Island Life Magazine Ltd June/July 2017 | Page 127
Notebook
Picture by Graham Reading
A golden summer of song
One night in 1967, a group of men dressed in smocks,
gaiters and fake beards, gathered at Newchurch village
concert to make music and entertain at their first ever
public performance.
Calling themselves the Hart’s Ash
Male Voice Choir, they were men
from the local area, drawn together
through a shared passion for song
and companionship.
Now, 50 years on, the name has
changed and the smocks are long
gone, but members of Newchurch
Male Voice Choir still entertain, albeit
in a slightly more serious manner.
This summer, to celebrate their
milestone Golden Jubilee, they are
planning a special concert at Medina
Theatre.
The ‘Golden Jubilee Serenade’ on
August 16 will include songs the choir
has sung over the last 50 years, from
popular favourites such as Rhythm of
Life to more traditional numbers such
as Morte Criste. Joining the choir will
be a variety of Island guest artistes,
including First Act Theatre, violinist
Nancy Filby-Borrett and soprano
Harley Mackness.
Over the past 50 years, the choir
has raised tens of thousands of
pounds for charities including the
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air
Ambulance, RNLI, Action on Hearing
Loss, IW Society for the Blind and
many more. It has also produced two
albums, the second of which marked
the 40th anniversary, and members
even performed on the main stage at
Bestival in 2009. The choir has also
been invited to sing with Aled Jones
at the Isle of Arts Festival in Ventnor,
and can even claim to be the first
non-Cornish choir to have performed
at the Eden Project.
As well as singing at venues across
the Island, the choir has toured to
various places around the country
including grand historic venues
such as Bath Abbey, Christchurch
Priory and Winchester Cathedral. It
has also given concerts on the Island
together with choirs from Wales,
Cornwall and Australia.
In 2001 Roy Bevan, who has
been a member of the choir since
1982, ag