THE WELSH SOCIETY OF VANCOUVER

Cymdeithas Gymraeg Vancouver

Cambrian News

Rhagfyr December 2012 2012

Society Newsletter – Cylchgrawn y Gymdeithas

Huw Evans with the Social Committee at the Vancouver Celebrates Weekend

CAMBRIAN HALL, 215 East 17th Ave, Vancouver B.C. V5V 1A6 VANCOUVER WELSH SOCIETY The Cambrian News Officers: President: From The Editor: Jane Byrne This issue reports on the highly Vice-President: successful Vancouver Celebrates Wales Lynn Owens-Whalen weekend and also the cheery Mulled Secretary: Wine Night. The other December events Eifion Williams will be covered in the next newsletter. [email protected] I have also taken the liberty to report on Treasurer: my trip to Dafydd Iwan’s Concert in Gaynor Evans Llandudno and a visit to Garth Celyn. Membership Secretary: The front page photo and that of Huw David Llewelyn Williams Evans is by Anne Williams, as are those Immediate Past President: of the Mulled Wine evening. Many of John Morris the Concert photos are by Katie Procter Directors: I am grateful to Eric Davies for writing Heather Davies about Jimmy Murphy. Jimmy claimed to Gwilym Evans be a true Brit – a Scot with an Irish name Gwyn Evans who sang in a Welsh Choir! Irene Evans Antone Minard Our Annual General Meeting was held (Recording Secretary) yesterday, so the list on left represents Contacts the 2013 officers and committee chairs. Building Committee: Be sure to give them your support in the John Morris year ahead. A relatively small group of Cambrian Circle Singers: dedicated individuals keep our society Nerys Haqq functioning successfully. Church Service: John Pritchard Please note that our Cambrian Circle Rentals: Singers will be performing this year again at the Van Dusen Gardens at Richard Williams 604-340-8545 th Social Events Committee: 7.30 pm on Friday, December 14 . Gillian Rogers David Llewelyn Williams ([email protected]) Welsh Speaking Group: John Pritchard Nadolig LLawen a Welsh Learners Group: Blwyddyn Newydd Antone Minard Webmaster: DDa i Chwi Oll Alcwyn Rogers (www.welshsociety.com) Merry Christmas Newsletter Editor: and a Happy New David Llewelyn Williams 737-0305 ([email protected]) Year to All

th Forthcoming Events Wednesday, February 6 at 7.30 pm Executive Meeting Saturday, 15th December Christmas th Dinner at 6:00 pm for 7:00 pm Catered Sunday, February 10 at 11:00 am by Jordan’s International Food Designs. Bilingual Service followed by Tê Bach Tickets at $40 can be reserved by calling th Gaynor Evans at 604-271-3134. Please Monday, February 11 at 7.30 pm book your place as soon as possible. General Meeting

th Monday, December 17th at 7.30 pm Wednesday, February 13 at 12 noon. Welsh Lesson. The Cambrian Bookworms will discus “Garlic and Sapphires” by Ruth Reichl. Wednesday, January 2nd at 7:30 th Executive Meeting Monday, February 18 at 10.30 am Welsh Speaking – Siarad Cymraeg Monday, January 5th at 7.30 pm th Welsh Lesson Monday, February 18 at 7.30 pm Welsh Lessons Wednesday, Jan. 9th at 12:00 noon th The Cambrian Bookworms will discus Monday, February 25 from 10:00 am “The Nine Lives of Charlotte Taylor” by till 3:00 pm Workparty Day Lunch Sally Armstrong will be provided and all are welcome.

Sunday, January 13th at 11:00 am ONTARIO WELSH FESTIVAL Bilingual Service followed by Tê Bach NIAGARA FALLS April 26-28, 2013 Monday, January 21st at 10:30 am Please join us in beautiful Niagara Falls, Welsh Speaking – Siarad Cymraeg Ontario, for a very special weekend celebrating our Welsh heritage, music Monday, January 21st at 7.30 pm and culture. We will have all your usual Welsh Lesson favourites such as a welcoming tea with harp entertainment, a traditional noson Saturday. January 26th at 7.00 pm lawen with loads of talented participants, Social Evening to celebrate St. children's activities, poetry reading, Dwynwen’s Day. Details to follow from seminar , a banquet with a presentation Gillian at [email protected] of the annual Gold Award, gala concert, (604-742-1378) or on the webpage. concert afterglow and two glorious hymn singing sessions. Monday, January 28th from 10:00 am This year we are very honoured to have till 3:00 pm Workparty Day Lunch the renowned CÔR MEIBION TAF will be provided and all are welcome! from as our guest choir. For more information please go to Monday, February 4th at 7.30 pm www.ontariowelshfestival.ca or e-mail Welsh Lessons us at [email protected] or phone 613-725-2704

Vancouver Celebrates Wales November 2 – 4, 2012 Our society once again celebrated Wales in a most appropriate manner on this weekend. We began with our Anniversary Dinner (the 105th) on the Friday evening, catered to their usual high standard by Jordan’s.

Solos by baritone Gary Griffiths, mezzo-soprano and harpist Nerys Jones, folksinger and flautist Huw Evans, soprano Katie Procter and tenor Jonathan Quick rounded out an impressive first half of the program.

Huw Evans provided the musical entertainment interspersing folk songs accompanied by Ray Batten with a moving flute solo. After some community singing at the end of program, members remained to further socialize in the Red Dragon. Katie Procter After the intermission, we enjoyed Saturday the Vancouver Celebrates further performances by the same Wales Concert was jointly hosted by artists except that Jonathan was our Society and West Point Grey replaced by his better half, soprano United Church, where it was held. Natasha Neufeld! Master of Ceremonies Gethin Owen presided over a truly amazing cast of talented performers before a sold out audience.

The program started with the singing of O Canada, followed by the Men’s Chorus, a group of singers from both the Vancouver Male Voice Choir and the Vancouver Orpheus Choir, under the direction of Jonathan Quick. Natasha Neufeld The program went from strength to nevertheless mention some personal strength, culminating in Gary Griffiths’ resonances. First Nerys Jones sang the renditions, which brought demands poems of my favourite poet, Robert for an encore. My grandson Hugh Williams Parry as she played the harp. really enjoyed the encore!

Secondly, she sang Anfonaf Angel, the The Men’s Choir brought the evening music composed by Robat Arwyn for to a close by singing Gwahoddiad, Bryn Terfel from the words by Hywel after which we all sang Hen Wlad fy Gwynfryn. This song performed by the Nhadau. I would be remiss in not Rhuthun Choir, conductor Robat acknowledging the contribution of the Arwyn, was sent to me by a friend in talented accompanist to the entire Wales as a consolation upon the loss program, Roger Parton, the Music of my wife. Powerful words. Director of Opera Pro Cantati.

In addition to performing Welsh folk songs and flute solos, Huw Evans gave us a Newfoundland folk song! I must also commend Jonathan Quick on his excellent Welsh pronunciation as he sang Unwaith Eto Nghymru Annwyl.

Sunday morning, after the shift from Summer time, our bilingual Church Service featured the Williams family! Jane (now Byrne) presided and read the first lesson in Welsh followed by sisters Hetty and Mair. English

M.C. Gethin Owen counterparts were read by Mavis Williams, Peter Byrne and Anne In view of the high overall quality of Williams. Huw Evans (Mair’s son) the performers, it would be invidious presented his own interpretation of to select from amongst them, but I will Calon Lan as a musical interlude. Eifion Williams gave the Sgwrs, in In the first break, Nerys Jones sang a which he convincingly discussed the Ryan Davies composition followed by Welsh influence on the development Tra bo dau and again Robert Williams of the United States. After Gwilym Parry’s immortal poems accompanied Evans pronounced the benediction, by the harp. In the second half of the we adjourned for a te bach, prior to program, Gary Griffiths sang Gwynfyd reassembling at 2 pm for the Gymanfa. by Meirion Williams, followed by My Little Welsh Home. After a welcome from President Jane Byrne, David Llewelyn Williams President Jane Byrne thanked all who recited the Hundredth Psalm in both had participated, after which we sang Welsh and English. The Gymanfa Ganu God be with you (‘til we meet again) was conducted with appropriate hwyl and Hen Wlad fy Nhadau. Another by Jonathan Quick with accompanist convivial te bach followed in the Red Barry Yamanouchi at the piano. Dragon bringing an inspirational weekend to a close.

The weekend’s success owed much to the Social Committee: Gillian Rogers (Chair) Jane Byrne, Heather Davies, Gaynor Evans, Mary Lewis, Pat Morris and Kathy Thomas. Gaynor should be acknowledged for her responsibility for the Anniversary Dinner also.

Gary Griffiths’ visit was sponsored by Wilf and Lynn Owens-Whalen and the Jonathan Quick Mclean McCuaig Foundation in honour of Ken and Phyllis Owens. Huw Evans Jonathan led us through a total of 18 was sponsored by Jane Byrne and hymns arranged in four groups with Eifion Williams in honour of their pauses to allow us to re-energize our sister Anne (Williams) Roberts. voices. The accomplished singers D.Ll.W. were arranged according to their voices, whereas others, like myself, Dafydd Iwan’s 50th Anniversay sat at the back and enthusiastically Concert in Llandudno. ‘made a joyful noise’ and hoped it was close enough! Jonathan varied our I decided to attend Dafydd Iwan’s 50th participation, sometimes asking the Anniversary Concert on Nov. 17 in sopranos and altos to sing a verse, Llandudno,. This was the Noson Fawr sometimes the tenors and basses, of his tour, which had started in sometimes we just hummed if the Scranton in late August. For example hymn was appropriate. Once Nerys he was in Wrexham on the 9th and at and Katie sang a descant. A spirited the London Welsh Centre on the 10th enthusiastic time was had by all! but this was the Big Night!

In the first part of the program Dafydd spend a short time with Dafydd after and his Band warmed up the sold out the concert, but the bar closed on us! 1500 seat audience at Venue Cymru D.Ll.W. with help of two soloists. Lucy Kelly comes from a region in A Visit to Garth Celyn which is called Paradwys; she issued As an added bonus, while in her first CD from Sain Records entitled Llandudno, my friend Iona Wyn Hall ‘Y Llais o Baradwys’ (The voice from drove me to Abergwyngregyn and Paradise) at the age of eleven! She is Garth Celyn, where we enjoyed now either 14 or 15 depending on her Kathryn Pritchard Gibson’s hospitality birthday. What a voice! and spent a most informative time for several hours discussing Welsh The second soloist was one of my history, poetry and exploring the site. favourites, Elin Fflur, also from The weather cooperated so we had a Anglesey. Another great performance, clear view across the Lafan Sands to concluding with that beautiful song: Beaumaris, which I had previously Harbwr Diogel. She had the audience seen only in Kathryn’s photographs. sing the chorus with her. Great lyrics. “Mae na rhywbeth amdanat ti, Na fedra i egluro. Rhywbeth amdanat ti, Yn gwneud fy nhalon i guro … etc.” This is an absolute classic.

After the intermission, the program and the atmosphere grew even more. The Rhuthun Choir under Robat Arwyn started the program with four songs – the third was his composition “Anfonaf Angel’ which I had listened to I do hope that, by now, readers of my them sing so many times, but now newsletters are aware that Garth ‘live’. Whew! How emotional! This was Celyn is the ancient site of the court of followed by Tri Tenor Cymru – the the Princes of and that Three Welsh Tenors: Rhys Meirion, Katherine has set up the Garth Celyn Aled Hall and Alun Rhys-Jenkins, who Trust to buy the adjacent land for resonated the audience with high C’s. posterity. Ground penetrating radar has indicated several structures After these acts, Dafydd went from worthy of excavation. strength to strength, playing one iconic ballad after another, finally Catherine Zeta Jones has recently culminating in ‘Yma o Hyd’ with made a significant donation to the audience participation. An emotional Trust. By comparison, mine is very climax! The audience rose full of minor. One Trustee is Professor enthusiasm and patriotism for ‘Hen Bernard Knight whose book on Wlad fy Nhadau’, to conclude a Princess Nest I have discussed. The memorable event, worth travelling Garth Celyn Trust is most worthy of from Vancouver to experience. I did your support. D.Ll.W. The Mulled Wine Evening December 1st The Red Dragon was full with celebrants for our Mulled Wine Evening. Our cheery M.C. Neville Thomas created an enthusiastic interleaved program of carols and readings. Our accompanist was yet another Neville Thomas!

Pierre and Heather manning the bar President Jane Byrne thanked all who had contributed to the success of the evening, not the least the Social Committee. The evening continued with impromptu singing led by Sharon McIntee Burrill. A great start for the The perennial classic of A Child’s Christmas Season. D.Ll.W. Christmas in Wales was, like Gaul, divided into three parts. Each part was Jimmy Murphy passed away suddenly presented by two speakers; Don and Liz on Sunday November 4th. Murray, Anne Williams and Paul Jimmy was born in the village of Lievesley, and Tora and John Anderson. Bellshill Larnarkshire Scotland October 11th 1935.Jimmy and Rose were married 1960 and came to Canada in 1965 and settled in Burnaby. Jimmy found work in his trade as a machinist in New Westminster until he retired at 59 due to ill health. With his love of music he came to the Vancouver Welsh Society, became a member, which Rose and he supported More serious readings on Christmas for many years. He joined first the traditions were presented by Eifion Welshmen's Choir and then in 1982, Williams, Lynn Owens-Whalen, Kathy became a founder member of Vancouver Thomas and Irene Evans. Altogether, Orpheus Choir which he remained until eleven carols and/or Christmas songs the time of his death.. were suitably interspersed throughout. The excellent Mulled Wine toasted the Jimmy will always be remember for his season and each other as we sang We kindness and good humour and liked wish you a Merry Christmas. We all had nothing better than coming down to the fun uniquely singing The Twelve days of Red Dragon on a Saturday night for a Christmas such that everyone only sang game of darts. the refrain that corresponded to the The Vancouver Welsh Society sends its number of their birth month. The deepest sympathy to Rose and her family program concluded with Joy to the on their recent bereavement. World and Jingle Bells.

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