AmeriCymru: Many thanks for agreeing to be interviewed by AmeriCymru. The Choir will be performing at the 2015 North American Festival of Wales in Columbus, Ohio. Can you tell us how this came about? Have you performed in the USA before?

Alun: Thank you for the opportunity.

We sang at the 2006 NAFOW in Cincinnati, Ohio, and were again invited to sing at this years’ festival for which we are very grateful. In 1979, the choir visited Toronto, Canada and took part in the Canadian World Music Festival in that city.

This will be the choirs’ fourth visit to the USA, for we first visited in 1993, when we celebrated 100 years since the original choirs’ visit to the “World Fair” or “World's Columbian Exposition” that was held in Chicago in 1893. Since then we have undertaken short tours in 2000 and 2006.

During our tours in the USA in the past we have visited New York, Chicago, Boston and Cincinnati as well as Poultney, Vt. and Granville N.Y. where we have made lifelong friends. This will be our first visit to Washington D.C.and Columbus, Ohio.

AmeriCymru: Can you tell us something about the choir's history? When was it founded?

Alun:  The original Côr y Penrhyn was formed from a number of members of many smaller choirs who used to meet, and compete against each other. These choirs were made up entirely of men who were working at the Penrhyn Slate Quarry, located here in Bethesda.

Slate was, and still is, quarried using the “gallery” method of quarrying. The galleries are steps in the mountain side, and each gallery had a large number of men working the rock face. The men working the galleries formed small choirs which competed against each other in eisteddfodau (Welsh Cultural Competitions with a history spanning many centuries) and they also had soccer teams which competed against each other.

In the late 1800’s the men decided to form one choir, to be called “Côr y Penrhyn” to represent the area and travel to Chicago to the World's Columbian Exposition.  The first eisteddfod held outside of Wales was held at that exposition.

The visit to Chicago is the first recorded concert of ‘Côr y Penrhyn’ and on their return to Wales and to the quarry, the choir split again to smaller choirs. The choir as we know it today was not formed again until 1935.   

When the original choir returned to work in the quarry they faced tough working conditions which led to the longest industrial dispute in UK industrial history.  In 1900, the then Lord Penrhyn, locked the men out of the quarry when they attempted to set up a union and this “lock-out” lasted for 3 years.  

During those three years many families left the area, and dispersed to all corners of the world, some to travel to South Wales to work in the coal mines, some to Australia but several families chose to emigrate to North America, especially the Vermont and Upper New York State area, where they went to work in the slate quarries of that region.  

As was mentioned above, Côr y Penrhyn has a long standing friendship with the residents of Poultney, Vt and of Granville N.Y. where we always receive a warm welcome. We are returning to Poultney this year on what will be our third visit to the town.

AmeriCymru: Where in Wales is Bethesda? Care to describe the area a little for our American and Canadian readers

Alun:   Bethesda is situated in North West Wales in the County of Gwynedd and right at the edge of the Snowdonia National Park.  It is approximately 5 miles south east of the University City of Bangor. The name is of course biblical in origin as are many towns and villages in North Wales for when these places were founded mostly in the 19th century the whole of Wales was in the grip of intense religious revivals and the people turned to the Bible for inspiration.

Welsh is the dominant language in Bethesda (known locally as “Pesda”) and in the 2001 census, 77% of the residents were Welsh speaking.

We have a Welsh language monthly newspaper, Llais Ogwan, established in 1973  http://www.llaisogwan.com/ and which has a circulation of approximately 1500 serving a population of about 4,000 in Bethesda and the surrounding areas.

Bethesda lies in the Ogwen Valley in a compact, mountainous region of Wales, about 6 miles away from Snowdon, Wales’ highest mountain, but also just a few miles away from the sea.

AmeriCymru: In addition to your appearance at NAFOW you will be performing at the Washington National Cathedral on August 27th. Can you give us more details about the performance.?

Alun:   Our performance at the Washington National Cathedral was arranged when our numerous friends in the USA made enquiries on our behalf as to possible concert venues whilst we were  visiting, and the cathedral was put forward as one possible option.  Following a meeting with the cathedrals’ Musical Director and his team, we were invited to perform on the 27th August.

Our performance at the cathedral is going to be in the form of a multi-media presentation rather than a formal concert.  In addition to being conducted by our young, talented Musical Director, Owain Arwel, we will be joined by the famous Welsh actor, John Ogwen who will be our narrator, and by a brilliant young harpist, Glain Dafydd, who, in conjunction with our accompanist Frances Davies, will be contributing to the presentation.  The performance will also include a visual aspect in the form of a video backdrop.

AmeriCymru: What is your repertoire? Is there a particular piece that you all enjoy performing more than others? Do you have a signature piece or one that's more often requested by audiences?

Alun:   We have a varied repertoire, alongside hymns and old favourites such as “Myfanwy”, which reflect the non-Conformist tradition with which male voice choirs were first associated, today’s repertoire includes perhaps even more challenging pieces.

One recently commissioned work combines words by one of Wales’ most gifted poets, Ieuan Wyn, with music by Welsh composer Gareth Glyn.  In a lighter vein, there are Welsh and English pop song adaptations as well as ever popular spirituals and opera choruses as well as choruses from musicals made popular on the London and New York stage. “Anthem” our latest CD, gives a taste of that diversity.

The most often requested piece, and one which is famous in male choir repertoires is the hymn tune “Gwahoddiad” (Invitation) which includes a rousing “Amen” ending.

AmeriCymru: Where can people buy recordings of the choir online? What CD's are available?

Alun:   We have quite a few videos on You Tube, especially from our concert at the Chicago Cultural Center where we performed at the Myra Hess concerts on two separate occasions.

“Anthem”, our latest CD is available for purchase on our website www.corypenrhyn.cymru

AmeriCymru: You'll be in Ohio this year but what's next for the Penrhyn Male Voice Choir. Any new recordings or tours in the pipeline?

Alun:    We have a busy schedule in 2015 -16 with concerts all around the UK.  

No major foreign tours have yet been planned, although we would always endeavour to be available for concerts in the USA, if invited. We are always being urged to sing in various Celtic festivals in France and Ireland and there is a standing invitation for us to return to Germany, but we have to decline many such invitations because of our full programme of commitments at home.

AmeriCymru: Do you have any final comments for the attendees and organisers of the North American Festival of Wales?

Alun:  We are very grateful to the organisers of the NAFOW for their kind invitation, and we are very much looking forward to meeting friends, old and new, and especially to performing at the concert on Saturday and the Cymanfa Ganu on Sunday.

We hope that the attendees will be delighted by our “new” concept of a multi-media presentation, which will make up half of our concert but which will, of course, be combined with a more “traditional” first half concert.