After decades of decline, why Welsh male voice choirs are back

The male voice choir, or Côr Meibion, is a world-famous emblem of Welsh identity.

Renowned for spine-tingling renditions of the likes of Bread of Heaven (Cwm Rhondda), the traditional choral groups are a familiar sight at Six Nations games and even Royal visits.

For decades, however, they have reported dwindling memberships - and the pandemic hit them hard.

But their fortunes appear to be changing, with the Welsh Association of Male Choirs reporting an "upsurge" of members - including younger people - in some parts of the country.

With a history dating back to the 19th Century, male voice choirs were once at the heart of many communities in Wales.

They stemmed from churches and chapels, at a time when coal was king and miners were at their core.

When the mines closed and congregations dwindled, many choirs began to suffer.

But in recent years, thanks to a combination of recruitment drives and social media campaigns targeting younger people, some choirs have managed to reverse the decline.

Bridgend Male Choir is one of these, with a growing membership and popularity which sees them perform to sell-out crowds.

"All choirs took a big hit during Covid," said chairman, Gareth Reese.

"A lot of choristers didn't come back.

"We've taken a while to build numbers back up, but gradually we have.

"We're up to 83 now and things are looking up again for male voice choirs."

The choir has modernised in recent years, even performing the Welsh national anthem on stage with Coldplay at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff in 2023, in front of nearly 70,000 fans.

It has managed to recruit several younger members including Nathan Hughes, 37, in the baritone section, who joined around a year ago.

"It was always a dream to join a male voice choir and my wife kept on pushing me and saying don't waste your voice, so I took the plunge and joined and haven't looked back," he said.

"I love it, it's wonderful for the soul."

Gareth Limerick, 38, joined Bridgend Male Choir 18 months ago, and is part of the baritone section.

"I've got a very busy job so I come straight from work to here and I can switch off from the rest of the world and just sing and I leave here on such a high, it's such an amazing feeling."

Ryan Wood, the choir's musical director, said: "When we've finished a concert and we get a standing ovation, that can make the choir feel on cloud nine, and me too."

A community project in Neath is also hoping to boost choral numbers. The Dynion Project will run for 10 weeks and culminate in a concert in April.

Rachel Perkins, musical director of the project, said: "I could see choir numbers declining, so I wanted to do something to help that.

"Lots of choirs have been running projects to recruit new members while raising money for charity and they've been successful, so I decided Neath needed a project.

"While I love a good hymn they're sometimes not relevant to younger people so I wanted something more modern and attract a new crowd to male voice singing and hopefully they'll get bitten by the the bug and continue singing after this project and join choirs."

At tonight's rehearsal the choir performed Coldplay's 'Fix You'.

Tomos Lloyd, 20, is a former member of Only Boys Aloud but struggled to find a choir which appealed to him to continue singing.

"I'd be the youngest member in some male voice choirs by about 60 years and I wanted to be around people of a similar age and understand the modern way of doing things and that's what we're doing here."

The choir is in aid of Joseph's Smile charity, which was set up by the family of Joseph Yeandle, a three-year-old boy who died in 2021 after being diagnosed with neuroblastoma.

"Joseph loved music," said Emma Rees, co-founder of the charity.

"We're in Wales, we're a nation of song, I think it's such an incredible project.

"We are honoured to be involved in it but not only that, it's bringing men together because men's mental health is important to us as a family, this project is extra special to us."

It is a mixed picture for other male voice choirs, though.

Pontypridd Male Voice Choir has struggled for choristers, recently having to pull in members from neighbouring choirs to perform at the opening of Capel Rhondda in Hopkinstown, the chapel where Cwm Rhondda was first performed and now a community facility.

Alun Thomas, public relations officer for Welsh Association of Male Choirs, said there had been an "upsurge" but recruitment was still a "major challenge".

"We are seeing an upsurge of interest in singing amongst men across the board. This sometimes gets reflected in choir membership in some instances," he said.

"The vast majority of choirs have been very creative with their recruitment drives, offering taster sessions in venues where men congregate, incentives, dispelling of myths such as the need for auditions, or the ability to read music.

"The choir that started the ball rolling in Wales with its successful recruitment was Barry Male Choir, while Llantrisant, Monmouth have also seen a noticeable increase, as well as Bridgend and Cowbridge.

"However, recruitment especially amongst a younger, working age cohort remains a major challenge."