The Froncysyllte Male Voice Choir, also known as the Fron Choir or the Voices of the Valley is an award-winning amateur male voice choir based near village of Froncysyllte, near Llangollen in Denbighshire, Wales.
Jason has been the accompanist for the Fron Choir since 2010 and enjoys frequent performances with them across the UK and abroad, as well as assisting during rehearsals which take place twice-weekly in the Village or Acrefair.
The choir was formed at a meeting in 1947, to compete in the International Eisteddfod that had recently been established in the nearby town of Llangollen, planned to be held for the first time in 1947. The choir’s first conductor was Lloyd Edwards. He remained as the conductor until 1970.
The choir has remained closely associated with the Eisteddfod and is a regular competitor in the Male Voice Choir competition. In 1955 the choir hosted the Societa Corale Gioachino Rossini from Modena, which won first prize at the Eisteddfod. The choir was conducted by Fernando Pavarotti, and the win at Llangollen is said to have inspired the choir conductor’s son, Luciano Pavarotti, a member of that choir and a student music teacher at the time, to take up a singing career. The Modena Choir were again hosted by the Froncysyllte Male Voice Choir during their visit, with Pavarotti, in 1995.
Edwards was succeeded by John Daniel, a music teacher, who conducted the choir for 21 years and is now conductor of Cantorion Colin Jones, who rehearse in the village of Betws y Coed, Eryri. Daniel led the choir to success in both the National Eisteddfod of Wales and the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, notably winning “the double” (first in both Eisteddfodau) in 1977. The choir has had several overseas tours, notably representing the United Kingdom at the Expo World Fair in Vancouver, Canada in 1986.
From 1991 to 2002, the choir’s conductor was Val Jones and, currently, the conductor is Leigh Mason.
