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OUR picture shows founder conductor Grenville Jones with Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall at Bath Abbey on December 8th, 2010. Bath Male Choir and The Bath Chorus (also conducted by Grenville) were guests at a sell-our charity concert organised by the National Osteoporosis Society.
Grenville enjoys the reputation in and around Bath of being 'Bath's Mr Music!' He was given the accolade of Bath Man of the Year 2008 in the local newspaper, the Bath Chronicle and was recognised again in the 2009 listings. In the same year he was one of 10 nominees nationally in the Daily Mirror and ITV community champion award. This was for his work with the Golden-Oldies Charity. He was also named as a Mayor's Citizen of the Year in April 2009 for his work with Goldies. Last summer he attended the Queen's Garden Party at Buckingham Palace in recognition of his charity work. In January 2011 he was again named in the Bath Chronicle as a "Man of the Year" for the fourth year running.
In November Grenville appeared on National television with Gareth Malone. He was asked to lead a youth choir from across the West of England as part of the BBC Children in Need 2011 appeal.
The Golden-Oldies Charity was started by Grenville in January 2008 with four fun singing sessions in sheltered housing community rooms in Bath. By the end of 2010 that number increased to over 70 each week across the West. The charity - through its ethos of social interaction through singing and movement - is making lives happier for hundreds of people. Goldies CYMRU also launched in South Wales in November 2011.
The Charity has attracted world-wide media coverage and Grenville is anxious that whilst he was the founder, the charity now has an increasing base of volunteers, trustees, session leaders and supporters, without whom Goldies would not be able to develop. Bath Male Choir have sung for Goldies on a numbers of occasions and 40 members joined Grenville to run the Bath half in 2010, as reported on our home page. It is Grenville's vision to launch Goldies into Wales in 2011.
Grenville is working on a two year EEU project with partners from across Europe and led by the acclaimed Fraunhofer Institute in Germany and the Austrian technology Board. Together they are looking at how music and other related therapeutic projects can enhance the lives of elderly people living in isolation.
Back to the music where he started a series of GOOD Afternoon Choirs in May 2009 across the West of England for retired people. The Bath Good Afternoon Choir has 100 members and is conducted by Francis Faux. Grenville plans more soon, watch this space!
For 11 years he led Bath's Silver Ring Choir. In that time he trebled the membership and took the choir on concert tours to Europe, Canada and New Zealand. He left them to start THE Bath Chorus in January 2009 with over 150 people attending an open night. The Choir rehearses on Monday nights and already now over 80 auditioned members. They have sung with Hayley Westenra and Aled Jones as well as Hollywood star Nicholas Cage at the 2009 BIG Christmas Lights switch on and attended by thousands. In 2010 they performed at Wells Cathedral and twice at Bath Abbey and have a growing reputation and a busy schedule ahead for 2011.
He started a new evening mixed choir last Sept called the Welcome Choir. This is a non-audition group who are already having a great time every Wednesday evening at Culverhay School Bath.
Lee Mead was the guest at the Bath Male Choir 2011 sell-out annual concert. Grenville and Lee are pictured above.
Grenville is the man who gets people of all ages singing. Back in September 2008 he was guest of Aled Jones on his Radio Three programme “The Choir.” Grenville talked about his experiences on Last Choir Standing with his Boys from Bath. Aled was also fascinated to hear about the success of the Golden-Oldies Charity and Grenville’s growing reputation for getting people of all ages to sing.
He became a Grandad in 2009 - twice! Isaac is the son of Daniel and Rachel and Artur is the son of Kieron and Marianna. Laurie is Grenville's youngest son. A talented drummer, he is now pursuing a musical career at Bath Spa University.
For a number of years in the 80s Grenville sang in a barbershop group called Five-in-a-Bar, making records and appearing on many national radio and TV shows including Jim’ll fix it, The Cliff Richard Show and Blue Peter, but he’s lost the badge! Many of the arrangements sung by the quintet were his. During the Last Choir Standing series the BBC showed a clip of a very young GJ singing with Five-in-a-Bar on Blue Peter, and one of the interviews with Grenville on the show was in the Blue Peter garden!
Grenville is a council member of the Association of British Choral Directors and his natural musical ability and enthusiasm have taken his many music groups and projects on exciting journeys.
Grenville's background includes a number of years managing newspapers as well as a period working as a freelance for the BBC in Bristol. He built up his own successful PR and Marketing company in the 80s and 90s and also a magazine company publishing golf titles - Grenville still likes to dust off his clubs and occasionally enjoy a round with his 3 sons, Dan Kieron and Laurie.
Singing was always part of a Methodist home upbringing in Purton near Swindon. He used to have a tenor voice but G says that many years of choir conducting his voice have strained his voice now to a poor bass.
You can check out all of his projects - up and coming concerts etc - on www.grenvillejones.biz
