Ken Key - Bass

Ken owes his love of music to a brilliant music master at Latymer Upper School in 1936. He is also grateful for his time as a choirboy at Christchurch, Mayfair. There was one occasion when he sung as second boy cantoris at St Paul's Cathedral. In his student days, he organised lunchtime gramophone recitals at the Polytechnic, Regent Street. During his apprenticeship at Metrovick, Manchester, he was an enthusiastic member of the Music Club and produced Ravel's, "L'Heure Espagnol" and Menotti's, "The Telephone," as puppet operas.

He was "Keeper of the Gramophone" at ICI Music Club, Pontypool and made the first record of Dame Gwynneth Jones on the Nylon Label. He produced the two puppet operas again and was a member of the Madrigal Group, which sang for fun at lunchtimes.

During his period as a teacher at Croesceiliog, he sang in the choir and took part in Menotti's "Amahl and the Night Visitors."

He joined the GBS sometime in the early nineties. Sadly, he never learnt to read music fluently and being "notationally challenged", he trained his computer to whistle his part. He introduced the choir to more modern notation software, which, with Mike Edward's work and enthusiasm is proving most helpful to all members of the choir in learning their notes.

Ken has been associated with the Llantilio Crosseny Festival of Music and Drama since its beginning in 1962 and has been its chairman since 1998

Puppet Opera by Ken Key