Overview
Since the end of 2023, the Gabiers de la Lys have a new home port: Merville. The group composed of about twenty choristers and musicians strives to publicise the marine songs, the sea and the boat both in the municipality and in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region and the Hauts-de-France.
With an experience of almost ten years, the repertoire is very wide and grows year by year. Work songs, such as songs to hoist, turn, pump, haul or relaxing songs such as lamentations, songs to dance, songs of the ports are the essence of what we offer you. And from time to time, we try songs from other cultures, countries or continents.
History has it that, in principle, these songs were sung by sailors on board, so men only. (At a few exceptions, women were prohibited on ships) Our peculiarity is the diversity of our group. The voices of women certainly bring a little more “sweetness” to the roughness of the sailors’ songs.
We are always looking for men’s voices, both in tenor and in bass. All musicians are, of course, welcome. Do not hesitate to join us as two new choristers did during the start of the September 2025 school year.
The objective of our Group is to discover marine songs, sea songs… with popular choruses that everyone can take up in chorus in a friendly atmosphere.
Our rehearsals take place every week on Tuesday evening, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Espace KAOU’ËT 67, rue Valentin Duriez in Merville.
The group is composed of:
Sopranos: Huguette, Christelle, Cécile
Altos: Anne-Marie, Annie, Agnès, Monique
Tenors: Jean-Pierre R, Didier, Yves
Basses: Bernard, Jean-Michel, André, Fred
The crew’s “foam”: Dylan
The musicians: Thierry, diatonic accordion, Annick, clarinet, Laurent, flutes and keyboard
Technicians: Françoise, Nelly and Eric