Fron Male Voice Choir make their Chichester Festivities debut this year, bringing with them a rich history of music-making.
No-one is better placed to tell that history than Dennis Williams, one of five surviving founder members of the choir.
As he says, one of the huge pleasures of taking part is the friendships it brings – lifelong friendships.
"I can be sitting
there in Chicago when we are performing and sitting there with people I shared desks with back at school."
Dennis joined in 1947 when the choir was founded. It had all begun a year earlier in 1946 when the people of Llangollen, as a gesture to international peace, decided to ask former enemies to come together in the friendly, competitive atmosphere of a traditional Welsh Eisteddfod.
Invitations went out for 1947 and the Llangollen International, Musical Eisteddfod was born. Europe was in the grip of ruin. No-one was sure if anyone would come. But they did come, and have been coming ever since.
"The whole idea was that instead of carrying on the atmosphere of fighting after the war, they would bring people together to sing."
To compete in the male voice competition at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod the choir needed 60 voices so Wilfred Jones, the leader of the Froncysyllte Youth Club, persuaded the young men of the village to join, Dennis among them – and from this emerged the Fron choir.
The Fron Choir's Chichester Festivities concert will be in Chichester Cathedral on Sunday at 8pm; Ann Atkinson musical director/mezzo soprano; Jeff Howard organ.
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