Choir History
The choir was formed in 1959 by Mrs Dorothy Adams Jeremiah, at that time the music coordinator for Monmouthshire, who drew young women and girls from a wide area to form the Dorothy Adams Singers. This started as a small group of a dozen ladies who formed a madrigal group. The choir later evolved into a mixed choir.
The choir was taken over by Miss Jean Adams, music teacher at Pontypool Girls’ School, and became known as the Llantilio Festival Choir.
It reverted to a ladies choir and, when the association with the festival ended, changed its name to The Gwent Elizabethan Singers. This name was meant to reflect the width of the repertoire, spanning the years from the reign of Elizabeth I to that of Elizabeth II.
During 1970s and 1980s the choir entered many local competitive festivals including the Cheltenham Festival where it was awarded the gold cup for the best choir in any division as well as winning the ‘small ladies’ choir’, madrigal group and folk group classes on several occasions.
The choir chose to change its name to Coro Cantabile in 2000 and is now conducted by Andrew Jones, Head of Music at West Mon School and boasts a fine accompanist in Gaynor Smith. There are 25-30 choristers who, as in the original choir, come together from all corners of Monmouthshire as well as Newport and Cardiff to enjoy singing together.
During the past decade we have enjoyed making short musical tours to York, Chester and Jersey as well as giving many concerts throughout our home area in churches and cathedrals; workingmen’s halls and village halls; hotels and gardens; residential homes and day centres, helping to raise money for charities, to celebrate weddings and for the joy of sharing our music.