ABERTILLERY ORPHEUS MALE CHOIR

CÔR MEIBION ABERTYLERI

FOUNDED 1908

PATRON: Robert Lloyd CBE

Site updated:17 September, 2007

ORPHEUS ABROAD
(Choir's tour to Germany 2002)

Bank Holiday Monday saw 92 members of Abertillery Orpheus male choir, their wives and supporters set out to participate in the 50th anniversary celebrations of the German choir, Lingener Mannerquartet.
After last minute problems that required two unknown coaches, the first stage of the journey took the party via the Channel tunnel to the Holiday Inn at Ghent.
On Tuesday, the next stage took them to Lingen, where two hotels Hubertushof and Waldhotel were filled.
On Wednesday evening, a meal of gigantic proportions was served and a local artist provided an evening of music. As proof of enjoyment of the evening, the hotel ran out of beer!
On Thursday evening a barbecue was held for all members and supporters of eight different choirs who all took turns on stage to introduce themselves with their music.
The Friday morning, the Lord Mayor entertained three choir officers and gifts were exchanged. The gifts were from Abertillery and Llanhilleth community council, Blaenau borough council and courtesy of Peter Law AM, from the National Assembly of Wales.
The party then left the city of Osnabruck where they stayed at the hotel Hohenzollen and were able to explore the city. The party then returned to Lingen for the main event on Saturday, during the morning the choir sang twenty-minute programs at five locations in the city, revived at lunchtime by glasses of local Emsland beer served from a fire engine. There was free time during the afternoon which some of the ladies used for shopping, some buying green coats which were almost like a uniform. The highlight of the week was the performance in the main square in the evening. All the choirs took turns to present a programme on stage commencing with the host choir.

Choirs chairman Bill Bard from Abertillery Orpheus(right )
and Oberburgermeister Heiner Pott, Presentation of plate with coat of arm Wednesday 4 September 2002.

Then followed choirs from Finland (Helsinki) and (Pori), Holland (Enschede and Amsterdam), England (Ashbourne) Poland (Bielawa), Wales (Haverfordwest and Abertillery) Our choir sang the fifth, and had a brilliant reception from a 4000 to 5000 audience. For the items Jacobs Ladder, Guter Mond, Bring Him Home, Marina and Battle Hymn of the Republic (with audience participation) After exchanging gifts with their hosts, they left for Osnabruck.
On Sunday the party journeyed to Antwerp staying at the hotel Astrid Park Plaza. On Monday they left for home and after some delays for motorway accidents in Belgium came via the Channel Tunnel, and arrived early evening.
Everyone involved felt that this was a week that would live in the memory for a long time.

Gwent Gazette, September 19th 2002

 

Germany Tour 2002 
Abertillery Orpheus will be taking the music of Wales over seas again this year when they travel as Ambassadors of Harmony to be a part of an International Choirs Festival being held in the German city of Lingen. Organised by the Lingener Mannerquartett the festival attracting choirs from all over the world. The last festival held in 1992 attracting 34 choirs with approximately 1200 singers and singers participating .

http://www.lingen.de/
Traveling from Abertillery on August 26th the choir will proceed to an overnight stop at Ghent Belgium, the capital of East Flanders, which has been given several pretty names: historic heart of Flanders, a city of all times, one of the most beautiful historic cities in Europe, before travelling onto Lingen to meet up with other choirs from Wales, Poland, Finland, Holland and England for the International festival.

http://www.trabel.com/gent/gent-introducinggent.htm

The choir are no strangers to continental tours having travelled to Germany, Rome, Holland, Spain, France and most recently Canada, gaining many new friends and experiences along the way.

Stephen Bard will be leading the choir on this occasion, his first continental tour since taking over as Musical Director, having already started rehearsing the choir on new music to be sang in German as a mark of respect to our hosts along with the fine tuning of the choirs own repertoire of traditional and modern music many of which being of a strong Welsh flavour. During the festival the choir will be singing in Welsh, German, Italian and English.

The choir is looking forward in anticipation of the tour when they will once again be given the opportunity to promote Wales and Welsh male voice singing to a world wide audience.

Travelling back from the festival the choir party will be stopping for an overnight stay in Antwerp before arriving home on September 2nd when after a short break they will be commencing rehearsals for there forthcoming engagement at Devizes.

Continental tours are only a small part of what Abertillery Orpheus has to offer to its members. You can be a part of this type of event by become a member of our organisation. We always welcome prospective new members to our organisation, so why not come along to Bryngwyn School where rehearsals are held every Tuesday and Friday evening 7.00p.m.until 9.00p.m. and find out what Abertillery Orpheus is all about. You can be assured of a warm friendly welcome together with what we hope will be the start of a long and exciting membership.

TOUR ITINERARY

26th August
Coaches loaded we travelling via the Channel Tunnel for an overnight stop at the Holiday Inn at Ghent in Belgium.

27th August
After breakfast we make our way across the Dutch and German borders to our hotels in Lingen. We will be using two hotels the Hubertushof and Waldhotel which lie just 300 yards apart. We will have time on arrival to settle into our rooms before our evening buffet at the Waldhotel.

28 August
Today we will be visiting the pretty border town of Bad Benteim with its beautiful castle and pretty town square with cobbled streets, shop, restaurants ad café and park. We will spend a few hours in the town and return to our hotels to unwind before our evening buffet followed by music and dancing until well into the night

29 August
A free morning to explore the town of Lingen before departure to the Festival barbecues which will be followed by some informal singing by the entire choir's.

30 August
Leaving Lingen to head for the beautiful city of Osnabruk. Here will have a few hours of sightseeing before settling into our new residence the Hotel Hohenzollern.

31 August
Today we will be travelling onto Lingen for the main part of the festival where we will be singing at several locations around the town. With a final grand concert being held in the evening.

1 September
We leave Osnabruk and travel to our hotel in Antwerp for overnight stay.

2 September
Homeward bound

Lingener Mannerquartett