Tagged: nafow
Once again, it's time to enter the Eisteddfod of The North American Festival of Wales! There are several opportunities to compete, for those attending #NAFOW in Philadelphia (Aug. 31 – Sept. 4) or not, including:
- POETRY COMPOSITION: Welsh Language and English Language, both for Adults (age 18+) and Youth (ages 11-17), each with a $250 grand prize. Entry deadline: JULY 22
- STAGE COMPETITIONS (Sat., Sept. 3 in Philadelphia): Solo Voice / Semi-Professional (for the Welsh North America Prize and a $3500 scholarship to travel to compete in Wales next year); Hymn Singing; Welsh Language Recitation and English Language Recitation. Entry deadlines: AUGUST 22 for singing competitions, no deadline for recitation competitions.
- VISUAL ARTS: For popular viewing & voting in Philadelphia. Entry deadline (for title/description): AUGUST 22.
- LIMERICK COMPOSITION: Something new & fun for those attending in-person in Philadelphia… check it out when you get there!
Click on the link for all the information and links you’ll need to enter… and for any questions please write to eisteddfod@nafow.org !
LINK: http://festivalofwales.org/eisteddfod-competition.html
The Eisteddfod of The North American Festival of Wales is on, with a wide range of opportunities to participate! Poetry Composition is back and available to anyone, anywhere, while for the Festival itself in Utica (Sept. 2-5, 2021) the Visual Arts competition returns along with some stage competitions.
AmeriCymru: Hi Megan and many thanks for agreeing to this interview. Care to tell our readers a little about the history of the NAFOW event?
Megan: Thank you for giving me this opportunity. The North American Festival of Wales is an annual event held over Labor Day weekend. It is organized by the Welsh North American Association and first started in 1929 as the ‘national gymanfa ganu’. The host city of the festival changes each year and it is held in both US and Canadian cities. In 2020, the festival was scheduled to return to Philadelphia for the first time since 1976. Unfortunately, due to the global health crisis the 2020 festival was cancelled. Plans are already under way for next year’s event in Ottawa and we will return to Philadelphia in 2022. While not what we originally had planned, we look forward to bringing a new version of the festival to a broader audience this year as we host; ‘North American Festival of Wales ~ On Demand’
AmeriCymru: Would I be correct in saying that this is the first year in a century or more that the event will not be held live?
Megan: The first event was held in 1929 and was held every year since apart from twice during WWII. So this is the first time in over 70 years that there is no in person festival.
AmeriCymru: What can you tell us about the exciting plans for an alternative online event?
Megan: We have an extensive line-up and are grateful for the many people were willing and interested in taking part. We decided to go with an ‘On Demand’ format making the whole program available from Sept 4-30. With over 20 hours of programing, we want allow viewers as much time as possible to enjoy our lectures, concerts, films and greetings and of course, our tribute to the gymanfa ganu.
AmeriCymru: Who will be the main guests and headliners this year?
Megan: We have so many people taking part that it is really hard to pick who would be considered a headliner. We have many familiar faces returning to our program from presenters who have been to previous festivals. We are including programing from some of our musicians who were meant to be with us in Philadelphia; Cor y Penrhyn from Bethesda, Hogia’r Bonc and Philadelphia’s own Kathy Crusi who won our top Eisteddfod prize at the 2018 festival in Washington, D.C. We are also partnering with the Welsh government, the National Eisteddfod and Undeb Cymru a’r Byd to bring some new and exciting programing and welcome former First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones to our line-up.
AmeriCymru: Will the winners of the online Eisteddfod be announced at the event?
Megan: Yes, the winners of our new poetry competition will be announced and recitations of the winning poems will be included in our ‘Eisteddfod’ element. This was a great addition to our Eisteddfod and we are excited to say that we received entries from four continents. A promising start for what is to come as we carry this competition forward in the future.
AmeriCymru: Just to make sure that people know where and when to catch this years NAFOW, can you provide us with dates, times and platform details here?
Megan: Of course, the full program will be available, free of charge, on our website www.nafow.org starting on September 4 through Sept 30. We hope to reach as broad an audience as possible so please share with your family and friends, even if they may not have a specific connection with Wales. I promise they will find something to enjoy!
AmeriCymru: Any final message for the readers and members of AmeriCymru?
Megan: I hope you will find time to tune in and enjoy our programing. If you have been to a festival in the past, you will see familiar faces and things to remind you of what being at a NAFOW is like. If you have not been, we hope this may pique your interest and you may consider joining us next year in Ottawa or in Philadelphia in 2022.
EISTEDDFOD COMPETITIONS - North American Festival of Wales (Aug. 29 - Sept. 1, 2019)
By , 2019-04-24
Once again, we have seven different competitions in singing or poetic recitation - suiting all ages and different levels of proficiency in Welsh (from zero to “lots”!) Singers can join our Semi-Professional competition to win a generous cash scholarship for travel to compete at next year's National Eisteddfod of Wales (Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Cymru) in Tregaron (Ceredigion). And as an eighth stage competition… we’re reintroducing Instrumental Solo, open to unaccompanied soloists on any musical instrument. All stage competitions are on Fri. and Sat., Aug. 30 and 31, and are time-limited to help you enjoy everything else at the Festival!
Also, the new Visual Arts Competition is open to entrants submitting visual artistic submissions (painting, sketch, sculpture, etc.) based on a Welsh theme, for popular adjudication at the Festival (setup is Fri., Aug. 30 and viewing is that day and Sat., Aug. 31).
Finally, the new Hymn Composition Competition in honor of Daniel Protheroe, with a single grand prize, invites the creation of an original hymn set to the meter used by Protheroe in his well-known “Milwaukee”.
Go to the link shown here for information and guidelines on all of our competitions! You will also find there our new online entry form for the stage competitions and Visual Arts (deadline Aug. 20, 2019). (For Hymn Composition, see the guidelines at the link for further information on entering; deadline July 1, 2019.)
Contact the Eisteddfod Committee with any questions ( eisteddfod@nafow.org ), and we’ll see you – or your creative work - soon in Milwaukee!
(NAFOW Eisteddfod link: http://thewnaa.org/eisteddfod-
Iris: My fondest memories of Tonyrefail, which is actually where I was brought up (Pontypridd is where I was born) were my school days, my weekly piano lessons with Mrs. Iris Llewellyn, (who coached me for my scholarship into the RWCMD) and youth club.
I also loved my Friday night visit to the local Fish and chip shop!! I add that I loved visiting Pontypridd market days and little did I know at the time that my biological family were right there.
AmeriCymru:- When did you first become aware of your musical talent and your voice? When was your first live performance?
Iris: I always loved music from very first time I was introduced to it by my foster mother Bronwen Llewellyn. (No relation to the my music teacher Iris, just a coincidence) Bronwen was a musician, she played the piano which was situated in the best room as they used to call it in those days. Bronwen would play popular tunes and I automatically sang along, having learned them from hearing them a few times. It was she who then encouraged me to sing more, and entered me into my very first local talent contest, for which I won £7. That got me hooked, and furthered my growing appetite for a singing career.
AmeriCymru:- Your biggest UK hit came in 1979 with ''He Was Beautiful'', a song based on the theme to Michael Cimino''s hugely successful and widely acclaimed movie ''The Deer Hunter''. How did you come to record this track and what role did it play in your career?
Iris: My recording of this song was purely accidental!!
My manager at the time suggested I do a session with the Birmingham BBC radio orchestra on my way to the Isle Of Man where I was engaged to perform in a summer season. I chose five songs from the BBC''s music library which were in my voice range, one of which was "HE WAS BEAUTIFUL" and the songs from the session were played on a weekend Saturday morning radio programme, hosted by David Jacobs .
When the songs aired one Saturday morning the station was bombarded with mail requesting the recording of "HE WAS BEAUTIFUL". The recording producer for EMI (Wally Ridley who was responsible for many of Vera Lynne''s recordings plus many more) was in his garden that morning, and his wife called him inside to listen to my rendition of the song. Mr. Ridley made inquiries as to where he could contact me, which he did, and asked me to fly over from the Isle of Man to the EMI recording studios in London to make a professional recording of the song. This was all very exiting and dramatic for me.
I did the recording in one session with a live orchestra, left, returned to the Isle Of Man that same day and thought little of it. Then I heard it played on radio 2 some weeks later on the Jimmy Young Show whilst driving to some place and almost crashed the car. It was then followed up with many air plays especially by Terry Wogan.
That of course was the beginning of a a wonderful career which led to many more recordings, TV series, guest appearances, and many Royal command performances for HMS The Queen, the late Princess Margaret, Princess Anne, the late Queen mother Prince Charles and so on.
AmeriCymru:- You have performed with, amongst others, Bob Hope and Rosemary Clooney. Any memories of these performers ( or others ) that you care to share with our readers?
Iris: My first meeting with Bob Hope, was indeed memorable. It was at President Ford''s Golf Celebrity Royal charity performance held at the London Dorchester hotel. Bob Hope, was the master of ceremonies, and personally introduced me to the stage. He was warm, charming and very kind.
I was to work with Bob Hope again from 1988 to1996 every summer at President Fords Celebrity golf tournament held in Vail Colorado.
I first met Rosemary Clooney at her benefit concert in California in memory of her sister. I was invited to sing at the benefit via my American manager, Mary Ellyn Devery, a friend of Rosemary''s, who asked if I could sing one song at this benefit as an introduction to the American audiences. Rosemary, being a very generous artiste, readily obliged.
Ms. Devery was responsible for bringing the Bolshoi Ballet to America, and the Children of the Bolshoi Academy to Vail Colorado every summer at the request of Mrs. Betty Ford. Ms. Devery was also a successful Broadway producer.
I was among many big stars that night including Harry Connick Jr, Lucy Arnez, (Lucille Ball''s daughter) and Carroll Bennett.
Rosemary became a friend and mentor, and introduced me to the New York music scene, which led to such engagements as the famed Oak room at the Algonquin hotel. Tony Bennett is also among the many stars I have been connected with here in New York.
On the UK side I have worked with Des O Conner, Jimmy Tarbuck, Ted Rogers, Sir Harry Secombe,Sir Jimmy Saville, Cannon and Ball and many others.
AmeriCymru:- Last year you performed a concert to raise money for the Rhydyfelin credit union in South Wales. Care to tell us a little more about your involvement with that organisation and other South Wales charities?
Iris: I opened the first Credit union in the late 80''s with a charity concert and have supported it ever since. I enjoy doing charities in my home country. There are too many to mention, but here are just a few. Children in Need, (which is a major charity close to my heart), The Falklands anniversary charity concert, TY Hafen ,The children''s hospital, Lord George Thomas hospice, etc etc... As an artiste, I feel a certain responsibility to use my birth given talent to help others.
AmeriCymru:- Is there any particular recording/performance or achievement of which you are most proud? What , for you, has been the highlight of your career so far?
Iris: "HE WAS BEAUTIFUL" will always remain my first pride, love,and Joy, and is included in every one of my performances.
The highlight of my career, I have to say, was receiving the OBE from HMS Queen Elizabeth the Second personally in 2004 for services to music and charity.
AmeriCymru:- Where can people go to hear and purchase your music online?
Iris: To my website, iriswilliams.com . I believe they are also available on Amazon and on many Google sites.
AmeriCymru:- What''s next for Iris Williams?
Iris: I would hope a lot more to come, as I have no intentions of slowing down. I enjoy performing anywhere and everywhere. I am in the first stages of writing an autobiography, or memoirs. I particularly enjoy entertaining on cruise liners where I meet a lot of Welsh passengers who give me HIREATH for Wales.
I am scheduled to perform as a special guest at Scranton Pennsylvania this coming August at their Annual North American Festival of Wales. I add this quote:- "This gala evening is co-sponsored by the Welsh North American Foundation and the Welsh North American Association will honor the 2012 recipient of the NWAF Heritage Medallion, Beth Landmesser. Entertainment following dinner and presentation will be by singer, Iris Williams, OBE."
AmeriCymru:- Any final message for our readers and NAFOW attendees?
Iris: I wish you all continued success with the your projects. I believe that bringing and sharing Wales with North America is truly wonderful.
Pob bendith.
Gaabriel Becket from Welsh-American social network americymru.net interviewed mezzo soprano Megan Morris after her performances at the 2011 North American Festival of Wales in Cleveland, Ohio, USA
AmeriCymru: Hi Craig and many thanks for agreeing to this interview. Can you tell us a little about your forthcoming visit to the US and in particular your headline performance at NAFOW 2014 in Minneapolis?
Craig: We are really looking forward to coming over to the US. We have been a few times before, but only to New York and Washington DC, so we cant wait to see other parts of America. We are performing 5 times on our tour, firstly we have a reception at the British Consulate in Chicago, then we have a concert in Algona, Iowa, we then perform twice at the Ravinia Festival in Chicago and last but certainly not least we finish at the NAFOW in Minneapolis.
AmeriCymru: What can attendees expect from Only Men Aloud at the Festival? Can you give us any sneak previews of your program for this performance?
Craig: As with every concert Only Men Aloud do, there will be a wide variety in styles of music. We will be singing traditional Welsh hymns and folksongs all the way through to some pop favourites and music theatre numbers, all done with our unique Only Men Aloud twist.
AmeriCymru: How did the choir come to be formed and where are you based?
Craig: Only Men Aloud was formed in the year 2000, when Tim wanted to start a new group to inject some new blood in to the male voice choir tradition. He wanted to make it more appealing to a wider audience and make it younger and fresher - ensuring that this great tradition continues for many years to come. We are based in and around Cardiff in South Wales, but have performed all over the world.
AmeriCymru: The choir has been through some changes over the years. Can you describe its current composition and repertoire?
Craig: It has indeed. When we one BBC Last Choir Standing in 2008, there we 19 members of the choir. In September 2013 we saw a complete reinvention of the group, as the choir became a "honed and toned 8-piece vocal ensemble. This has enabled us to put sound like at the absolute core of the group. We needed to keep things fresh and be the very best we could. It has enabled us to take on more opportunities that we would have otherwise had to turn down with a larger number of singers - but we hope the quality of our performance has not changed and hopefully it is even better.
AmeriCymru: Care to tell us a little about your performance at the 2012 Olympic Games? That must have been a momentous occasion.
Craig: Singing at the Olympic Games opening ceremony was an incredible experience. We were singing at the very moment that the olympic flame - or the cauldron as it was called in London - was lit. We were stood on the hill side or Tor, surrounded by the flags of every nation, looking down into the stadium with was crammed full with every competitor of the games. We had the best seats in the house, and once we were finished, we remained on the fake hillside to watch the most amazing firework display we had ever seen.
AmeriCymru: What would you say has been the choirs proudest moment or most outstanding achievement to date?
Craig: I don't think we would be doing what we are doing now without us winning BBC's Last Choir Standing. It was an intense summer back in 2008 as it completely took over our lives, but what has followed in the subsequent years has been all down to that success. Tours, an album deal and winning a Classical Brit award have all happened due to our hard work that summer.
AmeriCymru: You also run The Aloud Charity. Can you tell us something of your organisation's work? What unique opportunities does it offer for Welsh youngsters?
Craig: When Tim registered the name Only Men Aloud, he also registered the name Only Boys Aloud, in the hope that one day we could set up a choir for teenage boys. Just over four years ago, this became a reality and since then it has gone from strength to strength. We now have ten choirs across south Wales and have 180, 14-19 year olds on our books. Along side this, three years ago, we started Only Kids Aloud. This is to work with boys and girls from the ages of 4 up to 14. Through this we have given numerous school workshops for teachers and pupils, set up a pan-Wales Choir that has visited Russia and South Africa and worked with hundreds of local school kids to perform in the National Eisteddfod. Just over a year ago, we set up and registered The Aloud Charity and now this looks after all of the work we do with the Boys and the Kids.
AmeriCymru: Can you tell us a little about your most recent album 'Only Men Aloud Unplugged'?
Craig: Only Men Aloud Unplugged is our fourth album and is something slightly different. The album is just us eight singers, in a room with a piano and no amplification. It has given a more intimate style and we hope you enjoy the stripped back approach we have gone for. We have put some beautiful music on there, that ranges from Welsh songs like Pantyfedwen and Hiraeth to classics such as Lennon and McCartney's Blackbird. The album will be exclusively on sale after our live performances in America and on our tour in the UK.
AmeriCymru: What's next for Only Men Aloud? New recordings, performances?
Craig: We have a busy few months ahead of us after we get back from the US. We have a 12 date UK wide Christmas Tour in December, we are hoping to make a TV programme in the autumn and then launch and make our fifth album in the new year. There will also be a Spring Tour in Wales in March.
AmeriCymru: Any final message for the members and readers of AmeriCymru?
Craig: We would like to thank you all for your support of Only Men Aloud over the years and we hope some of you are getting to see us on our trip to the States. We wouldn't be doing what we do without the support of our fans, right across the world.
From the North American Festival of Wales (NAFOW), Sept. 1-4, 2016, Calgary, Alberta, CA
By , 2016-06-27
Once again we are proud to offer, as part of our Eisteddfod competitions, the David G. Morris Memorial Competition for Solo Voice. This is our signature competition, with the opportunity to win a cash scholarship ($3,500 US) for travel to compete in the 2017 National Eisteddfod of Wales.
This year’s David Morris Competition will be held Saturday, September 3 , at the Westin Calgary. It is open to singers (residents of the Americas) with some professional training, but whose income is derived only partially from performing. Several David Morris winners have gone on to great success in competing in Wales, including a first-place winner at the 2012 National Eisteddfod in Vale of Glamorgan.
Each competitor is required to sing two pieces from memory (contrasted selections drawn from art song, oratorio or operatic repertoire), at least one of which must be in Welsh. (Competitors should note that participation in the National Eisteddfod of Wales will involve singing in Welsh.)
The NAFOW Eisteddfod entry form, including further details on the David Morris competition, is available here: http://www.nafow.org/WNAA_
For further information on this extraordinary opportunity, please contact us directly (email: eisteddfod@nafow.org ; phone: 412-215-9161 ).
Eisteddfod competitions at the 2016 North American Festival of Wales (NAFOW) in Calgary!
By , 2016-06-20
From the North American Festival of Wales ( Sept. 1-4, 2016 , Calgary, Alberta, Canada):
It's that time again... time to enter the Eisteddfod competitions on Saturday, September 3 , at the 2016 North American Festival of Wales (NAFOW) in Calgary!
We're proud to announce this year a new category for Solo Voice (Youth), open to those aged 15 and under and sponsored by the Calgary Welsh Society. As with the equivalent adult competition, all entrants will perform at least two songs, at least one of which must be in Welsh. All of our competitions involve highly qualified adjudicators who provide a very friendly and supportive atmosphere, thus our younger singers can look forward to a highly rewarding stage experience!
We will again hold three competitions in poetic recitation: Adult and Welsh Learners', both involving recitation of a set piece from memory in Welsh, as well as English Language Recitation. Copies of the set pieces are made available to competitors upon application.
In addition to the new Solo Voice (Youth) competition, we'll be holding three more singing competitions: Hymn Singing, Solo Voice (Adult, 16 and over) and Solo Voice/Semi-Professional. The Solo Voice/Semi-Professional competition, as usual, offers the David G. Morris Memorial Award with a generous cash scholarship as a first prize, for travel to compete in the 2017 National Eisteddfod of Wales.
Our competition entry form (and information sheet) is available at the NAFOW website: http://www.nafow.org/WNAA_
Anyone may enter up to three competitions total, subject to restrictions noted on the entry form and information sheet. All entries must be received by August 20, 2016 . Please contact us at any time with questions (email: eisteddfod@nafow.org , phone: 412-215-9161 ), and we'll see you onstage in Calgary!
A Message From Colin Thomas
A bi-lingual website for the Wales and America project is now up and running -
www.thudmedia.com/dragon_and_eagle
The English language version will be launched at the North American Festival of Wales on August 30th and the plan is to launch the Welsh language version in Cardiff on Thanksgiving Day.
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.
https://www.cathedral.org/events/sms20150827.shtml
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.
NAFOW - Eisteddfod Announcement, David G. Morris Memorial Competition for Solo Voice
By , 2015-11-23
We are proud to offer, as part of our Eisteddfod competitions at the North American Festival of Wales (NAFOW), the David G. Morris Memorial Competition for Solo Voice. This is our signature competition, with the opportunity to win a cash scholarship ($3,500 US) for travel to compete in the 2016 National Eisteddfod of Wales.
This year’s David Morris Competition will be held Saturday, September 5, at the Hyatt Regency Columbus. It is open to singers (residents of the Americas) with some professional training, but whose income is derived only partially from performing. Several David Morris winners have gone on to great success in competing in Wales, including a first-place winner at the 2012 National Eisteddfod in Vale of Glamorgan More information can be found on the attached flyer.
Each competitor is required to sing two pieces from memory (contrasted selections drawn from art song, oratorio or operatic repertoire), at least one of which must be in Welsh. (Competitors should note that participation in the National Eisteddfod of Wales will involve singing in Welsh.)
The NAFOW Eisteddfod entry form, including further details on the David Morris competition, is available here: http://www.nafow.org/WNAA_NAFOW/PDFs/Forms/forms2015/eisteddfod_entry_2015.pdf . Entries must be received by August 20, 2015
For further information on this extraordinary opportunity, please contact us at any time (email: eisteddfod@nafow.org ; phone: 412-215-9161 ).
We will have six competitions in singing and poetic recitation, all offering cash prizes, on Saturday, September 5 , at the Hyatt Regency Columbus. For recitation, two competitions (Adult and Welsh Learner's) involve reciting a poem from memory in Welsh, and English Language Recitation is on offer as well. Hymn Singing involves singing one hymn of your choice in Welsh, while Solo Voice involves singing two pieces, at least one of which must be in Welsh.
Our signature competition (Solo Voice/Semi-Professional) offers the David G. Morris Memorial Award, a generous cash scholarship for travel to compete in the 2016 National Eisteddfod of Wales. This competition is for singers (residents of the Americas) with some professional training but whose income is derived only partially from performing; many of our winners have gone on to great success in competing in Wales.
All of our competitions involve highly qualified adjudicators who provide a very friendly and supportive atmosphere in which to display and develop your own talent in recitation or singing. You will make wonderful new acquaintances, and everyone leaves with the satisfaction of maintaining a great Welsh tradition on behalf of all of North America!
The NAFOW Eisteddfod entry form, including further details on all competitions, is available here: http://www.nafow.org/WNAA_NAFOW/PDFs/Forms/forms2015/eisteddfod_2015.entry.pdf .
The deadline for entering all competitions is August 20, 2015 .
Please contact us directly (email: eisteddfod@nafow.org / phone: 412-215-9161 ) with any additional questions... and we'll see you in Columbus!
"We are proud to offer, as part of our Eisteddfod competitions at the North American Festival of Wales (NAFOW) , the David G. Morris Memorial Competition for Solo Voice. This is our signature competition, with the opportunity to win a cash scholarship ($3,500 US) for travel to compete in the 2016 National Eisteddfod of Wales.
This year’s David Morris Competition will be held Saturday, September 5, at the Hyatt Regency Columbus. It is open to singers (residents of the Americas) with some professional training, but whose income is derived only partially from performing. Several David Morris winners have gone on to great success in competing in Wales, including a first-place winner at the 2012 National Eisteddfod in Vale of Glamorgan. More information can be found on the attached flyer.
Each competitor is required to sing two pieces from memory (contrasted selections drawn from art song, oratorio or operatic repertoire), at least one of which must be in Welsh. (Competitors should note that participation in the National Eisteddfod of Wales will involve singing in Welsh.)
The NAFOW Eisteddfod entry form, including further details on the David Morris competition, is available here: Eisteddfod Entry Form . Entries must be received by August 20, 2015.
For further information on this extraordinary opportunity, please contact us at any time (email: eisteddfod@nafow.org ; phone: 412-215-9161 )."
