Cymdeithas Gymraeg Vancouver

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1 THE WELSH SOCIETY OF VANCOUVER Cymdeithas Gymraeg Vancouver Cambrian News Rhagfyr December Society Newsletter Cylchgrawn y Gymdeithas Huw Evans with the Social Committee at the Vancouver Celebrates Wales Weekend CAMBRIAN HALL, 215 East 17 th Ave, Vancouver B.C. V5V 1A6

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

3 Forthcoming Events Saturday, 15th December Christmas Dinner at 6:00 pm for 7:00 pm Catered by Jordan s International Food Designs. Tickets at $40 can be reserved by calling Gaynor Evans at Please book your place as soon as possible. Monday, December 17 th at 7.30 pm Welsh Lesson. Wednesday, January 2 nd at 7:30 Executive Meeting Monday, January 5 th at 7.30 pm Welsh Lesson Wednesday, Jan. 9 th at 12:00 noon The Cambrian Bookworms will discus The Nine Lives of Charlotte Taylor by Sally Armstrong Sunday, January 13 th at 11:00 am Bilingual Service followed by Tê Bach Monday, January 21 st at 10:30 am Welsh Speaking Siarad Cymraeg Monday, January 21 st at 7.30 pm Welsh Lesson Saturday. January 26 th at 7.00 pm Social Evening to celebrate St. Dwynwen s Day. Details to follow from Gillian at Gillian.Rogers@shaw.ca ( ) or on the webpage. Monday, January 28 th from 10:00 am till 3:00 pm Workparty Day Lunch will be provided and all are welcome! Monday, February 4 th at 7.30 pm Welsh Lessons Wednesday, February 6 th at 7.30 pm Executive Meeting Sunday, February 10 th at 11:00 am Bilingual Service followed by Tê Bach Monday, February 11 th at 7.30 pm General Meeting Wednesday, February 13 th at 12 noon. The Cambrian Bookworms will discus Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl. Monday, February 18 th at am Welsh Speaking Siarad Cymraeg Monday, February 18 th at 7.30 pm Welsh Lessons Monday, February 25 th from 10:00 am till 3:00 pm Workparty Day Lunch will be provided and all are welcome. ONTARIO WELSH FESTIVAL NIAGARA FALLS April 26-28, 2013 Please join us in beautiful Niagara Falls, Ontario, for a very special weekend celebrating our Welsh heritage, music and culture. We will have all your usual favourites such as a welcoming tea with harp entertainment, a traditional noson lawen with loads of talented participants, children's activities, poetry reading, seminar, a banquet with a presentation of the annual Gold Award, gala concert, concert afterglow and two glorious hymn singing sessions. This year we are very honoured to have the renowned CÔR MEIBION TAF from Cardiff as our guest choir. For more information please go to or us at info@ontariowelshfestival.ca or phone

4 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 105 th ) 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. Saturday the Vancouver Celebrates Wales Concert was jointly hosted by our Society and West Point Grey United Church, where it was held. 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. Katie Procter After the intermission, we enjoyed further performances by the same artists except that Jonathan was replaced by his better half, soprano Natasha Neufeld! Natasha Neufeld

5 The program went from strength to strength, culminating in Gary Griffiths renditions, which brought demands for an encore. My grandson Hugh really enjoyed the encore! nevertheless mention some personal resonances. First Nerys Jones sang the poems of my favourite poet, Robert Williams Parry as she played the harp. The Men s Choir brought the evening to a close by singing Gwahoddiad, after which we all sang Hen Wlad fy Nhadau. I would be remiss in not acknowledging the contribution of the talented accompanist to the entire program, Roger Parton, the Music Director of Opera Pro Cantati. M.C. Gethin Owen In view of the high overall quality of the performers, it would be invidious to select from amongst them, but I will Secondly, she sang Anfonaf Angel, the music composed by Robat Arwyn for Bryn Terfel from the words by Hywel Gwynfryn. This song performed by the Rhuthun Choir, conductor Robat Arwyn, was sent to me by a friend in Wales as a consolation upon the loss of my wife. Powerful words. 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 counterparts were read by Mavis Williams, Peter Byrne and Anne Williams. Huw Evans (Mair s son) presented his own interpretation of Calon Lan as a musical interlude.

6 Eifion Williams gave the Sgwrs, in which he convincingly discussed the Welsh influence on the development of the United States. After Gwilym Evans pronounced the benediction, we adjourned for a te bach, prior to reassembling at 2 pm for the Gymanfa. After a welcome from President Jane Byrne, David Llewelyn Williams recited the Hundredth Psalm in both Welsh and English. The Gymanfa Ganu was conducted with appropriate hwyl by Jonathan Quick with accompanist Barry Yamanouchi at the piano. In the first break, Nerys Jones sang a Ryan Davies composition followed by Tra bo dau and again Robert Williams Parry s immortal poems accompanied by the harp. In the second half of the program, Gary Griffiths sang Gwynfyd by Meirion Williams, followed by My Little Welsh Home. President Jane Byrne thanked all who had participated, after which we sang God be with you ( til we meet again) and Hen Wlad fy Nhadau. Another convivial te bach followed in the Red 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. Jonathan Quick Jonathan led us through a total of 18 hymns arranged in four groups with pauses to allow us to re- energize our voices. The accomplished singers were arranged according to their voices, whereas others, like myself, sat at the back and enthusiastically made a joyful noise and hoped it was close enough! Jonathan varied our participation, sometimes asking the sopranos and altos to sing a verse, sometimes the tenors and basses, sometimes we just hummed if the hymn was appropriate. Once Nerys and Katie sang a descant. A spirited enthusiastic time was had by all! Gary Griffiths visit was sponsored by Wilf and Lynn Owens- Whalen and the Mclean McCuaig Foundation in honour of Ken and Phyllis Owens. Huw Evans was sponsored by Jane Byrne and Eifion Williams in honour of their sister Anne (Williams) Roberts. D.Ll.W. Dafydd Iwan s 50 th Anniversay Concert in Llandudno. I decided to attend Dafydd Iwan s 50 th Anniversary Concert on Nov. 17 in Llandudno,. This was the Noson Fawr of his tour, which had started in Scranton in late August. For example he was in Wrexham on the 9 th and at the London Welsh Centre on the 10 th but this was the Big Night!

7 In the first part of the program Dafydd and his Band warmed up the sold out 1500 seat audience at Venue Cymru with help of two soloists. Lucy Kelly comes from a region in Anglesey which is called Paradwys; she issued her first CD from Sain Records entitled Y Llais o Baradwys (The voice from Paradise) at the age of eleven! She is now either 14 or 15 depending on her birthday. What a voice! The second soloist was one of my favourites, Elin Fflur, also from Anglesey. Another great performance, concluding with that beautiful song: Harbwr Diogel. She had the audience 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 them sing so many times, but now live. Whew! How emotional! This was followed by Tri Tenor Cymru the Three Welsh Tenors: Rhys Meirion, Aled Hall and Alun Rhys- Jenkins, who resonated the audience with high C s. After these acts, Dafydd went from strength to strength, playing one iconic ballad after another, finally culminating in Yma o Hyd with audience participation. An emotional climax! The audience rose full of enthusiasm and patriotism for Hen Wlad fy Nhadau, to conclude a memorable event, worth travelling from Vancouver to experience. I did spend a short time with Dafydd after the concert, but the bar closed on us! D.Ll.W. A Visit to Garth Celyn As an added bonus, while in Llandudno, my friend Iona Wyn Hall drove me to Abergwyngregyn and Garth Celyn, where we enjoyed Kathryn Pritchard Gibson s hospitality and spent a most informative time for several hours discussing Welsh history, poetry and exploring the site. The weather cooperated so we had a clear view across the Lafan Sands to Beaumaris, which I had previously seen only in Kathryn s photographs. I do hope that, by now, readers of my newsletters are aware that Garth Celyn is the ancient site of the court of the Princes of Gwynedd and that Katherine has set up the Garth Celyn Trust to buy the adjacent land for posterity. Ground penetrating radar has indicated several structures worthy of excavation. Catherine Zeta Jones has recently made a significant donation to the Trust. By comparison, mine is very minor. One Trustee is Professor Bernard Knight whose book on Princess Nest I have discussed. The Garth Celyn Trust is most worthy of your support. D.Ll.W.

8 The Mulled Wine Evening December 1 st 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! The perennial classic of A Child s Christmas in Wales was, like Gaul, divided into three parts. Each part was presented by two speakers; Don and Liz Murray, Anne Williams and Paul Lievesley, and Tora and John Anderson. More serious readings on Christmas traditions were presented by Eifion Williams, Lynn Owens-Whalen, Kathy Thomas and Irene Evans. Altogether, eleven carols and/or Christmas songs were suitably interspersed throughout. The excellent Mulled Wine toasted the season and each other as we sang We wish you a Merry Christmas. We all had fun uniquely singing The Twelve days of Christmas such that everyone only sang the refrain that corresponded to the number of their birth month. The program concluded with Joy to the World and Jingle Bells. 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 Christmas Season. D.Ll.W. Jimmy Murphy passed away suddenly on Sunday November 4th. Jimmy was born in the village of 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 for many years. He joined first the Welshmen's Choir and then in 1982, became a founder member of Vancouver Orpheus Choir which he remained until the time of his death.. Jimmy will always be remember for his kindness and good humour and liked nothing better than coming down to the Red Dragon on a Saturday night for a game of darts. The Vancouver Welsh Society sends its deepest sympathy to Rose and her family on their recent bereavement.

9 Annual Membership Renewals Name:... Phone No... Address:... City:...Postal Code:... e- mail... It would be very helpful if you would indicate whether you wish to receive a copy of the Newsletter by mail or if you are content to view the Newsletter on the website. You will then be notified by e- mail when the latest edition appears on the site. I wish to continue to receive the Newsletter by mail (YES or NO)... Membership Dues for 2013: Regular: $45 Family (Member, Spouse & Children to 18): $70 Seniors/Students: $30 Out of Town (50 miles or more): $20 Note that there has been no increase once again in the membership dues. Additional sums as donations are welcomed! Cheques or Money Orders should be made payable to THE WELSH SOCIETY OF VANCOUVER. Send your renewals to: David Llewelyn Williams, Membership Secretary, Cambrian Hall, 215 East 17th Avenue, Vancouver B.C., V5V 1A6 Please circle any committee(s) that you are willing to serve on in 2013: Bar/Social Building Church Service Welsh night Membership Other? We would welcome any suggestions you have for the coming year. Please indicate your ideas in the space below or overleaf.