There is no shortage of male voice choirs in south Wales. But an afternoon concert at the Norwegian church in April provided a rare treat: a chance to hear a men’s choir from from Skien in south-eastern Norway: the snappily-titled Monastry Island and Scheen Waterfall Walking and Singing Men’s Association.
Twenty-one of the choir’s 25 members made the trip to the UK. They were based in Hereford and made a special day trip to Cardiff to give a free concert in the Norwegian Church in the Bay.
The choir was founded by its current conductor, Kjetil Svestad, in 2010. It is associated with the Gimsøy and Nenset congregation in Skien. Kjetil is the organist and musical director at Nenset Church, where the choir rehearses.
The choir needed a name, and a competition suggested many funny choices. In the end the name Klosterøen og Scheensvassdraget Spadser og Mandssangforening was chosen. Nice and simple!
Scheen is the old spelling of the city of Skien, which is two hours’ drive to the west of Oslo and has around 55,000 inhabitants.
Founded as a ‘men breaking out of an ordinary mixed church-choir’, the singers come from different parts of the city and from different churches, and they represent a variety of talents, personalities and backgrounds. They sing both sacred and secular popular songs, depending on the occasion.
“We’re a bunch of happy amateurs,” they say, “singing because we enjoy it so much.”
“We hope to touch peoples hearts and bring our joy to others.”
We thank the choir for their performance and for permission to show some songs here.
Read more about the choir (in Norwegian) at: http://www.xn--klosteren-r8a.no/
Welsh Norwegian Society 