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The History of Tenby Male Choir

Sheet music

Last updated: 25 August 2006

Tenby Male Choir reached its 30th birthday in 2006, congratulations to all the members past and present. And who better to conduct us through its history than its current chairman, and the only founding member left in the choir, Tom Pearce.


Founded in 1975, by its then Music Director Graham Stubbs, Tenby Male Choir continued under his baton for nearly 23 highly successful years. The choir has travelled extensively at home and abroad visiting Gibraltar, Holland, Yugoslavia, Malta, Gran Canaria, Ireland, Romania and Italy to sing in cathedrals, churches and concert halls.

In its first 20 years the choir competed in many competitions and Eisteddfodau. It was a finalist at the Welsh Association of Male Choir Competition twice, winning the Tumble Eisteddfod on eight occasions and Cardigan on three. It has also appeared six times at the Royal Albert Hall Massed Choir concerts.

The choir has been most fortunate in having a number of excellent musicians to perform with over the years, including soloists Della James, Joan Luke, and Roger Phillips; accompanists which include Pat Stubbs, the late lamented Ken Hewlings and currently Jill Williams, and Music Directors Graham Stubbs, Clare Harrison and currently Christine Shewry who took over the baton in May 2000.

As part of choir policy to promote young musicians, Tenby Male Choir has been delighted to introduce to audiences many talented, local young people who in the main are or have been students at the local Greenhill Secondary School. Here under the guidance of Paul Rapi, Assistant Music Director of Tenby Male Choir and Head of Music and Drama at Greenhill, is an untold wealth of talent.

In 2006 the choir used its youngest-ever guest artistes, four eleven-year-old pupils from Saundersfoot Primary School, who form a delightful musical quartet. In June they were winners of the Urdd National Eisteddfod. The choir is much indebted to all these 'rising stars', their parents and teachers.

The choir is always in demand and heavily committed with engagements each year and regularly raises in the region of £5000 to £6000 per annum for charities. Tenby is something of a mecca for visiting choirs from both home and abroad and consequentially Tenby Male Choir are frequently called upon to host and entertain their guests at their 'home' at the County Club.

Now is an appropriate opportunity to thank the ladies group, known as the 'Friends of Tenby Male Choir', who so readily give of their time and efforts in preparing refreshment and raising funds to support the choir throughout the year. Thousands of visitors enjoy the choir's performances who, apart from normal concert venues, are able to reach a very wide cross-section of the public, both adult and children, with their open-air performances at the harbour throughout the peak summer months. They are always well received and add to so many peoples enjoyment of their holiday in the area.

  • Tom Pearce


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