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Planning and promotional work is well underway for the concert Three Choirs – One Voice which is being held at The Guildhall, Plymouth, on Friday 8th September. The Concert is being held to raise awareness of and funds for BASICS Devon. BASICS Devon strives to be the county's leading volunteer pre-hospital immediate care charity.
With Sing2023 (the British Association of Barbershop Singers 49th Convention at Bournemouth) now only a couple of weeks away, the Kingsmen are putting the finishing touches to their two competition songs and getting ‘stage ready’ for their performance on Saturday 27th May.
The Kingsmen held their long awaited Annual Awards Evening on 8th March 2023 and Honorary Members, friends and family were all invited to celebrate the achievements and contributions to Chorus activities by this year’s Award Winners. For the past couple of years this much looked forward to event had to be postponed due to Covid lockdowns and restrictions.
The Kingsmen added to their trophy cabinet for the second time in as many months following a fantastic performance at the Torbay and South West of England Music Festival on 3 rd March 2023.
2023 got off to a winning start for the Kingsmen with a fabulous performance at the Saltash Music, Speech and Drama Festival. Singing two wonderful songs – The Way You Look Tonight and I Believe, the Chorus came away with a mark of 88, a Distinction, ‘An excellent performance technically and artistically’.
The Kingsmen have enjoyed a very busy time of sing-outs in the run up to Christmas 2022 - bringing song, joy and a spirit of harmony to local groups, communities and charities in South Hams, Devon.
The Kingsmen Barbershop Harmony Chorus were delighted to support Horsemanship for Health CIC at a fundraiser hosted by St. Lukes Church, Milber, Newton Abbot in recognition of the great work being done in support of people struggling with their mental health.
Local groups of singing friends created a memorable and celebratory event in Modbury, South Hams, Devon, on 2nd July in memory of an old friend, Greg Jarrett who sadly passed away in August 2019 after a fight against lymphoma.
The Kingsmen performed at St Lawrence Church, Bigbury in support of a fund raising event for the tower and bells refurbishment. Organiser Jill Gubbins was delighted with the Kingsmen performance at the event which raised £504 for the charity.
The Kingsmen under the direction of new Music Director Gary Rowe won two trophies at the Torbay Music Festival held in Paignton Festival Hall. Gary was immensely pleased with the choruses performance in both the male barbershop competition and the male choir category obtaining a distinction and commendation respectively. And this was his son Freddie’s (12yrs) first competition. And he performed like a real trouper. So well done to him.
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After a great summer with performances at South Pool's "Up The Creek" event and the August Bank Holiday "Hope Cove Weekend" we are pleased to announce that we will be soon performing at Malborough Village Hall. Please come and join us on Friday 9th October when we perform at the Rotary Charity Concert supporting Kingsbridge in Bloom, a local charity whose volunteers work tirelessly to enhance the natural beauty of Kingsbridge. For ticket details please use the following link: www.estuaryrotary.org.uk , or for more information please click on the image below. Hope to see you there.
It's difficult to think of a better way to spend an evening than with the joy and harmony of song; enriched by the camaraderie, fun and friendship associated with being a member of a Chorus; and blessed by the sharing of precious moments with family and friends - all gathering to celebrate success; recognise and reward achievement; and mark significant milestones. But this is what the Kingsmen Barbershop Harmony Chorus https://www.kingsmen.org.uk/ has just done; and done in style. On display to greet attendees at the Awards Evening were items from the Club's archives, including an array of scrap books containing photographs and articles telling the story of the Club from the very first rehearsal attended by 12 guys at the Crabshell Pub in Kingsbridge in the Autumn of 1991; through tours (including 3 to the USA); results from competitions; and money (well over £100k) raised for various Charities. And inevitably, the page turning led to the sharing of stories, laughter and the recollection of happy memories. Chairman Paul Harvey opened proceedings with a warm Kingsmen welcome and handed over to Stu Newberry who took on the role as Master of Ceremonies. Stu guided attendees through the presentation and award of: the Harmony Award (recipient Kevin Hamer); the Jack Nation Trophy (recipient Chris Lambart); the Director's Award (recipient Ian Wooler); and the Barbershopper of the Year Award (recipient Kevin Hamer). Several Kingsmen also received Long Service Awards (the Club is a Member of the British Association of Barbershop Singers - https://www.singbarbershop.com/ ). 10 Year Badges were presented to Jim Stewart, Terry Weeks; Kevin Hamer and Ian Wooler (and will be to Charles Harrington, Geoff Sharps and Shaun Fewtrell - all of whom were unable to attend the event); a 20 Year Badge was presented to Gary Rowe; and 30 Year Badges were presented to Tim Wyatt and Steve Hancock. The evening culminated with the presentation by Chairman Paul Harvey of a special award - to Roy Hann, who founded the Chorus back in 1991 and who was the Musical Director for 30 years. The award was a glass trophy engraved with the words 'From your Brothers in Harmony. In celebration of your unwavering dedication, musical passion, and your 35 year milestone in founding the Chorus'. And you've guessed it - the celebrations continued at an Afterglow at a local pub, where more singing, fun and friendship was in abundance. Fancy having a go at singing? Want to join in the fun? If so, why not come along to one of our Rehearsals? You'll be guaranteed of receiving a big, warm Kingsmen welcome - and who knows, this time next year, you could be an award winner! For further information about the Kingsmen and Membership check out the following links: https://www.kingsmen.org.uk/become-a-member and https://www.kingsmen.org.uk/
Serene, Scenic, Spectacular
Howdy....
It's been Kingsbridge Fair Week recently and it was a joy to help kick things off to a great musical start. Dressed in our best and brightest Hawaiian shirts, the Kingsmen sang and entertained a lively audience from the Bandstand in the Town Square on an afternoon and evening of local entertainment, which ended with a firework display. If you were one of the men in the audience who enjoyed our performance and you like singing, then why not come along and visit us on a rehearsal night and join in the fun and camaraderie https://www.kingsmen.org.uk/become-a-member Kingsbridge is the hometown of the Kingsmen and we are celebrating our 35 anniversary this year. We like nothing better than supporting local events and charities; so keep an eye on the Upcoming Events link on our website to find out where we are singing and performing over the coming weeks and months. Hope to see you there! https://www.kingsmen.org.uk/ With thanks to Rebecca Rowe for taking these photos.
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