Welsh Choir - Jun 2018.qxp_Layout 1 2018-06-20 8:26 AM Page 1

WELSH NATIONAL

Mae yn annwyl i mi, Gwlad beirdd a chantorion, enwogion o fri; Ei gwrol ryfelwyr, gwladgarwyr tra mad, Dros ryddid collasant eu gwaed. Gwlad, gwlad, pleidiol wyf i'm gwlad. Tra môr yn fur i'r bur hoff bau, O bydded i'r hen iaith barhau.

Ode to Newfoundland When sunrays crown thy pine-clad hills And Summer spreads her hand When silvern voices tune thy rills We love thee smiling land, we love thee, We love thee, we love thee smiling land. When spreads thy cloak of shimm'ring At Winter's stern command Thro' shortened day and starlit night We love thee frozen land, we love thee, We love thee, we love thee frozen land. ~ Saturday, July 7, 2018 ~ When blinding storm gusts fret thy shore Topsail United Church, 2426 Topsail Rd., Conception Bay S. And wild waves lash thy strand Thro' spindrift swirl and tempest roar ~ Monday, July 9, 2018 ~ We love thee wind-swept land, we love thee, St George's Heritage Church, Middle Ridge Rd., Brigus We love thee, we love thee wind-swept land. ~ Wednesday, July 11, 2018 ~ As loved our fathers, so we love St. Paul's Anglican Church, Church Rd., Trinity Where once they stood we stand Their prayer we raise to heav'n above ~ Friday, July 13, 2018 ~ God guard thee Newfoundland, God guard thee, Cochrane Centre, 42 Bannerman St., St. John's God guard thee, God guard thee Newfoundland. Welsh Choir - Jun 2018.qxp_Layout 1 2018-06-20 8:26 AM Page 2

The Toronto Welsh Male Voice Choir (TWMVC) was established in 1995 WILLIAM WOLOSCHUK when its founding member and first president, Gwyn Roberts, gathered ARTISTIC DIRECTOR & PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR together a group of like-minded men of Welsh heritage to kindle the spirit Born in Sudbury, Ontario, William Woloschuk began of traditional Welsh male voice singing in their adopted country. Although his musical career after receiving his first piano at the many of the current members still lay claim to Welsh connections, the age of seven and completed his graduate studies in TWMVC has members from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. The choir choral conducting from the Faculty of Music, proudly draws on the great Welsh tradition of singing songs born of the University of Toronto. He studied under the tutelage mountains and valleys of . At the same time it emphasizes a of Volodymyr Kolesnyk (Kyiv State Opera, Ukraine). multicultural context in its broad repertoire including spirituals; operatic From 1997-2000, William was Artistic Director for the arias, Canadian folk songs as well as Broadway show tunes and South Florida Men’s Chorus – Fort Lauderdale, FL, contemporary music. Their blend of traditional and contemporary music, and for fifteen years was Dean of Music for St. Sophia all sung off book, appeals to a broad audience. Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral in Montreal. In the summer of 2004, William attended the Kunstuniversität in Graz, Austria, where he studied under The Choir has performed in churches, cathedrals and concert halls Rodney Eichenburger. William founded Counterpoint Choral in 2001 and was throughout Ontario, Quebec and New York State. In August 2002 and its Artistic Director for 6 years. In August 2006, William enthusiastically July 2013 the choir completed highly successful tours of Wales. During accepted the position of Principal Conductor and Artistic Director for the July 2005 they toured the Maritimes where they performed five concerts Toronto Welsh Male Voice Choir. In November 2007, William conducted the for appreciative audiences in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. In World Premiere Performance of Hilda Morgan’s orchestral arrangement of September 2008, the choir was invited to take part in a combined choir of “Nidaros”, incorporating additional material by Bob Marshall, featuring the 400 voices at the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York City and in 2010 TWMVC with the Northumberland Orchestra in Cobourg, Ontario. William the choir had a very successful tour of the Canadian Rockies. The choir debuted at Carnegie Hall where the TWMVC performed this stirring piece in was privileged to perform as the headline choir at the North American September 2008 & again as Guest Conductor of the Ontario Philharmonic in Festival of Wales in Rochester New York August 31 to September 3, November 2009. William has greatly impressed the North American Welsh 2017. Our concert repertoire includes the simple message that what we community with his ability to empower the “Welsh soul” into the choir’s have in common with one another far outweighs our differences. Our performances even without his being Welsh. common ground is our humanity, and best expressed by what we at the TWMVC do best – promoting choral traditions that have enriched the human experience through the ages. MATTHEW COONS PRINCIPAL ACCOMPANIST For more information about the choir and future concerts please go to Matthew is an award-winning organist and pianist. our website welshchoir.ca He has been the accompanist for the Toronto Welsh Male Voice Choir since 2014. He was the former a ccompanist of Counterpoint Chorale. Matthew We are so pleased to be here! collaborates frequently with local choirs, notably In 2016, when we started planning our next tour, it did not take very Cantores Celestes Women’s Choir. He has served long to understand that the overwhelming first choice of the province as Organist at a number of churches in Toronto. He where every Choir member wanted to visit was Newfoundland. Ever currently is organist for Dewi Sant Welsh United since that decision was made there was a palpable level of excitement Church in Toronto. Matthew holds a Bachelor of every time the tour was discussed. The two years of planning have Music Degree from the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music where he passed very quickly & now we are here ready to enjoy the renowned studied organ performance with Dr. Patricia Wright. Newfoundland hospitality. Everyone we talked to about our tour who had already visited, without exception, remarked on what a wonderful GREG BROWN TORONTO WELSH time they had and how friendly everyone had been. We are excited to COMPÈRE – Baritone be here and will, no doubt, be very sad to leave. MALE VOICE CHOIR Graham Parker, President 2018 N ewfoundland Welsh Choir - Jun 2018.qxp_Layout 1 2018-06-20 8:26 AM Page 3

MALE VOICE CHOIRS IN WALES - A Brief Overview The Welsh male voice choir has become the country’s most treasured and remarkable feature, with nonconformist (e.g. Baptist, Methodist) origins in the 18th century. During this time, congregations in both the north and south of Wales formed tenor-bass choirs that led chapel-goers in the singing of hymns, both in English and in Welsh. Singing in these choirs was one of the crucial methods the Welsh used to establish their rugged individualism, especially in the wake of their dying language, political struggles (miners’ strikes and unionist skirmishes) and cultural constraints from the English (the Anglicization of Welsh national schools). Choirs & solo singers alike performed their repertoire at festivals, namely (roughly pronounced: “ei-steth-VOD”), an annual gathering of performers in different cities around the nation. Fortunately, these traditions are still (mostly) robust today. Since its pious and political 18th century heyday, Wales has been appropriately referred to as “the Land of Song.”

TORONTO WELSH MALE VOICE CHOIR THE WELSH FLAG AND THE DRAGON 1st Tenor: Charles Barrett; Michael Conroy; The proud and ancient battle standard of the Welsh is The Red Dragon Arthur Jones; Kevin Morris; Gwyn Roberts; (Y Ddraig Goch) and consists of a red dragon, standing with one foot raised, Michael Stevens; Niels Christensen; Nigel Finan; on a and white background. The red dragon has been associated 2nd Tenor: Greg Andre-Barrett; Greg Douglas; with Wales for centuries, and as such, the flag is claimed to be the oldest Ray Freebury; Frank McMichael; Jim Osborne; still in use. But why a dragon? The answer to that particular David Riches; Al Sadegursky; Gordon Yanchyshyn; John Tayles; question is lost in history and myth. One legend recalls Romano-British soldiers carrying the red dragon (Draco) to Rome on their banners in the Baritone: Brad Archer; Harry Blackburn; Greg Brown; Gareth Jones; fourth-century, but it could be even older than that. It is considered that the Stephen Jones; Cliff Marsh; Bruce Mullock; Graham Parker; Welsh kings of Aberffraw first adopted the dragon in the early fifth century in David Thomas; Robert Varga; Bill Watson; Colin Worley; order to symbolise their power & authority after the Romans withdrew from Bass: Peter Andrews; Richard Challenger; Ed Golem; Phil Jones; Britain. Later, around the seventh century, it became known as the Red Brian Morey; Gary Clipperton; Don Maudsley; Dragon of , king of from 655 to 682. The red dragon was even said to have been used as the British standard at the Battle of Crecy in 1346, when the Welsh archers, dressed in their beloved green and white, played such a crucial role in defeating the French.

As the national flag of Wales, the red dragon appears to have regained popularity in the early part of the twentieth century, when it was used for the 1911 Investiture of Edward, Prince of Wales. It wasn’t until 1959 however, that it became officially recognised as the national flag of the principality. The Red Dragon now flies proudly over public and private buildings throughout Wales, and thousands still cross the border into every other year, when the two nations meet for their ‘historic struggle’ on the rugby battlefield known as Twickenham. Welshmen, women and children carrying the dragon as a symbol of pride in their history and culture. Welsh Choir - Jun 2018.qxp_Layout 1 2018-06-20 8:26 AM Page 4

PROGRAMME RHAGLEN

Anthems Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau Suo Gân A Welsh Lullaby; O Arranged by Lance Wiliford Ode to Newfoundland Hallelujah Words and Music by Leonard Cohen; Yma O Hyd (Still Here!) Words and Music by Dafydd Iwan; Arranged by Jonathan Wikeley Soloist: Greg Brown – Baritone; Brian Morey on the Bodhran and Kevin Morris on guitar Trilogy from Les Misérables Music by Claude-Michel Schönberg; Words by Alain Boublil Gwahoddiad (Invitation) Welsh Hymn; and Herbert Kretzmer; Welsh words by Ieuan Gwyllt Arranged by John Samuel

Northwest Passage Words and music by Stan Rogers; Calon Lân Music by John Hughes; Soloist: David Thomas – Baritone Words by Daniel James; Arranged by Rob Smail Soloist: Gareth Jones - Baritone; Arranged by Tim Rhys Evans Carrickfergus Traditional Irish Folk Song arranged by Mark G. Siren Soloist

Soloist Y Tangnefeddwyr (The Peacemakers) Music by Eric Jones and words by Waldo Williams Deus Salutis Words by G.H. Jones; Arranged by Mansell Thomas Cyfri’r Geifr - Counting the Goats Traditional; Arranged by Caradog Roberts The Sound of Silence Words and music by Paul Simon; Arranged by Benjamin Bedroske We’ll Rant and We’ll Roar Arranged by Mark Sirett

Nessun Dorma Music and Words by G. Puccini; Sosban Fach Traditional Welsh Folk Song Arranged by Meuryn Hughes

Fogarty’s Cove Words and Music by Stan Rogers; We Rise Again Words and music by Leon Dubinsky; Arranged by Ron Smail Arranged by Stephen Smith; Soloist: Robert Varga - Baritone Finlandia Music by J Sibelius; Words by Elfed

Intermission ~ Toriad Toronto Welsh Male Voice Choir ~ 2018