About Us – Guilsfield Singers

"I have been singing in choirs large and small since the age of 17, but Guilsfield Singers are a revelation! There is a real enthusiasm to achieve the highest standard possible, without sacrificing fun & friendship. I am making friends, enjoying rehearsals (even the warm-ups!) and looking forward to tackling new music with our outstanding new musical director, James!"

Pam, soprano

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The breadth of music we tackle is ambitious, from across the centuries, and of varied ages and genres.

The choir began as a concert party in 1981, evolving into Guilsfield Singers 8 years later. We currently number over 40 voices, enjoy the challenge of a wide repertoire and constantly aspire to raising our standards even higher.

Associate Musical Director, James Llewelyn Jones has been leading the choir since May 2025.

James’ passion for choral music was enriched as a member of the National Youth Choirs of both Wales and Great Britain; the National Chamber Choir and Cantorion Sirenian Singers, Wrexham. His musical education continued in Birmingham where he gained his BMus (Hons) and MMus degrees with distinction.

James conducted the National Children’s Choir of Great Britain for 11 years, was Director of Canoldir Male Choir for 17 years, as well as touring extensively and conducting some of the world’s leading children’s choirs.

He is Musical Director of The Midlands Hospitals’ Choir; The Phoenix Singers, Bourneville; Cantores Beati Chamber choir and Rhos Male Voice Choir, one of the most successful and famous of the Welsh choirs. Guilsfield Singers was delighted to welcome James as our President in 2024, and now as our Associate Musical Director in 2025.

Assistant Musical Director, Sarah Garrett.

Sarah grew up in Mid Wales and enjoyed the vast array of musical opportunities that were available in the area in the 1970s.

She is an Associate to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in performance of clarinet and voice.

Having settled in south-east England, she pursued her love of singing and sang principal roles with operal companies and choral societies and gave numerous recitals and concerts.

Having moved back to this area, she continues to enjoy her love of music and is delighted to be involved with Guilsfield Singers as Assistant Musical Director.

We welcome invitations to sing at local events, in Remembrance Services or private celebrations, weddings or funerals.

Past Concerts

A to Z Choral Day

September 2025
Over 80 singers came together to perform Ave Verum Corpus, Zadok the Priest, Let the River Run, Danny Boy and Old Mother Hubbard.
We were amazed at how well we learnt the pieces in just one day!

Broadway & Beyond

July 2025
An exciting, pacy programme of music from musical theatre, with new MD James Llewelyn Jones and guest soprano, Grace Farrell. Guilsfield Singers’ first standing ovation!

The Gentle Earth of Wales

April 2025
A beautiful programme of Welsh choral music, featuring the Patrick Larley’s choral fantasia and a variety of other Welsh songs, the choir was joined by captivating mezzo soprano, Samantha Lewis. We had an appreciative full house!

The Colours of Christmas

December 2024
A lovely variety of music, from Rutter’s ‘Colours of Christmas’ and ‘Christmas Lullaby’, traditional carols ‘Quem Pastores’, ‘Infant Holy’, ‘Still, Still, Still’ and favourites ‘When a Child is Born’, ‘Jingle Bells’ and ‘O Holy Night’. A wonderful way to end to 2024.

A Night at the Movies

July 2024. A joyful, relaxed evening of film music from across the decades: Bohemian Rhapsody, Anything Goes, Blue Moon, Going Home, The Way We Were, Showboat, Evergreen … and many more!

Spring Concert 2024

Inspiring music for our modern world, a concert that truly lived up to its name. Highlights for the choir were Bob Chilcott’s ‘Little Jazz Mass,’ anad Dan Forest’s ‘And Can It Be,’ alongside pieces by Andrew Carter, Will Todd, Karl Jenkins and Ola Gjeilo. Guest soloists, baritone James Llewelyn-Jones and flautist Mari van Hulzen gave memorable performances in this concert where our President of many years, Christopher Booth-Jones retired, and James became our new president.

Christmas 2023

Berriew & Guilsfield Churches December 2023
Our ‘Joy to the World’ concerts featured music by William Matthias, Peter Tchaikovsky, Hector Berlioz, Malcolm Williamson, Peter Warlock, Bob Chilcott and John Rutter. Rousing carols and welcome mulled wine and mince pies rounded the end of the year on a high note for choir and audiences.

1940s weekend

October 2023
Wonderfully uplifting songs from this momentous decade: solos, duets and trios as well as the whole choir in a relaxed evening of music, including, of course, some audience participation!

This Joyful Eastertide

April 2023
A large, appreciative audience and varied programme made this a very successful concert. Guest soloist James Llewelyn-Jones was impressive, young soprano Alice Williams stepped in at short notice with great professionalism, and organist Gerry Howe brought skill and flair to The Faure Requiem.

Wonderful World!

July 2023
A joyful summer evening of lighter, upbeat music including a medley from ‘Oklahoma!’ as well as popular songs from the 1940s through to the 80’s. We were delighted to welcome Helen Johnson as our accompanist.

Christmas 2022

Chirbury & Guilsfield Churches December 2022
Mulled wine and delicious food added to the festive cheer of a varied programme of music by Bob Chilcott, Arvo Part, Felix Mendelssohn, Herbert Howells, Peter Warlock, Llifon Hughes-Jones, John Rutter and Edward Elgar interspersed with carols and a rousing rendition of Jingle Bells with an arrangement of Winter Wonderland sung by a quartet of voices from the choir.

Summer Concert “This Sceptred Isle”

Guilsfield Community Centre July 2022
Relaxed and joyful, “This Sceptred Isle” was a musical tour of the British Isles, starting in Wales, then to England, Scotland and Ireland, including folk songs and classical pieces. The audience response was enthusiastic and appreciative and the evening ended with supper. A memorable end to our term before the summer break.

The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

Guilsfield Church June 2022
We were delighted to be part of the local community’s weekend festivities, with several other musicians and enjoyed the mixed programme which included The Bluebird, As Torrents in Summer, Si Hei Lwli Mabi and Irish Blessing. In Cerys’ absence, it was particularly good to have Philip Harratt accompanying us again – what an accomplished pianist he is.

Easter Concert “Reflections”

Welshpool Methodist Church April 2022
“Reflections” was a programme of seasonal choral pieces featuring Zadok the Priest and Schubert’s Mass in G. This was Cerys Evans’ first concert accompanying the choir, and her solo items were truly memorable and impressive.

Guilsfield Open Gardens

Guilsfield Open Gardens September 2021
It was so good to be back singing together after the enforced break because of covid, albeit outdoors and with reduced numbers of singers. The choir nominated favourite pieces for this first appearance: what a joyful afternoon!

Easter Concert
"A Ceremony of Psalms"

Prior to covid shutdown 30th March 2019 – A Ceremony of Psalms
Quote from a newspaper review: ‘The concert presented by The Guilsfield Singers, under the baton of their Music Director Paul Wardell in Welshpool’s Methodist Church on Saturday 30th March 2019, provided the capacity audience not only with a display of the wealth, richness and universality of the Biblical psalms chosen, but also with a correspondingly wide breadth of musical settings of the texts. For the first time also, the performance of some of the psalms was further enriched by the inclusion of orchestral instruments. The choice of psalm settings ranging from Monteverdi to Bernstein created a stimulating and challenging programme for both choir and audience……. All the performers are to be wholesomely congratulated on this very exciting concert. Paul Wardell’s judicious choice of programme with its ‘riskier’ new elements paid off.’