Graham Burgess
Before I took early retirement I was a product manager at Kronospan and now am happy as a part-time delivery driver.
I joined the choir in October 2012 as the band I had been singing in for several years called it a day and I missed singing. My first performance was on March 13th, St. Alkmund’s Church, in Whitchurch
I think my favourite venue is the church where we sang in Mondsee, Austria, where the marriage was filmed for the ‘Sound of Music’ but my favourite performance would have to be winning the Llangollen international Eisteddfod 2018.
As a member you will find it impossible not to enjoy a performance
An interesting fact . . . I first sang with the choir 45 years ago as guest artist in a concert – I was a boy soprano.
Neil Hayward (Voice rep/Transport Officer/Archivist)
I worked for 20 years at Trinity Mirror Newspapers as a typesetter and then media planner / outputter. The love of singing is the reason I joined the Fron in November 2005! I have been in choirs since I was 12. My son joined first (my wife’s grandfather was a founder member, so there was no other Male Voice Choir to join).
My first performance was at St. Asaph Cathedral early in 2006 – the piano went out of tune, so we had to sing a lot of items unaccompanied that I did not know, and we had NOT rehearsed!
There are so many wonderful places that we have performed at but my favourite venues are, in no particular order, The Royal International Pavilion, Llangollen, The Royal Albert Hall, The Tower of London and the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
As for performances, again there are a lot but singing at the Festival of Remembrance in 2009 – standing in the auditorium as poppies fell from above, singing in front of 60,000 plus at The Millennium Stadium for the Wales vs Ireland six nations game and, of course, winning the Male Voice Competition at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod in 2018 stand out. Winning the competitions in Derry and Cornwall is also up there as is, leaving aside competitions, singing to family and friends at a concert in the William Aston Hall, Wrexham.
Don’t hesitate in joining us, I regret not joining when I first moved to Wrexham in 1991, one of the reasons being was that I thought not being Welsh I would struggle with the language and another reason was I did not think I was good enough (this still may be the case, but I love it anyway).
An interesting fact . . . I was born in Ormskirk Hospital, Lancashire but when I moved to Wrexham I discovered that my paternal grandfather was from Ellesmere and my maternal great-grandfather (James Wynn) was from Rhosymedre (close to our rehearsals in Acrefair School).
Sam Hughes
My main occupation was Environmental Health Officer/ Surveyor but latterly until 2015 I was the Town Clerk for Chirk. I joined the Fron Choir in September 1954. My brother-in-law Travis Griffiths persuaded me to join, he was an original member. My first performance was at the Village Hall in Glyndyfrdwy. The generator failed during the concert with Mr Lloyd Edwards and his son Berwyn conducting and accompanying by candlelight.
There are too many favourite venues over the years but the Albert Hall, London, the Roy Thompson Hall, Toronto, the Sage Theatre, Gateshead, the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, London Festival Hall are just a few that have special memories.
I have a lot of favourite performances to choose from but Llangollen Eisteddfod competitions from the beginning and winning performances must be up there plus the Christmas concerts at the New Vic and the Toronto Bi-Centenary concerts at the Roy Thompson Hall and all our tours here and abroad and the many, many more that have stirred the heart.
For a wonderful pastime come and join a famous male choir and enjoy the company of a very friendly group of men in making music and song along with exceptional social pleasure.
An interesting fact . . . I still have the original Choir black blazer - but it doesn’t fit too well now!!
David Jones (Chairman)
I was a secondary school teacher but now I'm retired, and I joined the Fron in 1985. I had been living in Basingstoke but when I moved up here with work, my 15 year-old brother-in-law, who was a member of the Fron, asked me to give him a lift to choir practice. After about three practices I was asked to sit in. It was amazing, and I joined. I think my first performance was at Plas Madoc Leisure Centre's big Sports Hall.
There are so many venues that I love but I do enjoy concerts that are sold out, the atmosphere is electric and the audience are there to enjoy themselves. However, as a rugby fanatic, walking on the pitch at the Millennium Stadium, to sing the Anthems before the Wales v Ireland Rugby game, has to be my favourite performance!
Come along and join the choir - you will never regret it. I shall be forever grateful to my brother-in-law for persuading me to give him a lift to practice.
An interesting fact . . . I trained as a woodwork teacher and my first teaching job was as a woodwork teacher. When I ended my teaching career I was head of the ICT department, ICT coordinator and eLearning coordinator in a secondary school. What a change!
Gareth Reese
I am an aircraft fitter and sheet metal worker, making wings for Airbus, and I initially joined the Wrexham Charity MVC, formed in January 2016 to raise awareness and funds to combat prostate cancer. Once we had sung in the final concert in the following May, alongside the mighty Fron, it seemed natural to carry on and join the choir. My first official appearance as a full member of the choir was the Christmas concert at Tern Hill Hall Hotel in December of that year.
My favourite venue is the Dom Cathedral in Salzburg where we sang, inside and outside, during our trip to Austria in 2018 but I have two favourite performances – the first was singing in the Charity Choir alongside the Fron and the second was being part of the Fron when we won the Male Voice competition at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod in 2018.
The Fron is much more than a choir – it is an extended family, so why not come and join us?
An interesting fact – a duck quack is the only sound that doesn’t echo
David Williams
I work as a Financial Controller and joined the Fron in May 2016. I enjoy choral singing and was part of the Wrexham Charity Choir formed to raise awareness and funds for prostate cancer research so became a member after singing in the charity concert with the Fron.
My first performance as part of the Fron was at St Mary’s Church, Bridgnorth later that year but my favourite venue is the Royal Albert Hall where I sang when I was a member of the Police Choir.
My favourite performance with the Fron has to be winning the Male Voice competition at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod in 2018.
If you are interested in singing, join the Fron – It’s great fun and a wonderful way to relax!
Roger Williams (Secretary)
I am an International Sales Manager for a British amplifier company, covering SE Asia, West Asia, Africa, Russia, Europe & North America.
I joined the choir in January 2013 basically because my wife said I needed a hobby. I love singing. David Preston suggested I should join when we were in the pub on New Year’s Eve 2012.
My first performance was the opening concert of Llangollen International Eisteddfod in 2013
My favourite venue is probably The New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme, but also the Church in Mondsee, with a truly wonderful reverb. We sang there during our trip to Austria in 2018. The church is where the marriage was filmed for ‘The Sound of Music’
I have a few favourite performances but winning three first prizes at the 2017 Cornwall International Male Voice Choral Festival and then winning the Male Voice Competition at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod the following year stand out.
Joining the choir was the best thing I’ve done since the kids were born! It’s one of the best feelings in the world to sing with a group of mates! So come and have a go . . .
Having my son in the choir is also wonderful. We are one of two father and son teams in the Bottom Bass section and there is another in First Bass.
An interesting fact . . . I’ve been lucky enough to travel a lot of the world but still live less than 20 metres from where my parents lived when I was born!