About Us : Musical Team : Choir Officers

The Ospreys Supporters Choir was originally formed in 2006 to participate in the S4C television programme ‘Codi Canu’. This programme involved choirs from the four rugby regions in Wales competing for the honour of singing the Welsh national anthem on the hallowed turf of the Millennium Stadium, prior to the Wales v England International Match. Commissioned for a second series in 2007, the programme continued with the Ospreys Choir again under the expert musical direction of Alwyn Humphries and Sioned James.  Joined by a North Wales choir for this series, the competitors were fortunate enough to witness Wales outstanding ‘Grand Slam’ in 2008 as they entertained the crowd. This provided an impetus to continue singing whilst enjoying rugby, and the choir secured the services of an outstanding Musical Director - Mrs Novella Roberts-Lewis.

The Choir’s repertoire and ambition grew and its reputation spread across the communities of the Ospreys region and beyond. During the 2008/9 season, the Choir travelled to Limerick to support the Ospreys, joining the Munster Supporters Choir to give a number of rousing performances. A second tour followed in 2010, when an invitation to sing at the European Parliament in Brussels as part of Welsh Culture week was received. With successful performances and an extended repertoire achieved under its skilful Musical Director, the Choir was set for greater things, but at the end of that tour Mrs Roberts-Lewis announced her decision to ‘retire whilst at the top’.

The Choir recruited gifted replacements for Mrs Roberts-Lewis with Aled Hopton joining as Musical Director and Angharad Davies as Accompanist, and they brought a dynamic new approach to the choir, extending the repertoire yet again and introducing challenging and contemporary choral works, whilst maintaining its original ethos.  Tours to Scotland and a performance at the Hawick Sevens tournament in 2011, was followed by a tour to London and a performance at Southwark Cathedral in 2012, and Oxford to entertain guests at London Welsh RFC in 2013.  A memorable tour to Belgium followed in Easter 2014 which involved performances in Ostend, Ghent, a visit to Hedd Wyn’s (Bardd y Gadair Ddu) grave, and a memorable performance during the moving daily remembrance ceremony at the Menin Gate in Ypres. In 2016, the Choir enjoyed a successful tour of Dublin, performing at St. Patrick's Cathedral prior to a somewhat more raucous appearance at the renowned Guinness brewery at St. James's Gate. Subsequent tours have seen the Choir visit York (2017), Liverpool (2018) and Llandudno (2019).

Having led the Choir since 2010, Aled Hopton chose to step down from his role as Musical Director in 2019, and Angharad Davies left shortly after. Both Aled and Angharad departed with the sincere thanks of all choir members for their years of faithful service to the Ospreys Supporters Choir. Following Aled's departure, the Choir were fortunate to secure the services of the talented Christopher Lewis as Musical Director who brought Berian Lewis onboard as an accomplished accompanist.

With a sustained growth in chorister numbers over the last three years, a solid foundation, an ethos as to what the Choir is about, and an inspirational musical team at the helm, the Ospreys Supporters Choir is looking to the future with confidence and excitement.  If you enjoy singing and having fun and would like to join the Choir, or if you simply want to book the Choir for your event, please CLICK HERE