Oll an Gwella

Songs, Shanties & Smiles: “Fabulous Cornish, nautical and shanty songs presented with smiles, by the group who have represented Cornwall live on national ITV breakfast programmes; at the prestigious Festival Interceltique in Lorient Brittany; and from the Boardmaster’s stage in Newquay.”

Who are we? ….. Oll an Gwella consists of a bunch of beauties! All members of Newquay Male Voice Choir, they are a rehearsed, a cappella, male chorus with a repertoire consisting of over 100 songs including Shanties, Cornish folk, 1960s classics, seasonal & sacred music.

Combining their 4-part harmony with infectious humour the group has earned wide acclaim for their extensive repertoire. Wherever they find themselves, Oll an Gwella’s mission is to spread their joy of singing amongst others and everyone is encouraged to participate – from pensioners to youngsters in school workshops. The group’s reputation and popularity has grown steadily with their repertoire. Normally annually, the group perform “Songs about the Sea” at both the International Shanty Festival in Falmouth and Newquay Fish Festival; they were asked to sing a programme which included a song about flying at a reception to celebrate 100 years of the RAF; they were booked to sing a range of mining songs at a reception in Pendennis Castle, hosted by ‘Cornish Lithium’ as the extraction industry looks again at possibilities in Cornwall; and separately, booked to sing Cornish Folk songs (with some Kernewek – the Cornish language) at both a reception hosted by Cornwall Council to recognise minority Celtic languages and, for both a German and London-based film crew.