About Us – Guilsfield Singers

“Paul, our MD, is a fabulous musical director. He has a way of getting us to do what he wants without any fuss.”

Anna, 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 around 35 voices, enjoy the challenge of a wide repertoire and constantly aspire to raising our standards even higher.

Musical Director, Paul Wardell, was appointed in 2018, building on the choir’s successful years with Gerry Howe.

Paul began learning piano and singing in church choirs at the age of seven before progressing to learning the organ. A career in secondary education brought him to mid-Wales and in 2017 he joined Guilsfield Singers, first as accompanist and later as Musical Director.

Since conducting Fauré’s Requiem at the age of 15, Paul has conducted choral societies and music theatre groups, so has a wide range of musical interests and experiences which has resulted in a varied (and challenging) diet for Guilsfield Singers; a ‘Ceremony of Psalms’ concert programme featured Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms which was both musically and linguistically interesting! As a contrast, for a summer programme he directed a semi-staged performance of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Trial By Jury.

After almost 18 months’ enforced silence due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting restrictions, followed by a period of re-establishing the choir, Guilsfield Singers are now truly back in business. The road ahead for the choir will be one of fresh challenges and great opportunities in our remodelled world. Work to attract new members and further expand the repertoire are priorities, and with Paul at the helm the choir is well-placed to achieve these goals.

We are delighted to welcome Helen Johnson as our accompanist, seen here at her first concert 'Wonderful World'.

She began playing the piano aged 6, achieving grade 8. Helen has worked with a variety of groups and has played for Rogers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma, Gilbert & Sullivan’s Mikado, and Into the Woods, by Stephen Sondheim.

We have been joined on many occasions by guest musicians from The Birmingham Conservatoire and The Maldwyn Strings.

Our regular performances are two Christmas concerts in local churches, an Spring concert which is usually a substantial classical work often with professional musicians, then a lighter Summer Concert with supper.

In the past we have also sung at Eucharist and Evensong services at Worcester and Lichfield Cathedrals.

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

Past Concerts

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.’