By ALESHA CAPONE
A CHOIR which has performed at the Sydney Opera House, at Docklands Stadium during the Rugby World Cup and toured New Zealand is coming to Keilor.
The Victoria Welsh Male Choir – Cantorion Cymreig – will sing a mix of Christmas carols, rock and roll, opera, popular classics and hymns on 8 December at the Keilor Primary School.
The acclaimed choir will appear as part of Brimbank City Council’s celebrations of Keilor’s 150 years of local government.
A member of the choir, Barry McMahon, lives in Keilor.
He said three of the music group’s other members hail from Werribee and one from Glenroy, but most live in the eastern suburbs.
“I just feel it’s wonderful the council is bringing our choir out here to perform for people,” Mr McMahon said.
The choir requires its members to study the Welsh language for six to nine months before joining up.
“We’ve been going now for four decades,” Ms McMahon said.
The choir performs around 30 concerts every year, has put out nine albums and won the National Eisteddfod of Wales third prize in 2004.
The choir also performed at a church in Hoppers Crossing on Sunday and will appear at the Melbourne Recital Centre on Friday 28 February at 7.30pm for the Grand Annual Saint David’s Day concert.
Mr McMahon said as a younger man he never expected to join a Welsh choir in the future.
“I would never have believed I’d end up there, but my mother always wanted me to join an opera company,” he said.
“I always preferred boxing at that age.”
The Victoria Welsh Male Choir will appear on Sunday 8 December between 2-4pm at the Keilor Primary School, Kennedy St. Entry $5 at the door, bookings required, limited seats. Proceeds to the Brimbank Charitable Trust. Contact: keilor150@brimbank.vic.gov.au or 9249 4044.
