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Archbald, PA: When Gina Lupini, Choral Director for the Valley View High School, was asked if she and her students would perform with a visiting Welsh Male Choir, she had no idea that her acceptance would result in an international odyssey of friendship and song.

In October of 2015, Côr Dathlu Cwmtawe, (The Swansea Valley Celebration Choir), came to the Lackawanna Valley, a place of historical significance to Wales and America, to sing and honor those who had come before in the 1830’s. Gina’s talented youngsters had earned a reputation of excellence and professionalism. Gina, was known to the choir for her Vivace choir performance for The Saint Francis Assisi Kitchen. This was an unforgettable event featuring The Catholic Choral Society, The Burlington Welsh Male Choir, and Gina’s Vivace. Their performance with the 60 voice Swansea choir directed by one of Wales’ most renowned conductors exceeded everyone’s expectations.

Our valley has an incredible choral heritage dating to the 1850’s. From its founding, the immigrants to the Lackawanna Valley have created a choral legacy of unsurpassed artistic standards that has reached far beyond our region. Our valleys sent five, 300 voice choirs to the Philadelphia Bicentennial of 1882. A choir composed of Lackawanna Valley singers surpassed the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at the 1893 World’s Fair choir competition. In the same contest, another Lackawanna choir came in third. The years 1891 and 1892 saw the Scranton Catholic Choir Association hold competitive music festivals featuring over 20 choirs, 25 singing societies and 65 soloists. More recognition came to Scranton in 1928 with a first place win at The Royal National Eisteddfod in Wales secured by the Scranton Anthracite Chorus.

Local newspapers covered almost every development in the 1928 adventure, both here and in Wales. The Johnson School, now The Johnson College of Technology, created a Welsh flag that flew on the ship’s mast while crossing the Atlantic and was presented to Wales at the competition.

Our valley has a special place in the hearts of the Welsh, especially Welsh choirs. It is our history and tradition that brings their choirs here. It was the upholding of that tradition of excellence by our young singers that drew the attention of Conway Morgan, the Celebration Choir’s director.

Now, The Côr Dathlu Cwmtawe Male Choir and Her Majesty’s Representative to the County of Powys (In the heart of the Swansea Valleys) have officially requested that our talented singers come to Wales to represent our valley in combined events with Côr Dathlu Cwmtawe and their Regional High School, Ysgol Bro Dynefwr in June of 2017.

The tour will be for two weeks with performances across South Wales at popular venues and with other award winning Welsh choirs. While the students are from Valley View High School, they will be representing the Lackawanna Valley as Voices of the Valley. Their school gave their blessing for the tour, but is not funding it. All funds must be raised through the generosity of the public. All funds raised will be used exclusively for student expenses. Fortunately, facilities in Wales have given significant discounts for the students and expenses will be much less than otherwise expected. There will be fund raising in Wales, as well.

Our young people are continuing our rich musical heritage and certainly deserve our help to make possible this International Odyssey of Friendship and Song.

You can help these young ambassadors by becoming a personal or business sponsor, and by sharing this opportunity to become a positive participant in a young person’s life. The official kick off for the fundraiser will be in September with concerts, car washes, and special events. In the interim, we are seeking major sponsors who would like to be visible throughout the campaign through March of 2017. For many of these young folk, this will be the adventure of a lifetime. Join the quest, make it happen.

We are excited that these young people are bringing together two nations, two generations, and our valley communities through friendship and song. This is a perfect example of the value of the arts in our schools.

Our youngsters are washing cars, hosting bake sales, and scheduling concerts to cover the $65K for their two week tour. All funds raised are specifically for the expenses of the choir.

Find your way to help these hardworking students. Please go to our website to donate directly at: gvgb.co/voicesofthevalley

Facebook page. VOTVWalesTour 2017

Contact us at: VOTVWalesTour2017@gmail.com

A Brief Account of Welsh Choral History of Northeastern PA.

As early as 1850, Carbondale was hosting literary and musical competitions. These competitions were a tradition brought to America by Welsh immigrants, and date from the 12 ^th century, Britain. The Welsh called the competition eisteddfod, and Carbondale’s was the first recorded in America.

These early events became the catalyst for NEPA creating a choral legacy beyond the Welsh community and unsurpassed in both artistic standards and numbers of participants. Important milestones in our regional musical history only hint at its depth and significance.

In 1875, West Scranton held competitions to raise funds for their library. A tent holding an audience of 6,000 was full to capacity for each of the 6 sessions. Special trains for the event were scheduled throughout the valley. Our valleys sent five, 300 voice choirs to the Philadelphia Bicentennial of 1882. The years 1891 and 1892 saw the Scranton Catholic Choir Association hold competitive music festivals featuring over 20 choirs, 25 singing societies and 65 soloists. The Cathedral Choir won the 1892 competition.

The 1893 Chicago World’s Fair choral competition listed two Scranton choirs, the 260 voice Scranton Choral Union and the 200 voice Cymmrodorion Choral Society. Their competitors would include the formidable Mormon Tabernacle Choir, also founded by Welsh immigrants. The Scranton Choral Union took the $5,000 first prize, the Utah choir second, and the Cymmrodorians, third. The returning champions were greeted by thousands of Scrantonians when their special flag and bunting festooned train arrived at Lackawanna Station.

Choral events continued into the next century with a 1902 Gymanfa Ganu , (A Welsh Hymn Sing) attended by 10,000 at the Scranton Armory.

International recognition came to Scranton in 1928 with a first place win at The Royal National Eisteddfod secured by the Scranton Anthracite Chorus. This chorus was formed the previous year specifically to prove the excellence of Scranton talent.

-----An extract from a pamphlet published 2007, written by Jerry Williams, Past President,

Saint David’s Society of Lackawanna County, PA------

Today marks the centenary of Roald Dahl’s birth in Cardiff, Wales.

He wrote children's books including 'Matilda' 'Fantastic Mr. Fox' 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory' and 'The BFG'

In his autobiography ‘Boy’ Dahl talks about his childhood in Wales.

Wales is celebrating the centenary with a number of events:

http://www.roalddahl100.wales/ whats-on/

How Welsh was Roald Dahl? Find out in a BBC interview with Prof Damian Walford Davies author of ‘Roald Dahl: Wales of the Unexpected’ and Lleucu Siencyn CEO of Literature Wales:

http://www.bbc.com/news/ entertainment-arts-36963989

The characters Gari Pêl and Bronaldo go head to head in the latest issue of Mellten – published this week, as the two have a competition to see who is the best football player.

This is the second issue of the new quarterly comic for the children of Wales, comic Mellten .

Mainly aimed at children between the ages of 7 and 13, this is the first original Welsh comic to be published in decades. Edited by Wales’ best and most original cartoonist, Huw Aaron, Mellten contains contributions from many artists, cartoonists and authors.

Between the pages of the second issue, we reunite with characters such as Gwil Garw, a hero from an age before history who loves collecting and fighting monsters, Bloben and Capten Clonc – the most handsome hero in the universe. We also follow the adventures of Iola, the young pilot who dreams of winning the Space Rally Competition but she is stuck on planet Cymru Newydd (New Wales).  The second issue will also include the favourite ‘Ble mae Boc?’ (Where is Boc?) with the poor little dragon lost in Cardiff city stadium amongst a crowd of excited Welsh football fans!

There is also an opportunity to win a pair of tickets to see the Wales rugby team play against Japan at the Principality Stadium on the 19 ^th of November.

‘It has been fantastic to see the enthusiastic response of the children of Wales to the first issue of Mellten and the second issue is full of adventure, silly jokes and colourful characters!’ said the comic’s editor, Huw Aaron.

Huw Aaron will also be joining in the fun and festivities of the ‘Enormous Weekend’ in Caernarfon this weekend as he visits Penygroes Library at 10 am and Palas Print at 2.45pm on Saturday the 17 ^th of September in a cartoon making session.

The next issue of Mellten will appear in December but the fun will continue on the website with new content added regularly.  

Mellten is available to buy separately or by subscription through the website, schools, local bookshops or Y Lolfa publishers.

Huw Aaron will be at Palas Print in Caernarfon on Saturday the 17 ^th of September between 2.45pm and 3.45pm as part of the enourmous weekend.  

The second issue of Mellten (£2, Y Lolfa) is available now.

Welsh Government, New York, September 6:

“Wales means business” – that’s the message the First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones is bringing to America on a whistle-stop 5-day tour of Atlanta, Cincinnati and Chicago, Sep 5-8.

As part of the drive to further raise the profile of Wales in three states of key importance to Wales, First Minister Jones will meet with a number of Fortune 500 companies, political leaders including the Mayor of Atlanta Kasim Reed, and existing investors in Wales including Valero, S&C Electric Company and Zimmer Biomet.

He will also address members of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs about the future of Wales post ‘Brexit’ in a talk entitled ‘After Brexit::Europe, the United Kingdom, and Wales.'

The five-day visit is part of the Welsh Government’s plan to increase trade and investment between Wales and the USA - an approach which will be accelerated as part of a coordinated response to Brexit.

The United States of America is one of Wales’ most important trading partners. There are over 250 US companies based in Wales – including large multinational corporations like GE, Ford, 3M, General Dynamics, Raytheon, Kimberley Clark, Honeywell and Ortho Clinical Diagnostics. Many Welsh companies like IQE, Tinopolis, Elephant Insurance and Creditsafe are also investing and doing business in the US.

The Welsh Government has trade and investment offices across the United States, with personnel based in the British Embassy in Washington D.C., and in the British Consulate-General offices in New York City, San Francisco, Atlanta, and Chicago

The visit comes on the back of a series of record-breaking years for inward investment to Wales. The acceleration of investment in Wales can be attributed to the proliferation of innovative and hi-tech companies in the country. A recent survey by Nockolds shows that Wales has the fastest growing digital economy in the UK outside London with the number of digital enterprises in Wales jumping by 9.2% in 2015.

Members of the Friends of Wales Caucus on Capitol Hill today wished the First Minister every success on his visit saying that ‘the people of Wales and the United States have benefited greatly from their mutual bonds of friendship which span from the founding of our nation to the present day. In light of the recent vote by the people of the United Kingdom to leave the European Union, the Caucus reaffirms the importance of the economic and cultural ties between Wales and the United States of America.’

Speaking ahead of the visit, First Minister Jones said:

“We have been incredibly successful over recent years at attracting global businesses to Wales – and creating high quality jobs. With inward investment at a 30 year high, our efforts in attracting business and investment is resulting in more and better jobs being created here in Wales.

“Announcements from Aston Martin, MotoNovo, TVR, Essentra, EE and BT have demonstrated our growing reputation as the go-to country for businesses to locate to and trade from. But we need to do more to attract more investment in the future, not less. We need to take an ever more proactive approach to going out there, promoting Wales on an international stage, and reminding the world that all the things that have made Wales great, continue to make Wales great.

“Post-Brexit, we must sell Wales to the world like never before. Wales must remind the world we mean business. That’s exactly what I’ll be doing this week in the USA.”

A pioneering new book aims to present a journey through Welsh history and ‘introduce the people of Wales’ to their own history through the Welsh Christian experience.

Our Holy Ground - The Welsh Christian Experience by John I Morgans and Peter C Noble tells of the Welsh Christian story and, through showing how it is rooted in localities, tells the story of Wales.

‘This is for the people who live in Wales to learn about their own story – a story which continues to be contemporary and relevant.’ John and Peter explained,

‘We want the people who live in Wales to know their own shared story.’ they added. This is the first book of its kind which attempts to tell the Welsh story from the widest possible perspective, whilst also being a readable retelling of old and recent revisions of Welsh history and integrating both the ‘secular and religious story’.

John Morgans wrote the book and Peter Noble was the photographer. Both were aware that when they were introducing ministers from other countries to come and serve in Wales, the ministers were oblivious to the different national context and there was no straightforward book which they could recommend.

The answer seemed to be ‘put that right yourself’.

‘Our joint experience confirms our awareness that this is a story which is no longer being shared.’ they explained, ‘The majority in the churches have no concept of the wholeness of the story. Welsh denominations, as they weaken, are focusing on their own separate history and stories.’

‘But this historic story belongs to all the people of Wales. Our hope is that this book will alert the church and the wider public that there is one great story which belongs to everyone.’ they said.

‘This book is the appropriate history of a movement.’ added t he Rt. Rev. Dom Daniel OCSO, Abbot of Caldey, ‘This publication is not just a history book among many others but a re-telling the story in a way our ancestors would have done from generation to generation.’

The volume includes over a hundred photographs taken by Peter Noble as he travelled throughout Wales over a period of several years.

‘The photographs are an integral element to the book, the unique collection of images illustrating the historic narrative and at the same time the awareness of a contemporary journey.’ said Peter.

Two of these images include Our Lady of Penrhys and The Guardian of the Valleys monuments respectively which feature on the front cover.

‘The images we chose for the cover were deliberate’ they explained, ‘They symbolise a journey of discovery into forgotten Welsh history.’

John I. Morgans was born in Tylorstown, Rhondda and studied history, theology and church history at Swansea, Oxford and Hartford, Connecticut before ordination in 1967. His first pastorate included the United Reformed Church in Llanidloes and the Welsh Independent Church in Glanhafren. His ministry continued with the URC in Manselton, as Moderator for the Wales Synod, and at Llanfair, Penrhys where, with his wife Norah, he helped form the ecumenical church. He retired from pastoral ministry in 2004. Our Holy Ground is his sixth book.

Peter C. Noble was raised in Brynmawr, Gwent. Following service in the RAF he studied for ministry in the United Reformed Church at Manchester. Ordained in 1983 his ministries have been Brecon, Libanus and Cwmcamlais (UWI), Caerffili and Ystrad Mynach, Chaplain to Higher Education in Cardiff, Synod Training Officer, and Moderator for the National Synod of Wales. He is presently Ecumenical Chaplain in Cardiff Bay.

Our Holy Ground – The Welsh Christian Experience by John I Morgans and Peter C Noble (£9.99, Y Lolfa) is available now.

In a time of war and instability a new book published this week by Y Lolfa will ‘restore your faith in humanity’ according to a former politican.

Originally published in Welsh,  Evacuee – From the Liverpool Blitz to Wales is the remarkable story of Barbara Warlow Davies, an English-speaking four year old, who was evacuated from Liverpool to Talgarreg in Cardiganshire during the Second World War.

The memoir recieved wide acclaim with former politican Cynog Dafis praising the volume and saying, ‘I don’t believe I have ever read such wonderful, moving and appreciative tributes that are yet so real and sincere than the ones Barbara pays to her aunt and uncle.’

‘If you feel the need to restore your faith in humanity, I urge you to read this book.’ he added.

Born in Liverpool three years before the outbreak of the Second World War, Barbara had already experienced the Blitz of May 1941 in Liverpool when thousands died at the hands of the Luftwaffe before her arrival in Wales.

Here she recounts her life story, from losing her Mum six weeks before her third birthday, to being rescued from an explosion which killed 164 people at the Ernest Brown School before her move to live in rural Wales.

She had such a great welcome in Talgarreg that she decided to stay there after the war at the home of John and Rachel Davies in Pantglas who were like parents to her.

‘I am deeply indebted to Talgarreg School: to the two teachers, Miss Watson from New Quay and Miss Elen Thomas of Green Grove, Talgarreg, and especially Mr Tom Stephens, the headmaster, for the care, kindness and education I received,’ says Barbara,

‘Tom Stephens’ love for the Welsh language soon became ingrained in me, and I still have a great love for all things Welsh.’ she added.

Barbara recalls her wartime experiences and remembers Rural Cardiganshire after the war, with descriptions of farming customs, such as the day when the pig was killed, and how everyone coped with rationing.

The book contains moving portraits of some of the characters of the area; penned by a woman who is forever grateful for the warm welcome she received in the community of Talgarreg.

Evacuee by Barbara Davies (£7.99, Y Lolfa) is available now.

The first serious study of the life and work of William Salesbury, published this week, will investigate the disparity between his very real achievements and the hostility shown to him by twentieth century academics.

The Life and Work of William Salesbury by James Pierce is the long awaited biography of William Salesbury, a gifted linguist, scholar and lawyer who dedicated and risked his life to bring to his people the learning and benefits of the Humanist revolution.

He was the principal translator of the 1567 Welsh New Testament and is considered one of the most significant figures in the history of the Welsh language.

William Salesbury was the Deputy Attorney General for Wales from 1532. His abiding passion was language and he succeeded in steering the first Welsh dictionary and the first translation of the New Testament into Welsh through the political perils of the reigns of four Tudor monarchs.

He introduced his country to the printed word, to Renaissance and Humanist learning, and his lifetime’s work was arguably responsible for saving the Welsh language from extinction.

Salesbury was a determined and politically astute man, yet his posthumous reputation has been blighted by academic controversy.

The Life and Work of William Salesbury will illustrate his major contribution to language and linguistics and should re-instate him as one of Wales’ most influential scholars.

‘A colleague of Ridley, Cecil, William Herbert and John Dee and employed by the notorious Richard Rich, his private life was dogged by marital strife, internal exile, a disputed will, physical assault and the seizure of his property,’ said the author, James Pierce.

‘Yet he pioneered Welsh printing, wrote propaganda for Ridley, compiled a dictionary, produced the first extensive translations of the scriptures into Welsh and the first science book in English and oversaw the passage of key legislation through Parliament.’ he added.

‘His contribution to the culture and history of both England and Wales is substantial,’ said James.

‘This is a well written, coherent argument that makes an original contribution to scholarship,’ said Dr Adrian Morgan, ‘It is a much needed and long awaited biography of one of the most significant figures in the history of the Welsh language.’

Born in Gwent, James Pierce studied Art before joining the teaching profession, eventually becoming an EAL specialist working with children from around the world. He learned Welsh as an adult and has had a lifelong interest in language and literature. He is married with two children and two grandsons.

The Life and Work of William Salesbury by James Pierce (£14.99, Y Lolfa) is available now.

The assembly member Elin Jones was one of the main inspirations behind a new novel by a local Aberystwyth author it has been revealed.

The Morlan centre in Aberystwyth was packed last week when over a hundred people came to listen to a conversation between Elin Jones AC, the reviewer Catrin Beard and local author Dana Edwards.

The three were there to discuss the inspiration and background behind Dana’s new Welsh lanaguage novel,  Pam?

Pam? tells the story of Pam, Gwennan and Rhodri as they leave university and make their way in the world during the tumultuous decade that leads to the establishment of the Welsh Assembly.

But the three share a secret. As they begin to enjoy the status and privilege that comes from successful careers, what happened in Abersytwyth threatens to destroy everything.

The novel is set during the late 90s – the era of establishing the National Assembly in Cardiff, dramatic elections, and the growth of Welsh media in the form of Radio Ceredigion.

Dana explained that she chose to set the novel during the 90s because it was ‘a hopeful time, where there was a real feeling that it was possible to change society through the activism and enthusiasm of ordinary people’.

To reflect the nostalgia of the period old pop classics from the 90s were played during the evening and old issues of the contemporary magazine Golwg were placed around the hall.

It was noted that there was an element of the career of Elin Jones in the form of the main character, Pam, with both having been elected as local councillors and both having previously been a part of Radio Ceredigion.

‘It was never my intention to write the life story of Elin Jones,’ says Dana, ‘but of course Elin’s success, like many other women who secured a seat in the first Assembly, was an inspiration’.

‘A brilliant crowd came to launch Dana Edwards’ new novel in the Morlan ond a wonderful summer’s evening in Aberystwyth,’ said Elin Jones AM, ‘I enjoyed the conversation with Dana and Catrin Beard – and to stress the point once more, I am not Pam!’

This is Dana’s second novel, following the success of the English language novel The Other Half and it was chosen as the Welsh Books Council Book of the Month for August.

Pam? by Dana Edwards (£8.99, Y Lolfa) is available now.

Twenty five artists from the US and UK have recorded songs for the double-disk album which is released on October 24 ^th .

The album features; Marc Broussard ( Magnolias and Mistletoe , 2015 album), Earl Carpenter ( Les Miserables , Broadway), Melinda Doolittle (American Idol), Matt Doyle ( Book Of Mormon , Broadway), Hannah Elless ( Bright Star , Broadway), Jason Forbach ( Les Miserables , Broadway), Matthew Ford Gershwin In Hollywood ) Ashleigh Gray ( Wicked , UK Tour), Emma Hatton ( Wicked , West End), Samantha Hill ( Phantom Of The Opera , Broadway), James M Iglehart ( Aladdin , Broadway), Adam Jacobs ( Aladdin , Broadway), Arielle Jacobs ( Aladdin , Australia), Charlotte Jaconelli ( She Loves Me , West End), Rachel John ( The Bodyguard , West End), Adam Kaplan ( Newsies , US Tour), Emmanuel Kojo ( Showboat , West End), Kara Lily-Hayworth ( I See Fire , 2015 single), Rebecca Luker ( Fun Home , Broadway), Jai McDowall ( I Begin Again , 2014 single), Bryce Pinkham ( A Gentleman's Guide To Love and Murder , Broadway), Courtney Reed ( Aladdin , Broadway), Krysta Rodriguez ( Smash , NBC), Will Swenson (Les Miserables , Broadway) and Natalie Weiss (Les Miserables , US Tour).

Speaking about the release Laura Curtis said; “The name Overture represents both the dramatical context of the album, which is a sweeping journey through a number of common experiences we share in life, but the title also represents the style and structure of the album, we wanted this to feel like a soundtrack for a show.”

Daniel Curtis explained more; “Often in Musical Theatre melodies repeat and weave in and out of the story. For this reason we wrote the album as two acts, with an overture at the start of each one. We really wanted this album to feel like every song was related, even though we're moving through and representing different genres of Musical Theatre styles.”

When complete the double disk release will feature twenty-four performers, which is one of the biggest collection of Broadway and West End leading artists to come together and record an album of new music. In response to this Laura Curtis said; “We're overwhelmed by the kind support that such a large number of artists have given us. We are passionate about writing music with the input of the singer, so we can tailor and mould a song to work with a specific artist's voice and to have performers of such calibre just makes the experience very special. ”

The team working on the album include Executive Producer, Stacy Swain, Producer Al Steele, with recording taking place at numerous studios in the UK and NYC.

Overture will be released on 24th October 2016 .

The autumn edition of New Welsh Reader includes exclusive extracts from entries to the New Welsh Writing Awards 2016: University of South Wales Prize for Travel Writing including the winning essay ‘Bush Meat: As My Mother Told Me’ by Mandy Sutter, which depicts a Nigerian domestic scene where subtle and interdependent racial and class issues are seething under a tight lid. ‘The Rains of Titikaka’ by John Harrison recounts the rise and fall of the pre-Columbian city of Tiwanaku in Bolivia, ‘Stranger Shores’ by Karen Philips looks at the underground (and underwater) currents of Mayan culture in the Yucatan, Mexico; ‘Seven Days: A Pyrenean Trek’ by Nathan Llywelyn Munday depicts the highs and lows of the grand narrative on trek through the Pyrenees; the etiquette of the Trans-Siberian station pitstop is narrated in ‘Moscow to Beijing on Train Number Four’ by Julie Owen Moylan and ‘No Situation is Permanent’ by Hannah Garrard follows the progress of a pioneering school from its refugee-camp origins in Ghana.

There is also an exclusive extract from Cynan Jones’ new novel Cove (Granta) publishing in November 2016. Out at sea, in a sudden storm, a man is struck by lightning. When he wakes, injured and adrift on a kayak, his memory of who he is and how he came to be there is all but shattered. Now he must pit himself against the pain and rely on his instincts to get back to shore, and to the woman he dimly senses waiting for his return. With its taut narrative and its wincingly visceral portrait of a man locked in an uneven struggle with the forces of nature, this is a powerful new work from one of the most distinctive voices in British fiction.

In addition there is new poetry from Wales Book of the Year 2016 category winner Philip Gross , Argentinian poet Daniel Samoilovich, Chilean poet Malu Urriola, (both translated by Richard Gwyn), Ian McLachlan, Syed Shehzar Mukkarim Doja, Agatha Abu Shehab and CM Buckland.

New Welsh Reader editor Gwen Davies talks through the edition highlights:

New Welsh Reader poetry submissions editor Amy McCauley explains why she chose Philip Gross' poems:

Cynan Jones will be reading from Cove at Chapter’s First Thursday on 3 November at Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff.

http://www.newwelshreview.com

@newwelshreview