top of page
Florida 2024
Sixty-four choristers and three music staff left Wales on Tuesday, March 26th, 2024, for its first visit to Naples, Florida. The tour was organised by our President, John Richards, and First Lady, Marianne Richards, to whom we owe a great debt of gratitude.
​​
Below is the write-up of Publicity Officer Tony Giannotti on his tour account.
Just three weeks after returning from Monaco, and polishing up some new American items in our
repertoire, we found ourselves packing again and heading for Florida!
We are hugely grateful to our President John Richards and his wife Marianne, for their incredible
generosity, and sheer hard work and determination, to make this fantastic tour happen. Without
them and their huge support, this tour would not have been possible, so from all of us, a massive
‘Thank you!’
Planning the tour helped galvanise us into some focussed fundraising too, and saw the boys pulling
together to raise a substantial amount, so well-done boys!
We had a two coach start to the journey, which helped with pickups, and both coaches met at
Magor Services for a photo, before heading off to Heathrow – Terminal 3 this time. We flew with
Virgin Atlantic and the check in was smooth and at a civilised time of day! The nine hour flight was
good, with plenty of food and entertainment to keep us occupied throughout the journey. It was
getting dark as we arrived in Miami, and we transferred by coach to Naples, along ‘Alligator Alley’ to
cross the Everglades. It was 2am by the time we checked in to our hotels. We were split between the
Holiday Inn Express and La Quinta, which were next door to each other, and were a great base for
the week, with a relaxed feel and a pool for downtime.
A bright South West Florida morning greeted us for our first ‘engagement’, a fabulous boat trip,
kindly organised by John and Marianne, around Naples Bay, in wonderful weather, with a
commentary about the amazing properties on the waterfront, worth millions of dollars! Breath-
taking! We also gave a rendition of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ on the quayside after we
disembarked, which the crew loved. They said it was the best boat tour they had ever done! It was
filmed and uploaded on to their Facebook page, and received many thousands of likes and
comments.
Ticket sales for the first concert had been slow, so it was decided to cancel it and do a ‘Flash-mob’ in
downtown Naples, to publicise the tour – which went very well, and from then on ticket sales were
much better. The power of advertising!
The next day dawned; another beautiful Floridian morning, and the first concert at Norris
Community Center (not a spelling mistake, it’s the American way), in a very nice theatre type of
auditorium. Quite a difficult sing, with curtains and soft furnishings but we sang well, and the sell-
out audience loved it, giving us several standing ovations. Stuart Smith’s solo performance was
definitely a highlight, in front of his family, both from home and relatives that live in the USA, who
had travelled a long way to see him. A very emotional time for them, and a privilege for us to share.
It was also the first time we unveiled a new item. We brought a banner from UK (kindly donated by
Neil Ford and Harlequin Printing) of Llanfair….pg, which was unfurled in front of the audience, and
the pronunciation and meaning explained by Richard Elfyn and David Hughes. It served as a rest
from singing for the boys (as we didn’t have soloists on tour) and was rapturously received by the
crowd.
After the concert we were invited to John and Marianne’s home, in The Residencies, Naples Bay
Resort, for drinks and nibbles. Their kindness and hospitality were exceptional and we had a
wonderful time. Diolch o galon! The second part of the ‘afterglow’ was within walking distance, at
‘The Pointe’, at Naples Bay, where we were treated to wonderful food and drinks. Again, hospitality
of the very highest order.
The next day, we had some free time, so the boys ventured out in various groups: to the shops,
walked to beaches, and even went on tours of the Everglades on high speed air boats to see the
mangrove swamps, and of course the alligators! Rejuvenated after our day of leisure, we arrived at
the venue for our next concert, ‘Unity of Naples’ Church – and what a venue!
They had a pre-concert reception with food and drink for us, before we entered their wonderful,
modern church. It was an outstanding concert! Some choristers, with many years experience, said it
was their best ever! It was a big, modern church, with a superb stage and a wonderful Steinway
Grand Piano for Ryan and Rhiannon to perform on! It also had an amazing acoustic. The whole
performance, to a sellout crowd of 300 people, was filmed by the church and we were looking
forward to seeing the finished product. We sang superbly that day, and the audience response was
amazing, with multiple standing ovations, including for solo performance by Ray Daniels and Stuart
Smith. A special concert! Another outstanding afterglow followed, with superb food and drink at the
excellent ‘Seventh South’ restaurant, where we were treated like royalty. Once again, huge thanks to
John and Marianne for their amazing generosity, and considerable efforts in providing this for us. We
were most grateful and humbled. Thank you! Of course, we sang a few songs for the patrons and
staff and they were overwhelmed! A truly fantastic day.
After another relaxing day to ourselves, when the boys indulged in sight-seeing and some shopping
for gifts etc. we boarded coaches to head north of Naples, to Fort Myers, and our very impressive
venue for the next concert, The Sidney and Berne Davis Arts Center, with its imposing façade of
Corinthian columns, which made a fantastic backdrop for a choir photograph. The building was
fascinating, with a history of being post office and various other things in its time. It had a fabulous
rooftop bar, where the boys enjoyed a cooling drink before the concert. A fine auditorium and a very
appreciative audience again, gave us no fewer than eight standing ovations! The performance of
‘Tell My Father’, expertly arranged by our Deputy MD, Ryan Wood, was superb and Richard Elfyn’s
incredible delivery of the Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln, was of award-winning quality,
and left the audience in tears. Richard was also very emotional and visibly moved by the gravity of
the message he had delivered.
Another day of leisure followed, which on reflection, was enormously valued by the boys, as we had
time to relax and re-group between concerts. The boys were venturing out more adventurously, and
becoming dab hands with the Uber App! Today’s concert was in the intimate setting of ‘The Pointe’
at Naples Bay Resort, where John and Marianne have their home. It was a smaller setting and we
were very close to the audience, lots of whom were friends of John and Marianne, so it was very
special for them. Again, the audience were very appreciative, with numerous standing ovations.
There was a wonderful surprise for John and Marianne, where John was presented with a Welsh
slate clock, and Marianne was made an Honorary Lady Member of the choir. It is a rare honour, but
so richly deserved, for her outstanding work, in particular organising this tour, but in a wider sense,
for their total support of the choir. The food at the afterglow was probably the best meal I had on
the whole of the tour. Just wonderful!
A night’s sleep and we were packing and boarding the coaches to leave for Sarasota, and we checked
into Casey Key Resort, just outside Sarasota, about twenty minutes from our final venue. It had a
welcoming and relaxed vibe, but I don’t think they were quite prepared for 67 hungry and thirsty
choristers! Our final concert was at the spectacular St Boniface Episcopal Church in Sarasota. We
were being hosted by the Sarasota Welsh Society, who had prepared everything beautifully for us,
and turned out in force, to adorn the church with Welsh flags and help setting up. Several ladies
came in Welsh national costume, which was wonderful. One of these lovely ladies was Kathryn
Sachdev, who is Jeremy Stock’s (top tenor) aunt in-law; who was just charming. The welcome address
was given in both Welsh and English, by David Rees, originally from Carmarthen, who together with his
wife Sandra, was also responsible for providing a truly wonderful afterglow, The church was a
wonderful setting for our final concert. A wonderful acoustic and a superb Steinway Grand Piano for
Ryan, and a fantastic pipe organ for Rhiannon, to help enhance our performance, and they indeed
lifted the concert to even greater heights. Huge credit must go to our magnificent professional music
team, and particularly to our MD Stewart Roberts, for the painstaking preparation of the choir,
exhorting us to incredible levels of performance. Even the order of the music programme was spot
on, and opening with ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ ensured the audience were hooked from the first
moment! The large and appreciative audience were in raptures, with song after song being
enthusiastically applauded. They loved the American items we sang, including the always popular,
American Trilogy. They loved it all! Rhiannon Williams’ organ solo was magnificent, as were the solo
performances of Ray Daniels and Stuart Smith. The Welsh lesson sketch with the Llanfair…..pg
banner has grown and become much more polished, and is now a little show all of its own! The
audiences loved it, and Richard’s ad-libbing to expand it to introduce members of the choir as the
‘Adams Family’ – Lee Phillips as Uncle Fester, Rhiannon as Morticia, Ryan as Gomez, Keith Jones as
Cousin It and Ian Fergusson as Lurch! Our wonderful compere Gareth Evans was on magnificent form
throughout the tour, entertaining the crowds with jokes and anecdotes, and smoothly keeping the
concerts flowing. We really are giving a complete entertainment show these days. There can be no
other choir that can deliver such quality performances from completely within the choir, without the
need for external soloists. We received several standing ovations throughout the concert, but I think
the biggest was still for our wonderful version of ‘My Way’, where the final crescendo blows the
audiences away, every time!
At the end of a wonderful concert, Gareth Evans presented a choir shield to Amy Ferrell of the
Sarasota Welsh Society, to thank them for their support, and to mark their 40 th anniversary. Am
responded with glowing thanks to the choir. The afterglow was back at our hotel at Casey Key, which
was perfect, as we could let our hair down and party into the night, as it was the last night of the
tour. We were very grateful to the Sarasota Welsh Society for kindly providing food and drinks for
the choir. There was a white Grand Piano in the room, and the scene was set for what some senior
choristers have described as the best afterglow ever, which is quite a statement, when they have
been in the choir for around 40 years! The music staff were outstanding; entertaining us with piano
duets and accompaniments for many great songs, to the obvious delight of the Welsh Society
Members present. They played for hours, which is no mean feat after 5 concerts. Individual
performances from Stuart Smith, Ray Daniels and Tony Jones, and lots f great singing from the boys.
Roger Morse was superb with his stand-up comedy routine, and Phil Edmunds was outstanding with
hi ‘Cock a Doodle Do’ and ‘The Lunatic Asylum’! At around 2am, the President, John Richards,
addressed the choir in a very emotional speech, which showed the total commitment and depth of
feeling both he and Marianne have for the choir. Chairman Gareth Evans replied in an equally
poignant speech, and John was reduced to tears as we sang ‘For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow’. A
wonderful afterglow which was thoroughly enjoyed by all.
(Author’s not: It finished in a bit of a haze for me, when Owen Morgan bought me the largest glass of
whiskey I had ever seen!!).
The final morning dawned, with sore heads, but packing had to be done, and calls for remaining
merchandise to be shared between choristers for the journey home. We manged to make $3400
from dales for choir funds, which is always useful. A last chance for some time by the pool, and we
were boarding coaches to Miami Airport for the flight home.
A wonderful tour and an unforgettable experience.
Tony Giannotti
Publicity Officer
bottom of page