This site is being transferred to a new home so please keep an eye on pewseymvc.org.uk for updates over the coming days.

Renaissance

Getting Back Into the Swing of Things  

PMVC resumed regular Monday night practices (7:15pm for 7:30pm) on 6th Sept 2021 after an 18 month hiatus and have made steady progress along the way to bedding in a suitable repertoire of songs.

Best of all we have been able to welcome new members to each of the choir's four sections. So, if you're looking for a new interest to sustain you through the Winter and into the New Year, please get in touch or just turn up and introduce yourself. You don't have to pass an audition or anything like that. 

While we are getting back up to speed we are declining all invitations for public performance until further notice.

Farewell Old Friend 

Today a number of choir members were among family and friends at St.John's Pewsey to mourn the passing of David Giles who had sung in our Bass section for many years until stepping down at the end of 2019. 

Fittingly, the opening music was Barwick Green, the theme tune from The Archers the Monday evening edition of which Dave would always listen to in his car across the road from rehearsals! The final number was an instrumental version of A Farmers Boy, the song that has become a huge favorite of PMVC over the years.

Hibernation 2020/21

Hello, yes we're still here! But all of the choir's activities have been suspended until further notice of course. Stay healthy everyone. 

PMVC resume practice nights on 6th Sept 2021 after an 18 month hiatus.

Future plans for public performance are in abeyance. 

There's a Silver Lining?

By its very nature choral singing is the consummate social activity hence why choirs were among the earliest to be impacted by the distancing requirements of Covid-19. All the signs are that choirs are also likely be to among the last to be able to resume activities once the new normal is established.

We last rehearsed as a choir just days before 14th March and what was set to be the biggest and best concert we'd ever presented. Whilst we'll be using Zoom to keep the social side of things ticking over and trying out a few musical ideas we can't wait to get back to the real thing.

Nobody knows when that might be but maybe we shall see a few new faces, eager to join in singing for the fun of it after the long months of binge watching old TV series and tidying the loft? We shall as ever have a warm welcome awaiting any newcomers.

Music+more IV

Cancelled (Covid-19)

Ticket holders for our sell-out concert with Salisbury Plain MWC on Sat 14th March 2020 are now entitled to ask for and receive a refund as we have been unable to confirm a rearranged date.

We have been able to contact the holders of all but 9 ticket holders directly. These are persons who bought their tickets at one of the village shops. If you are one, please contact us via the email address given on the poster below to let us know if you want a refund or are happy to hold the ticket for use at the next concert we are able to stage. 

Delighted that Nicky is attending as our special guest. Take a look at this glittering and varied lineup we have arranged for our regular mid-March concert this year and hope to welcome see as many old friends and new to the Bouverie Hall, Pewsey. There will be a cash bar on the night.

PMVC's Christmas at Home

Our Christmas highlight this year will be a new venture for us with a Concert of Christmas Carols and Songs at our rehearsal venue St.John the Baptist, Church St, Pewsey SN9 5DL on the evening of Friday 13th December. We will be complimented by the folk and blues excellence of the Crofton Stokers with our audience sat at candlelit tables to enjoy a buffet of seasonal fare.

Ticket sales through our Supporters' Mailing List have been very strong and any remaining tickets will be placed with the public outlets on Tues 19th Nov.

Sound Us Out at Pewsey Carnival ...

Pewsey MVC is as keen as ever to welcome new voices and now is no different. This is your chance to help us build on the success of our Voices of Our Vale concert in early July - we have never had so much positive feedback from the audience and this sent us off into our usual August recess in buoyant spirits.

We clear our throats with a visit to Oare & District Show on 31st August. Then September, always a good time for newcomers to join up and this year we have organised a special "Come And Try It" style evening as part of the annual Pewsey Carnival fortnight on Monday 9th Sept at St.Johns, Church St, Pewsey at 7:15pm. We have called this Sound Us Out! - see posters below, all free, just come along and enjoy and/or email us pewseymvc06[at]gmail.com for further info ...

Announcing "Voices of Our Vale" - Sat 6th July, Bouverie Hall, Pewsey

Now that we have had a chance to get to know our new Choral Director Graham Coatman and (more importantly!) he us, we thought it high time we staged an evening of song in the Bouverie Hall to show Pewsey what had become of us since the New Year.

We have invited the delightful Pewsey Belles Ladies Choir to concert with us under the direction of Ed Cooke and happily they have agreed.

So the scene is now set for Saturday 6th July, with doors opening at 7:00pm for a full programme of entertainment starting at 7:30pm. There will be a cash bar and tombola style prize draw and we hope to see a full house of supporters old and new enjoying the Voices of Our Vale!

You'll Support Us Evermore (?) ...

We know how to enjoy our time off! As required by General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR)  we have just given our Contacts List built up over 12yrs a bit of a Spring-clean and have mailed out to non-members asking those who want us to stay in touch to confirm. You may have received such a request in which case thanks for any response. Otherwise, please feel free to sign up to our Supporter Mailing List on the Support Us! page.
Whilst we shall try to keep our social media presence relevant, the signal to noise ratio on Twitter/FB can be a bit low sometimes (especially when elections loom) so the mailing list is seen as the best way of staying in touch with the greatest number of people who are most interested in what we do, e.g. details of upcoming engagements, especially public concerts, etc.

Hear Our Song!

We were proud and pleased to be invited by BBC Wiltshire to help them celebrate their 30th birthday today. For those who didn't get to hear it in real time, our rendition of "Happy Birthday To You" was played twice, first at 6:00 am on the Ben Prater show and again at 3 mins 30 secs into the Graham Rogers Show at 4:00 pm as you can hear here (BBC Sounds) or here (MP3)

Many thanks to Graham Coatman for his great arrangement which we thought sounded fantastic!

Here's a few photos of the recording session courtesy of Michele Jenner...

Welcome to Our New Choral Director!

Pewsey Male Voice Choir were delighted by the quality of the candidates who came forward in response to our vacancy for a new Choral Director and are delighted to announce the appointment of Graham Coatman to the role. Having moved from Yorkshire to Wiltshire for family reasons just over a year ago, Graham is looking to build on his impressive CV with a new portfolio of choirs in our area and we look forward to making a start with him on Mon 4th Feb.

New Year, New Era ...

Happy 2019 to all our members, supporters and followers as we embark upon the next chapter of our story ... appointing a new Choral Director ... whilst this will be the focus in January we remain a non-audition choir so if joining in the fun of singing is part of your New Year's Resolution you're assured a warm welcome: Mondays (14th Jan onwards), 7:15-9:00pm St.Johns, Church St, Pewsey.

The Busiest Month ...

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Check out our Gallery to see what we've been up to.

Below you'll see details of our upcoming engagements at Pewsey Fire Station and the Heritage Centre. We are also doing Netheravon Phoenix Hall on Tues 11th, 11:00 am, Carols for Commuters at 7:00am on Mon 17th at Pewsey Railway Station and finally supporting the carol service at St.John's on Thurs 20th, 6:30pm. Happy Christmas all.

Ups and Downs

So far November has proved to be a hectic, harrowing month for Pewsey Male Voice Choir.

We already knew that our Choral Director of the past five years or so Daryl Taylor needed to stand down in order to fulfil travelling ambitions in retirement. We wish him all the best and have set the ball rolling to find his successor. Next we learned of the passing of long-standing members, firstly, Second Tenor Bernard Gaskin from Manningford and then, poignantly on Remembrance Sunday as we sang at Milton Lilbourne, our former Chairman, current Social Secretary and stalwart Bass 2 John Marshall. Our heartfelt condolences to the families of both our good friends.

Appropriately enough some uplift was provided on the night of Tues 13th when a sizeable contigent of members and supporters went over to the Wiltshire Air Ambulance HQ at Semington to serenade the helicopter, fundraising staff and aircrew whilst handing over a cheque for £2,000 (being the sum we have raised for the service this year).

When the Clocks Go back we Switch the Attack ...

With a comparatively busy September and October now behind us thoughts now turn to the Christmas programme and, as usual, learning a couple of new songs to keep things fresh. But before that November will see us helping Milton Lilbourne to mark Remembrance Sunday, paying a visit to the Wilts Air Ambulance HQ to present our fundraising cheque and pitching in at St Johns' Medieval Christmas Fayre.
As ever, new voices are always welcome: St Johns, Church St, Pewsey - Modays 7:00pm for 7:30pm.

The Sound of Silence (is Lifted ...)

Ladies and Gentlemen there will now be a short intermission while we spend August resting our warbling organs and putting our trotters up after a challenging, varied and entertaining 2017/18 season. Membership is at an all-time high of 34 voices.We return for public engagements at:

• Oare Village Show, Sat 1st Sept, 
• Pewsey Feast Tea, Sun 16th Sept
• Macmillan Coffee Morning, Netheravon, Tues 25th Sept
• Crofton Steam Gala, Sun 30th Sept
• Figheldean Church, Sat 20th Oct. 

Rehearsals Mondays 7:00pm for 7:30pm in St Johns, Church St, Pewsey ... simply turn up if you'd like to be a part of the 2018/19 story!

Next Up! ...

Two performances coming up:

• Sat 30th June - Milton Lilbourne Summer Fair with Pewsey Belles, 2:30pm

• Fri 6th July - Enford Church, Summer Concert with Salisbury Plain Military Wives Choir, 7:00pm

Music&more3 - Gala for Wilts Air Ambulance

What an enjoyable and successful night that was! - an eclectic dance through the generations of talent available in but one Wiltshire village - that not only fulfilled the evening's purpose to entertain but also raised a four figure sum for PMVC's adopted charity, the Wilts Air Ambulance.

From the opening set where the audience were charmed by the ukulele, drumming and singing skills of pupils from Pewsey Vale School and their teacher Mrs Segue du Toit, through the tight, complex and soulful songs of Nick & Sam Taylor with Zak Messenger to the accomplished guitar/ vocals of Paul Darby, the musical spectrum in first half of the concert was a joy to behold. All delightfully counterpointed by recitations and dulcimer solos from members of Pewsey Vale Amateur Dramatic Society (PVADS), interspersed with compere Paul Hornbogen's tributes to the Emerald Isle following their grand slam exploits on their own Saint's day.

While the snowfall outside got heavier, the second half saw a packed Bouverie Hall treated to a special PVADS performance of their latest one act play The Accident followed by the musical excellence of The White Horse Duo who closed by getting everyone to join them in Que Sera Sera. We rounded things off ourselves with four part arrangements of The House of the Rising Sun, He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother, You Raise Me Up, Bohemian Rhapsody and Speed Your Journey before closing with Blake's Jerusalem.

Gazette & Herald Report

Entertaining Enford

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A Choir is For Life Not Just Christmas!

Gig Guide: Jan-April 2018

As ever the Christmas programme proved hectic, enjoyable and thoroughly worthwhile particularly as the public engagements in Burbage, Marlborough and the three in Pewsey once again assisted in raising several hundred pounds for good causes (e.g. Macmillan, The Fire Fighters' Charity, Cystic Fibrosis Trust, Pewsey Heritage Centre and Wiltshire Air Ambulance).

First rehearsal of 2018 is Mon 8th in St Johns 7:15pm for 7:30pm, new voices welcome as ever ... we have a varied and exciting programme ahead in the year to come and this is a perfect time to join as we learn some new numbers ... and it is a good time of year to mention that the health benefits of being in a choir are well documented!

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