Clad in their trademark red shirts and black trousers, the Welsh Male Choir has been singing in Hong Kong since 1978. Photos by Rebecca Lo / for China Daily

People gather at St John's Cathedral, the oldest Anglican church in Asia, to join the annual charity concert, organized by the city's Society for the Promotion of Hospice.

The Hong Kong Welsh Male Choir brightens the holiday season with its four-part harmonies of Christmas favorites. Rebecca Lo sits in for choir practice and talks to the men in red and black.

On a Tuesday evening in December, the pews of St John's Cathedral are packed to the rafters with Hong Kong residents dressed in their Sunday best. They have gathered at the oldest Anglican church in Asia - its first sermon was held in 1849 - for a good cause: the annual charity concert organized by the city's Society for the Promotion of Hospice Care. Though there are many parents eager to snap Facebook pictures of their children in the Island School's orchestra and chamber choir, the headline act that evening belonged to the Hong Kong Welsh Male Voice Choir. The 70-strong chorus has been singing at the charity concert ever since it was first held in 1990.

Its repertoire of carols such as O Holy Night and I Wonder as I Wander showcase the group's four-part harmony in a fitting arena. Clad in their trademark red shirts and black trousers, the men, whose ages ranged from mid 20s to well into their senior years, share a common enthusiasm that was infectious.

"It is a challenge to perform in St. John's," acknowledges Howard Topper, musical director with the choir. "The acoustics are not the best."

It was his love for music that had him seek out the Welsh Male Choir when he relocated to Hong Kong eight years ago. Prior to that, he was with a choir in England for 27 years. He also plays the violin, piano and trumpet, and has previously performed in an amateur orchestra. This is his first year as music director for the choir.

Contrary to popular belief, the choir is not restricted to only Welshmen - there are Americans, Mexicans, Hong Kong Chinese and this year it welcomed its first Canadian. It retains its name as a Welsh choir out of respect to its origins in 1978, when a group of expat Welshmen started singing at the Welsh National Day Ball. Three members from that year are still active in the choir.

Though Topper's responsibilities include selecting all the music and organizing rehearsals - held twice a week in Li Hall, adjacent to St John's - he does it all in his spare time. During the weekday, he is acting principal at Clearwater Bay School, one of Hong Kong's English School Foundation's international primary schools.

"The choir is quite a time commitment," he admits. "It's not just the rehearsal time-we sing with the books down, so everyone has to memorize all the lyrics. A lot of the guys go away and work on the music at home. Many are professionals and have work or travel priorities. For a typical concert, we perform with 50 to 80 percent of our members."

Michael Price is one such member who not only takes time out to rehearse, but is also the choir's chairman. During the day, he moonlights as a group estate manager for Swire Properties, one of Hong Kong's leading real estate developers.

"I am Welsh," says Price. "About 25 to 25 percent of the choir is Welsh today. Though it is an amateur choir, we treat the choir very professionally. We ensure that the standards are high, but we like to have fun and socialize as well."

Price was with the choir from 1982 to 1988, took a break to spend more time with his wife and growing children, and rejoined in 2002. He became chairman in 2010 and is responsible for the choir committee.

"I make sure that the choir is run in a proper manner and that we get more exposure in Hong Kong and abroad."

Along with its busy Christmas season during which it performs about half a dozen concerts all over the city, the Welsh Male Choir sings at an annual fundraising concert every October at the Academy for Performing Arts.

It performs charity concerts annually in Vietnam and the Philippines, and will be performing in Bangkok at the Welsh National Day celebrations in March next year. In 2004 and 2008, it performed as part of the 1,000 Voices Festival at the Royal Albert Hall in London. In addition, it is available for private functions, and has performed at venues as varied as a winery, on airplanes and in tunnels underground.

All of the choir's travel expenses are out of the pocket for each member, and they also pay monthly dues to help offset running costs.

"We were in Beijing in 2009 and sang on the Great Wall in Mandarin," recalls Price. "We sang in Shanghai on the Bund earlier this year in October. And we will be performing in Alexandra Palace in London prior to the Olympics next year, as part of a world choir at the opening ceremonies."

The choir's repertoire ranges from traditional Welsh hymns to contemporary pieces by The Beatles and Queen.

"I like to choose challenging pieces," admits Topper. "From modern and pop to classical. A typical modern song would be If I Fell by The Beatles, and a traditional one would be Panis Angelicus."

Topper is also responsible for selecting new recruits, along with his deputy director, accompanist and section leader.

"We have a procedure," he explains. "Usually, we audition someone at the end of a rehearsal and I sing along to make him feel less awkward. We all help recruit-I recruited one of the parents at my school. It's always best to find people through word of mouth."

"You don't need to have any experience," says Price. "All you have to do is prove you can sing. You don't even need to read music; you can learn that as you go along. Some of our members had never sung before-as long as you're dedicated, you'll be fine. It's a great Welsh tradition and I enjoy the camaraderie and the friendships that I form."

"It's wonderful to be producing music together," says Topper. "It is a great social group and we are all working to achieve our best. It's a very warm, collegiate feel. I hope to see the choir increasing in size and get better every year."

You may contact the writer at sundayed@chinadaily.com.cn.

(China Daily 12/25/2011 page5)