Anthony Williams – Musical Director

Anthony was born in Morriston. He obtained a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Wales, in 1977 and in 2001 was awarded a Post Graduate Diploma in Education. Anthony has been associated with the Morriston Ladies Choir since 1974 and this year celebrates 32 years as the choir’s Musical Director. This makes him the longest serving Musical Director of any choir in Morriston.

Anthony’s interest in choral music was fostered by The Morriston Aelwyd and Tabernacle Choirs. He has sung with the Swansea Bach Choir and the BBC Welsh Chorus and has visited Finland, Israel, France and Holland with these choirs. For the last two years he has sung with The Chamber Orchestra of Wales Chorus in their candlelight series of concerts at the Brangwyn Hall Swansea.

Anthony has conducted the Morriston Ladies Choir in concerts all over the UK as well as in venues in Canada, Germany, Holland, Spain, Finland and Ireland. He has conducted in Llandaff Cathedral, St Josephs Cathedral in Swansea and the famous Cologne Cathedral in Germany. Morriston Ladies Choir has performed and recorded Anthony’s arrangements of hymn tunes and modern pieces for female voices.

Since April 1997, Anthony has been the Musical Director of Skewen Chorale, a mixed choir of some forty voices. 2007 was a busy year for Anthony as he celebrated a decade of music making with Skewen Chorale and was one of the instigators of The Morriston Choral Festival. 2008 seems to be just as hectic with Morriston Ladies Choir?s tour of Tuscany looming on the horizon and a massed choral festival of ladies choirs to prepare for.

Married to Rhian, Anthony still lives in Morriston and has recently retired from teaching at The Daniel James Community School.

Julie Sims – Accompanist

Julie is a native of Swansea and attended Olchfa School where she studied music under Clive John the conductor of The Swansea Philharmonic Choir. Her love of the piano was fostered by John Davies a well known jazz pianist, organist and the musical director of numerous amateur operatic groups.

Her first position as accompanist was with the Swansea Male Choir and she has subsequently accompanied Glynneath Male Voice and is currently the accompanist of Onllwyn Male Voice. With these choirs she has toured in Ireland, Spain, Prague, North Carolina and has even played in the world famous Carnigie Hall in New York. Julie is also the repetituer to the Patricia O’neill youth music group.

Julies’ first association with Morriston Ladies Choir was when she was the accompanist to tenor Matthew Ioan on their tour to Tuscany, Italy. On the retirement of our long standing accompanist Joan West the Choir persuaded Julie to take over the role and join MLC’s musical staff. It is, we hope, the beginning of a long and happy association.

Julie works as a freelance musician playing mainly at Swansea Crematorium and lives in Llangyfelach with her three children and three Labrador dogs.

Shân Cothi – President.

Mae Côr Merched Treforys yn croesawu’r gantores a chyflwynydd enwog Shân Cothi fel ei Llywdd Côr newydd. Bu Shân yn canu gyda’r côr sawl gwaith dros y blynyddoedd yng nghapel Tabernacl, Treforys. Mae Shân yn dod yn wreiddiol o Farmers, Llanwrda, De Cymru.

Dwedodd Shân wrth Rhian Williams Rheolwraig Daith ac Ysgrifenyddes Cyngherddau’r côr, ei bod hi’n falch iawn o dderbyn y gwahoddiad o fod yn Llywydd Côr Merched Treforys, gan ei bod hi’n meddwl amdanynt fel ei ffrindiau.

Morriston Ladies Choir welcomes the famous singer and presenter, Shân Cothi as their new Choir President.

Shân has sung many times over the years with the choir in Tabernacle Chapel, Morriston. Shân was born in Ffarmers, Llanwrda, West Wales and graduated from the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth. She has been a professional soloist since 1995, the year in which she won the Blue Riband at the National Eisteddfod. She is a versatile performer with an extensive repertoire and is equally at home in opera, oratorio, contemporary music and music theatre.

Her BAFTA award winning self-titled music series for Channel 4 Wales ran for two successful seasons and was nominated for the best music programme in the Montreux Festival. Other television appearances include being a soloist in ‘Music Under the Stars’ with Bryn Terfel and Michael Ball from the Faenol Festival, soprano soloist in Handel’s Messiah with Bryn Terfel for Channel 4 Wales, soloist in Proms in the Park for BBC Wales, soloist in Royal Gala from the opening weekend of the Wales Millennium Centre on BBC 4, presenting the L’Orient Inter-Celtic Music Festival for Channel 4 Wales, and appearing as a panelist in the ‘Just Up Your Street’ talent show and ‘The Lyrics Game’ both for BBC Wales.

In 2005, Shân made her television acting debut playing the role of Davina Roberts in the highly successful drama series ‘Con Passionate’ for Channel 4 Wales and was nominated in the “Best Newcomer” category at the 2006 BAFTA Cymru awards. The third series of ‘Con Passionate’ was broadcast on S4C at the end of last year.

Shân performed the role of Carlotta in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s West End production of The Phantom of the Opera for fifteen months in Her Majesty’s Theatre, London. In 2006 Shân sang the role of Mary Roberts in the Welsh musical by Mal Pope and Frank Vickery, Amazing Grace, on tour with the Wales Theatre Company.

Concert highlights include being a soloist in ‘Glamorous Night’ a tribute to Ivor Novello performed at the Novello Theatre, London, the Wales Millennium Centre, and in San Francisco, performing in both the opening and closing concerts of the inaugural International Festival of Music Theatre in Cardiff, a tour of Britten’s Les Illuminations with the Chamber Orchestra of Wales, a St David’s Day celebration concert to celebrate the life of Dylan Thomas in New York and leading the singing of the National Anthem in front of 72,000 spectators at an international football match at the Millennium Stadium. In 2005 Shân toured Wales with her critically acclaimed show ‘Cothi & Cream’ with the male group ‘Only Men Aloud’. Shân is a frequent guest on Radio 2’s ‘Friday Night is Music Night’ with the BBC Concert Orchestra and a popular soloist in Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s concert series ‘Here Come the Classics’. In 2007, Shan made her debut as a soloist at the Welsh Proms, in a concert of film music with RPO conducted by Owain Arwel Hughes.

Her debut album Passione with the Welsh National Chamber Orchestra features international harpist Catrin Finch. A promotional video of one of the tracks was voted Most Watched Video on Classic FM television.

Shân currently hosts her own radio show for Radio Wales, her own music and chat television series for S4C and co-presents a countryside series with Iolo Williams, also for S4C. Last year, Shân established the charity Amser Justin Time to raise money and awareness for Pancreatic Cancer, in memory of her late husband who died of the illness in 2007.

Shân said to Rhian Williams, Tour Manager and Concer Secretary of the choir, that she is pleased to accept the invitation of becoming Morriston Ladies Choir President, as she thinks of them as her friends.

Joan West – Vice President

Joan West a stalwart member of Morriston Ladies Choir announced her retirement as accompanist in July 2009.   Joan has been the principal accompanist since joining the Choir in 1974. The choir has been fortunate to have her experience and enthusiasm over the past 35 years.

As well as accompanying the choir, Joan has performed as a soloist in St. Janskerk in Maastricht and in ‘Casino de la Cultura Torrevieja’ during the Morriston Ladies Choir tours. During her long and varied career Joan was a member of the Pentre Music Makers, accompanist to Skewen Chorale and has been much sought after as an accompanist to soloists in the area.

To show appreciation of Joan’s dedication, the choir asked Joan to be their Vice President and we are thankful that she accepted the position. We will look forward to seeing her in our future concerts, but this time however, she will be able to sit back and enjoy the singing rather than tinkling the ivories.

The choir would like to thank Joan for her commitment and vitality; it has been an honour to work with her. All her friends in the Choir would like to wish Joan a long and happy retirement.