Press Release

A Celebration of Welsh Music in NYC

Welsh choral composer Paul Mealor, Wales premier mixed voice choir Crdydd, and leading Welsh harpist Gwenllian Llyr, will join forces in March to present a magical evening of Welsh choral music at one of New Yorks best concert venues.

Described in the New York Times as one of the most important composers to have emerged in Welsh choral music since William Mathias , Paul Mealor was catapulted to international attention in 2011 when his motet Ubi Caritas was performed at the Royal Wedding Ceremony of His Royal Highness Prince William and Catherine Middleton, now HRH The Duchess of Cambridge.

He is also the first classical composer to hold both the UK classical and pop chart No 1's at the same time in December 2011 with Wherever You Are , a piece written for the British Military Wives Choir, and his music has rapidly entered the repertoire of choirs and singers around the world.

Mealor will conduct performances of many of his main works including Ubi Caritas and Wherever You Are at a one off concert in Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall on Saturday March 29th . The evening will also feature the US premiere of A Welsh Prayer , a new work for choir and harp.

First Performance in America

C rdydd have enjoyed phenomenal success in recent years winning the Choir of the Festival Prize at the National Eisteddfod two years in a row in 2012 and 2013, and this opportunity to sing at Carnegie Hall is a new high for the choir.

The concert will be the choirs first performance in America, however it is not their first American connection. They welcomed Eric Whitacre, one of the most popular composers of our time, to Wales in 2010 and again in 2011 to conduct special concerts of his works. And in 2013 they toured Welsh cathedrals with both National Medal of Arts recipient, composer Morten Lauridsen and Paul Mealor.

Lauridsen, Whitacre and Mealor have all praised Crdydd for their special sound and musicality. To my mind this is the best choir in Wales, says Mealor, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to collaborate with them again - and to do so in such a prestigious venue.

Internationally Recognized Welsh Harpist

The choir and composer will be joined at the concert by Welsh harpist Gwenllian Llyr , who is quickly gaining international recognition for her energetic and charismatic performances.

Gwenllian has strong connections with New York City having recently graduated with a Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School where she was awarded the William Schuman prize for outstanding achievement and leadership in music. And she is currently working at the Royal Academy of Music, London.

She said: I cant wait to come back to New York a city that is very close to my heart and to collaborate with Paul Mealor and C rdydd. There is a long tradition of singing with the harp in Wales, and this concert will be an opportunity to showcase this tradition and for me to perform some Welsh compositions for the harp.

Showcasing the best of Wales

In addition to performing works by Paul Mealor, Gwenllian and Crdydd will perform works by other leading Welsh composers including Karl Jenkins and William Mathias, together with arrangements of some of the best loved songs and hymns of Wales.

Concert organiser, Llyr Roberts, said: The evening will be a real celebration of Welsh choral and harp music, and will be an opportunity to showcase best of Wales in New York. The Choir will also be performing at a Cymanfa Ganu, a Welsh hymn singing event organised by the Welsh Congregation of New York on Sunday March 30. So it promises to be a great weekend!

Tickets for the concert purchased online at carnegiehall.org, and further details about the event and the choir can be found at cordydd.com and on Twitter @cordydd.

ENDS

Notes for Editors

1. Paul Mealor was born in St Asaph, North Wales in 1975. He studied composition with William Mathias and later with John Pickard, at the University of York, gaining a BA in 1997 and a PhD 2002. Since 2003 he has been Professor of Composition at the University of Aberdeen. His music has been commissioned and performed at many festivals and by many orchestras and choruses, and broadcast on major TV and Radio stations throughout the world. More details about Paul Mealor can be found at www.paulmealor.com

2. Crdydd was founded in 2000 and the choir has been conducted by Sioned James from the start. It is a mixed choir with about 45 members. The choir have won their category at the Eisteddfod 8 times in the last 13 years, and have been awarded the Choir of the Festival title 4 times in Cardiff (2008), Wrexham (2011), The Vale of Glamorgan (2012) and Denbigh (2013). They rehearse every Thursday night in Salem Chapel, Cardiff through the medium of Welsh. More details about the choir can be found at www.cordydd.com

3. Gwenllian Llyr recently graduated with a Master of Music degree in Harp Performance at The Julliard School where she was awarded the William Schuman prize for outstanding achievement and leadership in music. She has won a number of awards including the prestigious Blue Ribbon at the National Eisteddfod of Wales, First Prize at the UK Camac Harp Competition in 2010 and Seventh Prize at the USA International Harp Competition in Bloomington, Indiana, also in 2010. She has performed with renowned artists such as jazz legend Al Jarreau, actor Mathew Rhys, and international opera singer Bryn Terfel with whom she has performed for HRH The Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace. More details about Gwenllian can be found at gwenllianllyr.co.uk.

4. The Evening of Welsh Choral Music with Paul Mealor and Crdydd will be held on Saturday March 29 at 7:30 PM in Zankel Hall a Carnegie Hall. Tickets for the concert are available at carnegiehall.org | CarnegieCharge 212-247-7800 | Box Office at 57th and Seventh.

5. The Welsh Congregation of New York City gather once a month at Rutgers Presbyterian Church on the Upper West Side of Manhattan for worship, song and socializing. A Cymanfa Ganu is a traditional Welsh hymn singing event. Further information about the Congregation and the March 30 event can be found at http://nycwelsh.com/

Contact Details

For further details including media enquiries contact Llr Roberts, Crdydd Concert and Tour Organiser on +44 7981 014164 / cordyddnyc@gmail.com