Crickhowell Choral Society was founded in 1981 by a local GP David Hiley who persuaded any of his patients who said they could sing to join him in creating a choir. From this small group, many of whom are still members, a strong society of some 50 to 60 singers has evolved.  

The choir’s President, Mrs Doreen Watkins, is the widow of the original conductor Mr Emlyn Watkins, and is a loyal supporter. On Emlyn's untimely death, Mr Stan Beddowes took over and under his leadership, the choir made several foreign trips; to France to compete in the Celtic Choir Festival in Brittany, to Germany and to Norway through links with one of our members. 

In 1993, we were extremely fortunate in obtaining Mr Stephen Marshall as our new, dynamic conductor. As head of Music at King Henry VIII Comprehensive School, Abergavenny, he often encourages his pupils to sing with us, sometimes as full members, sometimes for particular works such as Holst’s Hymn of Jesus, Carl Orf’s Carmina Burana and David Fanshaw’s African Sanctus. This pool of young talent is also encouraged to perform as part of other more light-hearted concerts which the choir sings in the summer. 

For the last 12 years, the choir has organised a Music Festival in Crickhowell during the first May Bank Holiday weekend. Each year there is a different theme: ‘Music’s Muse’ – the transforming power of music, ‘An Italian Weekend’ – works from the renaissance, including Handel’s Dixit Dominus and Vivaldi’s Gloria; ‘A Right Royal Affair’ – Handel and Bach and Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. Baroque operas, semi-staged and in costume have become a speciality during the festival although the choir is no stranger to the more avant garde composers like Arvo Pårt, together with the mainstream moderns, Britten and Poulenc. 

As well as a major Choral Concert in November, the choir organises a community Carol Concert in Crickhowell where local primary school pupils perform along with other young people from the town and the audience is expected to join in too.  

We see the involvement of young music makers in our activities as essential to the future of the choir and organise special youth workshops as part of our May Festival which link in with the year’s theme. These are open to any young person from the local schools and are usually followed by an evening performance by the pupils and their tutors.   

The Choir meets on Monday nights at 7.30pm in The Bear Hotel, an old coaching inn in the centre of Crickhowell and we have a welcome break in the middle when members are encouraged to make their way to the bar for liquid refreshment.

 We are very fortunate to have the support of many local organisations; The Bear Hotel where we rehearse, Webb's of Crickhowell  and Abergavenny Music who sell tickets for us, the clergy and PCCs of St Edmund's Church Crickhowell, St Cattwg's Church, Llangattock and St Mary's Priory Church Abergavenny who are so accommodating in letting us rehearse and perform, and many local businesses who give us financial support for the May Festival.

 In 2005 Crickhowell Choral Society won the Welsh Amateur Music Federation’s W.S.Gwynn Williams Award for its outstanding contribution to amateur  music-making in Wales in the past two years.