How it started, and where:-

In 1979, twelve members of Morriston Rugby Club decided to form a “Glee Club” to provide entertainment for local charities and retirement homes, etc.

For the first five years the "Choir" was not large enough to be able to perform an annual concert of its own, but as the years passed the numbers increased.  At the present time the choir has 100 plus members.  

Gareth Evans was the leader at the beginning, and remained Musical Director until January 2004.  His endless dedication and enthusiasm over the first 25 years will never be forgotten, as it is due to his efforts that the choir has gone on to be recognised as one of the foremost in Wales.  Of the original twelve, eight are still faithful members of the choir.  

The Choir's first major concert was at Philadelphia Chapel, Morriston, in aid of the Swansea National Eisteddfod in 1982. That night just twenty seven choristers took to the stage, and many in the audience were probably wondering what a “Rugby Club Choir” had to offer in the form of serious music. 

Since then the Choir has gone from strength to strength, and is regularly performing both locally and all over Great Britain.  Some of the more widely known venues include Wells Cathedral, Brecon Cathedral, Tewkesbury Abbey, Oxford Town Hall, Windsor, Eton College, Brangwyn Hall Swansea, St David’s Hall Cardiff and the Royal Albert Hall London, to name but a few.  In 1999 we were invited to perform in the opening and closing ceremonies of the Rugby World Cup at the National Stadium, Cardiff, and also featuring on the official CD of this event, singing the theme song “World In Union” with international artistes Bryn Terfel and Shirley Bassey.  

In January 2000, the choir celebrated its 21^st anniversary with a gala concert at the Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, compèred by Richard Baker, followed by a busy programme through 2001/02/03 performing at several other prestigious venues such as Shrewsbury Music Hall, St. Mary's Cathedral, Kilkenny, St. Mary & St. Michael's Church New Ross, Rugby School, Gloucester Cathedral, St. David's Cathedral, Malmesbury Abbey and The De Mountfort Hall, Leicester.  In July 2003, the choir had the honour of being invited to perform in their own right at The Royal Albert Hall in a "Gala Evening" to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of the Fire Services National Benevolent Fund, a wonderful and new experience that will be remembered by all. Since then, the Choir has been on tours to Ireland and Spain and has sung at several massed choir events at London's Royal Albert Hall.

Over the last few years the Choir has been recognised as one of the leading Welsh choirs, and enjoys a very good relationship with other male voice choirs all over Britain.   

The Choristers

The choristers range from youngsters up to seniors of eighty-plus, and they come from all walks of life.  There are teachers, engineers, students, barristers, office workers, workers in industry and several retired persons, but they all have one thing in common -  their love of music. Almost all the members are from the Morriston area, which is almost unique, as most choirs have to go much further afield to recruit choristers. 

The Uniform

When the Choir was first formed, the dress was navy sweaters and grey trousers, and this continued to be the uniform for several years, until they went on their first visit to the Royal Albert Hall and found that they were the only choir on stage without jackets.  It was later decided to purchase blazers, which then became the number one dress.  In May 1999 the choir appeared on stage at their annual concert in dinner suits.  Depending on the type of concert and venue, the dress now varies between these two formats.

The Choir Badge

The badge is that of  Morriston Rugby Club, which celebrated its 125th Anniversary in 2001.  The only difference is that the words “Morriston RFC” have been replaced by “Côr Rygbi Treforys”.

The symbols on the badge have strong connections with Morriston, because in 1726 a Shropshire man by the name of Robert Morris, an expert in copper smelting, bought a partnership in Llansamlet copper works at Landore. 

(1) In 1789 he endowed a temporary church on the site where St John's now stands.  It is a focal point in Morriston as it stands in the middle of the main road and all traffic has to drive around it. In 1999/00 The Church in Wales decided to close St John's because they could not afford the cost of its upkeep; the stained-glass windows were removed for safekeeping. 

(2) Castle Graig (Morris Castle) was built around 1750, again by Robert Morris, to house the workers and their families.  It is probably the first block of multi-storey flats ever built; an early 19^th Century account states that 20 families lived there.

(3) The three feathers and rugby posts are the Welsh and rugby connections.