The choir was formed in October 1909 with about thirty members to enter an Eisteddfod in Tredegar which they subsequently won. The first 25 years of the choir was led by Conductor John Davey and known as the “John Davy” years. This era was a story of continuous success at Eisteddfodau. 71 first and second prizes were achieved, including a narrow defeat in the 1919 Corwen National Eisteddfod.
In May 1920 outstanding concerts were given at the City Temple, the famous London Palladium, Alhambra, Finsbury Park and the Hammersmith Palace where these buildings resounded to the wonderful singing of the Orpheus.
When Ieuan Davies took over the baton in the sixties, the choir grew in number and in the 1970’s boasted 145 singing members and again came a close second at the Ruthin National Eisteddfod in 1974. The choir returned to winning ways gaining first prizes at Pontrhydfendigaid, Porthcawl and Kerry Newtown.
Concerts have been performed at many famous venues including the Dome, Brighton; Usher Hall, Edinburgh; Fairfield Hall, Croydon; and the QE2. During two visits to Plymouth, concerts were given in Dartmoor Prison, the first Welsh choir to do so. Tours to France and Germany followed.
In 1993 Ian Waite was appointed conductor and under his leadership successful tours were undertaken to Switzerland, Ireland, Canada and Germany.
In 2018, Ian Celebrated 25 years loyal service to the choir as our Musical Director leading the choir through two difficult years where the choir was unable to perform due to the COVID pandemic in 2019/20 and the restrictions placed upon the choir at that time. Also during this period, we sadly lost many valuable members of the choir and numbers were reduced to original levels when the choir was first formed in 1909.
After 29 years of dedicated service Ian resigned in 2022 and his brother Jonathan Waite took up the baton albeit on a temporary basis whilst we sought to recruit a more permanent replacement for Ian. In early 2025 we appointed our current Musical Director Pauline Roden-Sharpe. We continue to perform and the choir is looking ahead to the future and to continuing the tradition of choral singing in our community.
Hello there! Welcome to our cosy musical corner. We are the Tredegar Orpheus Male Voice Choir, a group of singers who love to fill the air with beautiful Welsh tunes.
Our choir is all about friendship, fun, and fabulous music. We gather together to practise and then perform in lots of different places, sharing our joy of singing with everyone.
We believe in the power of voices joining together to create something really special. Our choir isn’t just about singing songs; it’s about belonging to a community that looks out for each other, learns together, and brings a little bit of Wales to the world through our music.
Whether we’re entertaining families, friends, or new audiences, we always sing with all our hearts. So why not come along to one of our performances? We’d love to share our songs with you and maybe even inspire you to join in the fun too!
Choir Members
Diolch i chwaraewyr y Loteri Genedlaethol
Thanks to National Lottery players
Thanks to your generous support, Tredegar Orpheus Male Voice Choir has been awarded funds from The National Lottery Community Fund. This funding will help us continue to share the joy of Welsh choral music with our community and beyond. We are deeply grateful for your contribution, which enables us to preserve our rich musical heritage and inspire future generations.