Choristers and music team of Pembroke and District Male Voice Choir have been hitting the autumn road with concerts in quick succession.

Within one week the choir performed at two favourite venues, St John’s Church, Tenby, and St Michael’s Church, Bosherston.

The abilities of the male voices is often praised, switching easily from well known choral pieces and hymns to modern classics and traditional items, in English and Welsh. But what would they do without the ladies; an important question posed by choir MC Phil Lloyd at both concerts?

The versatility of conductor Christine Lloyd, solo flautist Alyson Griffiths and accompanist Carole Rees was fully demonstrated in the wide ranging musical choices.

At St John’s - which the choir visits at least twice a year - and at Bosherston, Alyson included music from the shows by Andrew Lloyd Webber and then combined with Christine in duets, including the beautiful ‘Freely, Freely’.

This was the first opportunity for newly inducted Minister, the Rev Stella Hayton, to hear a local male voice choir. Liz Storey welcomed the audience and choir, and Rev Stella gave the blessing.

Visitors from South Africa and Australia were among the audience, along with Gloucester Police Male Voice first bass Keith Barrett who joined the Pembroke contingent for ‘American Trilogy’ and the encore, ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’.

The saints were truly marching at Bosherston where the Vicar, the Rev Josh Maynard, welcomed the choir for the second occasion this year, having heard them at another of his parish churches, Angle.

A rousing choir performance of the well known ‘When The Saints Go Marching In’ was trumped by Alyson and Christine who dueted with an alternative version, choir and audience joining in the choruses. Alyson also played ‘Ave Maria’ from the opera Cavalleria Rusticana.

One choir item, ‘Sunset Poem’, the famous Eli Jenkins Prayer by Dylan Thomas, was dedicated to the memory of long standing choir member and personality George Lewis who died very recently. And the encore, the Welsh hymn ‘Rachie’, was sung at the special request of Rev Josh Maynard.

Australian couple Sue and Dieter Mylius were in the audience, having spotted the choir’s banner outside the church earlier in the day. They expressed their delight in hearing a Welsh male voice choir in such a special setting, and are returning home to Sydney with a special souvenir - a choir CD.