The Wessex Male Choir ('The Wessex') is an amateur

men's chorus A men's chorus or male voice choir (MVC) (German: ''Männerchor''), is a choir consisting of men who sing with either a tenor or bass voice, and whose music is typically arranged into high and low tenors (1st and 2nd tenor), and high and low bass ...

based in

Swindon Swindon () is a town and unitary authority with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Wiltshire, England. As of the 2021 Census, the population of Swindon was 201,669, making it the largest town in the county. The Swindon un ...

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

, UK. The choir takes its name from the ancient kingdom of

Wessex la, Regnum Occidentalium Saxonum , conventional_long_name = Kingdom of the West Saxons , common_name = Wessex , image_map = Southern British Isles 9th century.svg , map_caption = S ...

, an area of land approximating to that of the modern English counties of Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire, and Somerset. This is reflected in the choir’s logo which features a

wyvern A wyvern ( , sometimes spelled wivern) is a legendary winged dragon that has two legs. The wyvern in its various forms is important in heraldry, frequently appearing as a mascot of schools and athletic teams (chiefly in the United States, Unit ...

- the 2-legged dragon used in the flag of Wessex. The choir was founded in September 2001 by Robert T. Elliott. The choir typically performs seven or eight concerts each year, two of these being "home" concerts in Swindon at Christmas and in the summer, the others being in other venues around the country. The choir has sung pre-match at Six Nations and other Rugby and NFL matches on the pitch at

Twickenham Stadium Twickenham Stadium () in Twickenham, south-west London, England, is a rugby union stadium owned by the Rugby Football Union (RFU), English rugby union governing body, which has its headquarters there. The England national rugby union team play ...

and

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...

to audiences of up to 80,000. The Wessex also occasionally places in regional and international choral competitions. * In 2011, the choir won first place in the Male Choir competition at the prestigious

Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod The Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod is a music festival which takes place every year during the second week of July in Llangollen, North Wales. It is one of several large annual Eisteddfodau in Wales. Singers and dancers from around ...

beating choirs from Wales, England, and the USA. In the same year, the Chamber choir took third place. * In 2008, 2013, and 2016, the Wessex won the Gold Cup at the Cheltenham Festival for best choir in all competitions. * In June 2019, the Wessex won two classes (including the Male Choir competition) at the Krakow International Choir Festival, Poland in 2019, beating choirs from across Europe. Wessex Camerata is a chamber group composed of about 16 experienced singers who perform mainly a cappella pieces which supplement the main choir’s repertoire.

Discography

* Men in Black (2005) * Shades of Wessex (2008) * It's Christmas (2011) * Memory (2018)

References

External links

Wessex Male Choir official site
English choirs Wessex 2001 establishments in England Musical groups established in 2001 {{Classical-ensemble-stub