History

In 1962, a group of 26 choirs formed an association to collectively address the needs of Male Voice Choirs. The aims and objectives of the Association are:

1) To bring together all Welsh Choirs under one umbrella and to assist them on any query or problem that could arise.  In this respect, the services of an Honorary Solicitor are available.

2) To foster and promote the art of Male Voice choral music and Welsh choral works

3) To liaise with Educational Institutions and Cultural Societies for the practice and study of the performance of Male Choral work worldwide.

Since its formation, the Association has increased in numbers and experience, which has made it a much more professional body and better equipped to fulfill its aims and objectives. We now have over 100 members choirs including 13 associate choirs and 6 overseas choirs. A list of the current member choirs and their websites is available HERE

If you are interested in joining a male choir please contact us from HERE

Competitions and Festivals

Being mindful of the competitive spirit within many choirs, the Association has promoted many competitions for male voice choirs and it has also liaised with promoters of Eisteddfodau and other music festivals to this end. There is co-operation between the Association regarding choral competitions.  A cup is presented annually by the Association to the winning male choir at the Eisteddfod’s Choral Competition. It has been noticed that some choirs have been attracting younger men into their ranks, and, hopefully, as the 21st Century progresses, we hope they continue to do so and keep alive the tradition of Welsh Male Choral singing for many years to come.

The Association has arranged several massed Male Voice Festivals which have been held at the International Arena, Cardiff in Bristol, Swansea and Bournemouth.  The Association has also arranged massed Male Voice Festivals at the Royal Albert Hall, London since 1978 and at the St David’s Hall, Cardiff, some jointly with the North Wales Association of Male Choirs.  These festivals have been held to provide a live demonstration of how member choirs can co-operate and combine in a common effort for the overall enjoyment of the listening public.  The last Festival of Massed Male Choirs was held in the Royal Albert Hall, London in May 2018 in aid of Prostate Cymru. The next Royal Albert Hall Massed Choir concert will be in 2024 and rehearsal are already underway. More details of the Royal Albert Hall concert and the 2023 Midsummer Concert at the St David’s Hall, Cardiff, can be found on this site

See Events page

ASSOCIATION TOURS

To enable members of smaller choirs to go on tour, it was decided to arrange visits abroad under the name of the Association for choirs who would not normally be able to do so. The first of these tours took place in 2002 to South Africa.  It was arranged, not only because it was the 40th Anniversary Year of the Association, but also to coincide with the Wales National Rugby team tour of South Africa. As well as singing on the pitch at Bloemfontein and Cape Town, concerts were given at Durban, Beaufort West and Cape Town. As this tour was so successful, it was decided to arrange a tour to New Zealand and Australia in 2004, where concerts were given in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch in New Zealand and Wollongong and Canberra in Australia.  

Following the success of these tours, further tours were arranged to China and Hong Kong in 2006, to Patagonia in 2007 and South Africa in 2009 to coincide with the tour of the British Lions. In 2012, as part of the 50th Anniversary celebrations, a tour of Russia was arranged by the Association which turned out to be highly successful. The next tour was in 2014, which saw the Association perform in Ljubljana, Vienna and Krakow. In August 2016 we visited Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia as part of our Baltics States tour.

See Tours page

Links

The Welsh Association of Male Choirs (WAMC) is a member of Making Music All Wales Group and also the Singing Network (UK). We also have representation on the Cross Party Group for Music at the Senedd, chaired by Rhianon Passmore AM. Through Executive Committee members, as well as Member Choirs, we also has representation with the National Association of Choirs, the Association of British Choral Directors, British Choirs on the Net and the American Choral Directors Association. Through our membership of the Singing Network (UK) we have links to the Royal School of Church Music, British Barbershop organisations, Sing for Pleasure and over 20 other specialist vocal music organisations.

See Links page

HEALTH, WELLBEING, SAFEGUARDING AND SOCIAL PRESCRIBING

There is a growing evidence base that highlights the health benefits of singing or playing music in a group. These activities can be particularly effective for improving mental health and wellbeing, as well as combatting loneliness and isolation. Singing in particular can support lung health and be used to help the management of symptoms for conditions such as dementia and Parkinson’s.

Social prescribing aligns with the Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 and the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014. Both of which are founded upon models that recognise the impact of social aspects on health and wellbeing.

The concept of social prescribing has received significant political attention and cross-party support in Wales. The Programme for Government 2021-2026 commits to introducing an all-Wales framework to roll out social prescribing, and the Connected Communities Strategy 2020 sets out the intention to support the development of social prescribing schemes across Wales.

Several member choirs have identified the new ‘Social Prescribing’ arrangements operated under the auspices of the Area Health Boards as a way of making a major contribution to the wellbeing of the community.

The Welsh Government Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 requires any organisation, offering activities or services to young people and vulnerable adults, to take all reasonable measures to ensure that the risk of harm to their welfare is minimised and, where there are concerns, to share them with other agencies, as appropriate. For the purposes of this policy, anyone up to the age of 19 is a child and anyone over 18 years who is or may be unable to take care of themselves or unable to protect themselves against significant harm or exploitation is a vulnerable adult.

A sample Safeguarding policy can be found on the Members Area

SEMINARS

Regional Seminars can be organised to cover various topics of interest for members and attempts are made to foster the work of new music for Male Choirs.

SOCIAL MEDIA Promotion

Member choirs are able to promote their concerts and future plans on both this website and on our facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/WAoMC . This service is only available to member choirs. If you choir is not currently a member and you would like further information about the Association and the benefits of membership please contact our Secretary HERE