain in Commercial Square, Camborne. The sun shone for most of the day although there was a cold northerly wind. The Choir had a fund raising stall, which was manned, or should that be womanned, by wives and girlfriends of Choir Members. The Choir is extremely grateful for their help. We have also had some very good news. Our Musical Director, Roger J Wills GRSM, ARCM, has been made an honorary life member of the Cornish Federation of Male Voice Choirs. An honour richly deserved for all the hard work and time he has spent in training the massed Cornish Choirs for their Royal Albert Hall appearances. WELL DONE ROGER!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Choir has been privileged to be asked by the BBC to record two pieces for the Songs of Praise programme, which is broadcast on Sundays in the late afternoon. The recording by the Choir and Camborne Town Band, both, incidentally, conducted by the Choir's Musical Director, was made at Truro Methodist Church in early December 2005. It involved a lot of hard work by all. The two hymns we sang were both arranged by the Choir's President, Goff Richards. They were "Let There Be Light" (see the CD 'Proper Job') and "Take my Life and Let It Be". We are reliably informed that the whole programme, which looks at how people cope with disasters, e.g. Boscastle or the London Bombings, will be broadcast on Sunday 15th January 2006. A Happy New Year to All December 2005 -------------------------------------------------------------------- WINNERS AGAIN The result from The Camborne Music Festival was great. Holman-Climax Male Voice Choir sang The adjudicator, Jeffrey Wynn Davies, complimented the choir on its choice
of programme (Thank you Roger Wills) and our performance. He awarded us first place with
a magnificent mark of 90. The Choir was also awarded the cup for the best choral performance and our MD, Roger Wills, was awarded the Baton for best Conductor. This was a very successful evening which rounded of weeks of hard work by the Choir members and our wonderful musical team, Roger Wills and Agnes Jane. Now we look forward to Christmas November 2005 ____________________________________________________ ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING A successful Annual General Meeting was held on 29th July 2005 at the Lowenac Hotel, Camborne. The Choir has had another very good year under the baton of Roger Wills, GRSM, ARCM, winning the shield at the International Male Choirs Competition at Truro, for the best Cornish Choir. There were two very successful tours, the first to Northumberland and then in May of 2005 a return to Brittany. In both locations the Choir was extremely well received. We now look forward to another year building on our success and trying to maintain steady improvement. Four members share the Garfield Martin Trophy for
100% attendance at both rehearsals and concerts. The Officers of the Choir were re-elected which echoes the stability of the Choir as a whole. Following the A.G.M. there was a presentation evening when Rodney Grigg, chairman presented Peter Thomas, baritone, with a certificate to mark 20 years Service to the Choir.
William Waters, first tenor, was also awarded a similar Certificate but was unfortunately absent. The Chairman then sprang a surprise on Leonard Jane, husband of our wonderful accompanist of 33 years, Agnes Jane. Leonard has been elected an Honorary Life Member of the Choir for all his support of the Choir and in particular Agnes over so many years
Then came the surprise of the evening when our Vice Chairman, Hiram Tresidder, announced to the Choir men and wives assembled that Rodney Grigg had ably served the Choir as Chairman, continuously, for 20 years, and it was felt that the occasion could not be let pass without some recognition. He then presented Rodney with an engraved silver salver to express the gratitude of everyone for his dedication and hard work.
The Choir now has a welcome break and resumes rehearsals on Friday 2nd September 2005 July 2005 -------------------------------------------------------------- BRITTANY 2005 Once again the Holman-Climax Choir has been cementing relations between Brittany and Cornwall. The Choir has just returned from a very successful concert tour of Southern Brittany, based at the town of Ste. Anne d'Auray (which is twinned with Camborne, Cornwall). The Choir performed three concerts,
the first in the magnificent Basilica at Ste Ann d'Auray together
with two other male voice choirs, the second in the large chapel of
the convent in the same town. The third concert was performed
jointly with La Chorale Sylvia, in a church in Lorient.
We had many enjoyable evenings at
the Hotel Moderne in Ste Anne d'Auray. One of the highlights
was the appearance of the wives of Choir Members, wearing their
husbands uniforms, as the
---------------------------------------------------------- At our final social evening Rodney
Grigg, Chairman of Holman-Climax made a presentation to the
President of La Chorale Sylvia.
This was followed by singing - in Cornish by - by another group from Holman-Climax Choir and Breton dancing by members of La Chorale Sylvia.
We had a most enjoyable time and look forward to many more concert tours. June 2005
Well, we've done it again. At the International Male Voice Choir Festival we won the cup for the best Cornish Choir in the Class of "Choirs over 40 voices" and the shield for the best Cornish Choir in the whole competition. Roger Wills was pleased with the Choir's performance which was very well received by the large audience in the Hall for |Cornwall. The Choir was placed fourth overall with the winning choir from Latvia and the second placed choir from Germany. We are now getting ready for our tour to Brittany at the end of May 2005, which should be another terrific experience. 1st May 2005 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21 April 2005 The Choir is at present rehearsing for the International Male Choirs Festival, based at Truro. The competitive part takes place on Saturday 30th April 2005 in the Hall for Cornwall. In the morning and early afternoon the choirs of under 40 voices compete and the larger choirs, including us compete later in the afternoon.
Agnes and Roger discuss the finer points of the music.
Roger Wills makes the choir work hard at rehearsal. We are also involved in the International Concert which also takes place in the Hall for Cornwall at 7.30 pm on the Saturday night. 21 April 2005 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tamworth Ladies Choir This comparatively modern Choir from Staffordshire visited Cornwall just after Easter 2005. It was formed in 1990 and has visited Germany and Holland. The Choir has also performed in concert with Neath Male Voice Choir in South Wales They appeared with Holman-Climax Choir at St Agnes Methodist Church on Thursday 31st March. It was an excellent concert. The Tamworth Ladies sang an impressive and varied repertoire. They are a good and entertaining choir. Anyone who didn't go to this concert certainly missed a treat. We sincerely hope that this will not be their last visit to our part of the world. 31 March 2005 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reg & Freda Williams from St. Agnes On Friday 25th February 2005, Reg Williams, long serving bass in the Choir, was presented with an inscribed Carriage Clock by Rodney Grigg, Chairman, to celebrate his Golden Wedding Anniversary. On Saturday 26th February 2005, Reg & Freda had a wonderful party for family and friends at the Miners and Mechanic's Institute at St Agnes to celebrate the occasion. 27th February 2005.
--------------------------------------------------------------------- Since Christmas one of our more senior members, Eddie Penlerrick, has decided to retire after well over twenty years with the choir. He was invited and has accepted to become an Honorary Life Member of the Choir in recognition of his services. Eddie was presented with his Honorary Life Members Tie, and his wife with a bouquet of flowers by the Chairman, Rodney Grigg. On Saturday 5th February 2005, the Choir's Annual Dinner Dance was held at the Lowenac Hotel, Camborne. This proved to be an excellent evening, well organised by member Maurice Harry. The Choir is now busy rehearsing for the Male Voice Choirs Festival to be held at the Hall for Cornwall on Saturday 30th April 2005. This will be the second festival - Holman-Climax Male Voice Choir came third overall and were adjudged to be the best Cornish and British Choir. We would like to retain that title and do our best to win the overall competition but it is of a very high standard. February 2005
Our New CD is now available - cost £11 + £1.50 p
& p. The title of the CD is "The River of Life" which is taken from one of the tracks of that name. The River of Life was written by Goff Richards, a Cornishman with a worldwide reputation for bands and choirs, he is also the Choir's President. CONTENTS OF CD 1. SURELY THE
PRESENCE Wolfe - arr. Roger Wills Copies of the CD are available from all Choir members and will be on sale at our concerts
At the Annual General
Meeting held on 30th July 2004 Rodney Grigg, re-elected as
Chairman, was pleased to present the Garfield Martin Cup
for best attendance at both concerts and rehearsals to four members
of the Choir who each achieved a magnificent 100% record. Ivor Glasson was re-elected Secretary (Click on CONTACT for details) At the Annual Presentation Evening, held in the Lowenac Hotel, Camborne, after the A.G.M. there were several awards.
The Chairman presented Bob Hickman with a Certificate to mark 20 years as a full singing member of the Choir. Four men were
honoured by being made Life Members of the Choir having completed 30
years as full singing members. All four joined the Choir in 1974,
which is a long time ago, but to those four men the years have
passed very quickly. The Chairman presented David Wedlock, Ted Rogers, Gareth Rees
and Peter Williams with with their 'Life Member's Ties'. The Musical Director, Roger Wills GRSM, ARCM. has led the Choir for 12 years and during that time our wonderful accompanist Agnes Jane has played at every concert.
The Chairman was pleased to make a presentation to her to mark this achievement. The Choir has had another successful and happy year and is looking forward to the next year when they hope to compete in the International Male Choir Festival at Truro at the end of April, as well as performing several concerts. The Choir now breaks for the month of August and rehearsals start at Camb orne School and Community College on Friday 3rd September 2004 All visitors are welcome - Come along and listen - you may like to have a go yourself. HOLMAN-CLIMAX A FRIENDSHIP that began 40 years
ago has resulted in a concert tour to the north of England for one
of Cornwall's best loved male voice choirs. Back in the 1960s, Camborne
schoolteacher and Holman-Climax choir member, David Oates, left West
Cornwall to start teacher training. At college he met, and
immediately became friends with, another young man, David Pope, from
the opposite end of the country - Northumberland. After sharing a flat for three
years, they lost touch until recently, when David and his wife made
the 500-mile journey from Cornwall to Northumberland for a long
overdue reunion. But it was a reunion with a difference, because the
couple took 45 members of Holman-Climax Male Voice Choir along with
them. The choir has a strong tradition
of touring and has represented Cornwall in Europe and the USA, as
well as in Britain. David Oates met David Pope for
the first time since 1969 in the beautiful setting of Durham
Cathedral, and the choir sang in front of the ancient and imposing building to an enthusiastic audience. The choir went on to give three
more concerts in County
Durham and Northumberland.
Singing high in the hills of Northumberland, close to
Hadrian's Wall, added an extra element of enjoyment to
Holman-Climax's trip to the Northeast.
This
was followed by a concert in the reconstructed Wesleyan Chapel in
Beamish Folk Museum. The culmination of the tour was a performance
in the county town of
Morpeth, where representatives of
several male voice choirs from the area were present. The choir was pleased and
surprised at Morpeth when two Cornish exiles stood up in the
audience and greeted the choir with the traditional cry of
"Oggie, oggie, oggie". That warmth and friendship was
cemented when the choir-chairman, Rodney Grigg, presented a plaque,
on behalf of Camborne Town Council, to me mayor of Morpeth. David Oates said: "What
began as a reunion between old friends became a highly successful
vehicle for carrying the traditions and culture of Cornwall far
beyond its borders. The choir from the Cornish heartland of Camborne
and Redruth flew the flag for Cornwall in the North-East and
established links that can, hopefully, be built on in the future, to
the mutual advantage of both areas." David Oates: 16th June 2004 --------------------------------------------------------------------- TREVITHICK DAY - 2004
The Choir was in fine voice at Trevithick Day on a wonderfully sunny day.
Under the watchful eye of our Musical Director Roger Wills we entertained a large crowd.
But where would we be without the wonderful talents of our own Agnes Jane - our first lady. 26th April 2004 --------------------------------------------------------- The Choir has hosted the visit of the Swedish Ladies Choir VOX FEMINA They shared a concert at St Uny Church, Redruth on Friday 30th April 2004. On Saturday night 1st May 2004 they held a reception at the Crossroads Motel which was a very successful and enjoyable event. If you want to read more about this visiting choir
go to
23 March 2002 CONCERT AT REDRUTH On Sunday night (7th March 2004) Holman-Climax combined with Four Lanes Male Voice Choir and guest euphonium player John Hitchens in a great occasion ar the Redruth Methodist Church, to commence the celebrations for Four Lanes Choir's 60th Jubilee Year. The concert was ably chaired by Martyn Oates (B.B.C.) whose father and brother sing in Holman-Climax and whose cousin sings in Four Lanes. The Choirs sang well together under the batons of Roger Wills (Holman-Climax) and Ronald Brown (Four Lanes) and was extremely well supported. The evening was tinged with sadness as this will be the last combined concert with Holman-Climax when Ronald Brown will conduct. He retires later this year and will be greatly missed in the Male Voice Choir and wider musical field. There has always been a very good rapport between the two choirs (except on competition day) and hopefully this will continue. 10 November 2007 -------------------------------------------------------------------- It's now only a short time to Christmas and the Choir is busy rehearsing for the Christmas Engagements. The first engagement was the Annual Carol Concert at Paynters Lane End Chapel with the Springfield Singers on Monday 1st December.
What will they think of next? "I saw mummy kissing Santa Claus" ended the first half of the concert on a light note, with Ivan Barnes and Peter Williams providing the festive characters! Another event should be fun this year, that is our involvement in making the Radio Cornwall recordings for broadcast on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. This takes place at Truro Cathedral on Tuesday 16th December 2003. Tickets are available through Radio Cornwall. Our Christmas CD is a wonderful Christmas present and readily available. (go to RECORDINGS) 2nd December 2003 ___________________________________________
Another year of success for prize-winning choir. The month of August sees a break from rehearsals for the acclaimed Holman-Climax Male Voice Choir and an opportunity to review the past year. At their recent Annual General Meeting, officers of the Choir reported on another highly successful year. The highlight of the year was undoubtedly their performance in the International Male Voice Choir Competition held in Truro in May where, in competition with premier choirs from all over Britain and Europe, they were recognised as the best Cornish choir, the best British choir and came third in the international competition singing against choirs containing men who were training as professional musicians. All this took place against a background of a busy programme that included a prestigious concert at the Hall For Cornwall with the St Keverne Youth Band and pride of place in the Cornish Proms Concert that showcased the best musical talent in the county. Another first for the choir happened as a result of hosting the Sylvia Choir from Sainte Anne d’Auray, Camborne’s twin town in Brittany who came and sang with Holman-Climax in November 2002. They invited Holman-Climax to visit Brittany and in May this year, fresh from their success at the Hall for Cornwall, the choir spent a week in the Department of Morbihan, in Southern Brittany. The choir has a real taste for touring and plans are already being discussed for a tour of Southern Ireland next year and a return to the USA in 2007. There has been individual success, too, in the choir, with the Chairman, Rodney Grigg being invested with the highest honour afforded by the St John Ambulance, which he has served for many years. A significant milestone was reached, too, by the choir’s longest serving member, George Skewes, who has celebrated sixty years with the choir. George’s long and faithful service was recognised by a the choir at the cutting of a suitably inscribed cake and the presentation of mementoes marking the occasion. The choir’s vice-chairman, Hiram Tresidder also had thirty years of service with the choir recognised and he spoke warmly at the AGM of the great comradeship he had experienced over the years. At the other end of the age range there was success, too, with the imminent departure of youngest choir member, Tom Hosking, to study music at Cardiff and the return of twenty one year old member, Andrew Oates, after his graduation with a BA degree from Exeter University. The choir was pleased to present also this year, the launch of its web-site under the supervision of choir member Peter Williams, who ensures that this exciting venture is kept full of up to date information and it has already been the vehicle for orders for CD’s from overseas. All information about the choir, including engagements can be found there by either putting "Holman-Climax" into a search engine or going directly to www.holmanclimaxmalevoicechoir.co.uk The choir also recognised, once again, the debt owed to the Musical Director, Roger Wills, ably assisted by his deputy, Andrew Thomas. Roger’s mastery of his craft is recognised throughout the county, and further afield, and supported by the seamless playing of the choir’s accompanist of thirty years, Agnes Jane. At a time when many choirs seems to present the same repertoire, Holman-Climax look to be constantly adding fresh pieces to their repertoire and recently presented to the public for the first time a complicated piece "The River of Life" composed by the choir’s President, Goff Richards. In addition to this, there are a number of other new arrangements by Roger Wills and other composers in preparation at the weekly rehearsals. In his annual address to choir members, Roger Wills spoke of his pleasure at the success the choir had experienced under his guidance and made particular mention of the social aspect of the choir and felt that the close relationships between members, whether at concerts or more informal gatherings, was one of the marks of success of the organisation. There was a quiet satisfaction, too, with the steady flow of new, and younger, members. At the AGM a warm welcome was extended to all who wished to sample male voice singing at the Friday night rehearsals at 7.30 p.m. that re-commence in September. Anyone interested should contact Publicity Officer, David Oates, on 01209 716559.
A LIFETIME OF SERVICE After the Choir's AGM held on Friday 26th July 2003 the members all went to the Lowenac Hotel, Camborne for a special presentation evening. Each year presentations are made to members for long service of 20 years, and life membership for 30 years of service. This year was very special because George Skewes, baritone, celebrated 60 (SIXTY) years of singing with the Holman-Climax Mlae Voice Choir.
Rodney Grigg (Chairman) - Joyce & George Skewes George joined the Climax Choir, as it was first known, in 1943 under Edgar Kessell and has remained a stalwart member of the Choir ever since. The dedication George has shown is rarely found nowadays and the members of Holman-Climax Choir are very proud of his magnificent achievement.
______________________________________________________ Press Release 17th June 2003 Prize winning choir Following their success at the recent
international male voice choir festival in Truro, top Cornish choir,
Holman-Climax, have just completed a successful week’s tour of
Morbihan in Southern Brittany. The tour commenced in the regional
capital, Vannes, where an audience of over five hundred were
enthralled by the precision and control of their singing. A standing
ovation at the end was followed by a reception given by the Male
Voice Choir of Vannes and plans were discussed for other joint
ventures in the future.
On the Sunday the choir joined with the
celebrations to mark ten years of twinning between Camborne and
Sainte Anne D’Auray and sang in the great basilica of Sainte Anne
to over a thousand people from both Cornwall and Brittany. Such was
the power of their singing that many were moved to tears by the
rendition of pieces like "How Great Thou Art" and the
inspirational "Sanctus", by Gounod, that gained such merit
at the recent international festival. The great cathedral-like
setting was the perfect environment for such emotion packed pieces
and the great congregation stood and demanded more. This concert was followed by a "Festnoz" – a typically Breton evening – provided by the hosts. That concluded with Bretons and Cornish participating in the wonderful circle dances still kept alive in this corner of the Celtic world. The next afternoon the choir sang in the chapel of a nearby convent to a capacity audience of retired nuns who were enthralled by the sound. The tour concluded with a concert in the acoustically perfect basilica in the ancient town of Hennebont where choir, soloists and quartet again received a rapturous reception and another standing ovation. The choir’s performances received glowing reports in the regional daily paper, Ouest France, and firm friendships were formed with many of our celtic cousins. With its established reputation for concerts, competition work and touring, both in North America and Europe, the Holman-Climax Choir has further enhanced its reputation with seamless performances carried out with a choir of only forty voices compared with its normal singing strength of sixty to seventy. More important, though, in this land where reminders of Cornwall were obvious in every place-name and custom, were the friendships forged with the music makers. The warm summer evenings were filled with the sound of informal get-togethers, impromptu joint performances, and convivial glasses raised to further links and exchanges across national boundaries. David Oates, Publicity Secretary.
Our MD relaxed in Vannes
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