Members of Cantorion Colin Jones were very pleased that their friends from Yorkshire, the New Mill male voice choir, were able to join them for the Tsunami Relief concert which Steve Gardner, Cantorion’s secretary, organised earlier this year. It was fortuitous that New Mill were visiting Llandudno on one of their regular weekend ‘get- togethers’ and, at such short notice ,were happy and willing  to support the event.

The early evening concert, held in St Mary’s Parish church, Betws y Coed, attracted a large audience and the church authorities are to be congratulated on helping organise what proved to be a successful event. The scale and suddenness of the disaster which struck S.E.Asia, inevitably, had spread sorrow and dismay around the world. Local people were obviously affected and made every effort to promote and support the musical occasion.

It proved to be an entertaining concert which triggered high emotion and genuine concern for those unfortunate people suffering around the Indian Ocean. Both choirs were on top form. New Mill opened the proceedings with their usual flair, commitment and enthusiasm, performing a variety of songs which the audience thoroughly enjoyed. Cantorion made its contribution in the second half before joining with New Mill for a rousing rendition of the American Trilogy to close the concert.

Organisers and listeners were delighted with the event, considering it was hastily arranged, in that it enabled the choirs and many individuals the opportunity to express their support for the tsunami victims. It was obvious that most people taking part and attending the concert would have agreed with the comment, made much later at the tsunami memorial service held in St Paul’s Cathedral, that even in the face of great disasters the human spirit will prevail and ‘the virtues of kinship and co-operation will shine through’

Cantorion Colin Jones wishes to thank New Mill for their continuing friendship and cooperation and look forward to ‘working’ with them in the future. The concert collection did raise a splendid total of £1702.00 in aid of the tsunami relief fund.