The New Kevin & Clive Duo News

RMVC has been fortunate in having excellent Chairs and Deputy Chairs over the years and most give more than one year to the role. For the past two years Peter Ashby has held the reins as Chairman and has done a sterling job in keeping RMVC on track as has his worthy and hardworking Deputy Jim Philbin who has also stepped down.

However, 2019 sees both a new Chairman in Kevin Cleary and a new Deputy in long-standing choir member Clive Matthews. Kevin has been choir Marshall for some time and recently gained another job as RMVC’s Social Secretary. When asked if he intended to carry on in these roles alongside becoming Chairman, he was phlegmatic. “I certainly hope so, but we will see. It’s hard stepping into a previous chairman’s shoes. I do have lots of ideas, but I’m very conscious that to bring any of them to fruition means taking choir members with me and being prepared to change direction and my thinking when needed. Being part of RMVC is great musically. We have a brilliant Musical Director and accompanists and fellow choristers are so good to work with on new music and old favourites, but I believe our motto ‘Singing fun taken seriously’ means we should also have fun, so to me the social side of the choir is very important which is why I would like to keep going as Social Secretary.

As for my deputy and friend Clive, I think he is well aware that he may well do the lions share of the work in his joint roles of Deputy and Chairman of our Music Committee – as many will know the latter is not a minor job in a Choir. I am looking forward to the two of us working closely together and I know we are both fully committed to doing our very best to take the choir forward positively and harmoniously. So, thanks Boys for giving me this opportunity and be assured my door is open to anyone with suggestions about anything to do with RMVC.”

Never short of ideas himself Clive added “I agree with Kevin” and “I think we’ll make a great team – just watch this space but please lay off the jokes about the Welsh Taffia.”