The musical director of three Welsh male voice choirs has said he is “humbled” at being recognised in the New Year's Honours list. Dr Mike Thomas, 63, who has been involved with one of the choirs for more than 35 years, has been made an MBE for services to the Welsh male voice choirs of the Pelenna Valley and the Cynon Valley.
He has been the organist at his parish church for the past 20 years and spends five evenings a week practising with 160 choristers across three choirs. The choirs – Pelenna, Cwmdare, and Cwmbach – regularly perform across the UK and internationally. In June Cwmbach Male Choir performed in front of an audience of 60,000 during Stereophonics gigs at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.
That opportunity arose after Stereophonics frontman Kelly Jones bumped into Dr Thomas – who taught at his school, the former Blaengwawr Comprehensive in Aberaman – in a supermarket. During the Covid-19 pandemic father-of-two Dr Thomas organised virtual choir practices.
