Filmmaker talk on Mystic Chords of Memory
This Sat, Oct 5th, Lauren Everett will take us behind the scenes of her film Mystic Chords of Memory, which had its US debut here in Portland in the spring. She’ll give us the low-down on what drove her to make the film, the process behind it, and the lessons learned along the way.
As a bonus, Lauren will share some film shorts, including one of her favorite parts of the film, plus some material that didn’t make it into the film, but that she’s really fond of!
This is a regular monthly meeting of the Welsh Society. We share a potluck meal starting at 12:30, then the presentation will begin around 1pm.
Sat, Oct 5th, 12:30
Kenilworth Presbyterian Church
4028 SE 34th Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97202
St David’s Day Potluck!
The Welsh Society will be celebrating our patron saint St David at our March 2nd meeting. Please join us for St David’s Day Bingo, and learn a little Welsh! Prizes include Welsh Cakes (sadly, not Penderyn whiskey) or other goodies. Unlike previous SDD celebrations, this will be a potluck, so please bring your favorite salads, mains, bread, or desserts to add to Janet Figini’s famous Leek and Potato Soup. Before the bingo gets into high gear, members of the choir will sing a few songs and lead us in a few songs (Calon Lân anyone?).
We’ll have a short business meeting before the program; come prepared to add ideas for future programs. And if you haven’t yet—Treasurer Angie FauntLeRoy will gladly accept 2024 dues payments.
Doors will open at noon for anyone who wants to help setup, and the luncheon line will start at 12:30. The business meeting will start at 12:55, and the program will kick off around 1:15.
Sat, Mar 2nd, 12:30
Kenilworth Presbyterian Church
4028 SE 34th Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97202
Christopher Wicks to present excerpt of
The Curse on Dyved
We have a really unique and exciting opportunity coming up at our October meeting. Christopher Wicks, the Welsh Society’s Composer in Residence and Poet Laureate, has written and composed the words and music for a forty-five minute opera called THE CURSE ON DYVED, based on medieval Welsh folklore. Come to the meeting of the Society on Oct 7 to hear a live concert performance of fifteen minutes of excerpts from the opera, sung by soprano Catherine van der Salm and baritone Jesse Cromer with Wicks at the piano, together with a presentation by Wicks about the libretto, and time for questions.
Sat, Oct 7, 12:30 (potluck), 1:00 presentation
Kenilworth Presbyterian Church
4028 SE 34th Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97202
Here’s a showcase of our videos from past events:
2021 Noson Lawen Lite / mini Gymanfa
With Noson Lawen and Gymanfa Ganu on hold, we put on a virtual event to celebrate Welshness last June. Here are a few videos from that event.
2020 Welsh Winter Wassail!
As so many others, our winter program went virtual last year, and consisted of talent contributions from across Oregon – great singing, beautiful photography, vibrant performances, and the infectious rhythms of Welsh music. And of course, a visit (or two… or three) from the Mari Lwyd…
We had a premier event on Zoom on Dec 13, and now are posting the various videos on Facebook, and right here… so let’s get started!
Here’s the opener from our Welsh Winter Wassail, with the Welsh Dragon Choir giving you a medley of Ar Dymor Gaeaf (In Deepest Winter), Awn i Fethlem (Go to Bethlehem), and Engyl Glân (Angels Bright). Mwynhelch!!
Next up in our Wassail event, a favorite Wesh Christmas hymn, O Deued Pob Cristion (O Come All Christians).
Next up in our Welsh Wassail program, a toast for Christmas and the New Year from Dr. Kit Kapphahn and the Welsh Society of Oregon.
Andréa Wild and Dylan Burns play, sing, and dance to a Welsh Wassail and Welsh Faerie’s Reel for the Welsh Society of Oregon’s Wassail Celebration last weekend. Beautiful holly backdrop by Oregon photographer Leslie Corbett.
Here are three Welsh Plygain carols, traditionally sung at candlelit services before the cock’s crow on Christmas day. The carols are “Ar Gyfer Heddiw’r Bore” (“On This Very Morning”), “Daeth Nadolig” (“Christmas Came”) and “Deffro Ddaear Llawenha” (“Awake, Earth, Rejoice!”). Sung by Andrea Wild, Jamie Webster, Heather Preston, and Jeff Lewis, all members of our Welsh Dragon Choir. Features images from the last remaining Welsh chapel on the West Coast USA, and some Christmas wishes (sent telepathically – you’ll see) from members of our group.
Christopher Wicks gives us a lovely advent poem sharing some childhood memories of the season.
And next up, we’ve the most well-known Welsh lullaby, Suo Gân, sung by Nancy Jarrell and Andrea Wild, with Phoebe Burns on the harp.
The Mari Lwyd is an old (and admitedly a bit strange) tradition with which people in South Wales marked the passing of the darkest days of midwinter. The Mari Lwyd (traditionally a decorated horse’s skull mounted on a stick) and her group go house to house and try to gain access by performing a series of verses, or Pwnco. The inhabitants would reply with their own verses in a battle to outwit Mari and her gang and prevent her from entering. Eventually she will be let in, as this confers luck on the household for the coming year. Once inside, more songs are sung and the group is given drinks and food.
In this series of skits, the Little Dragons have a bit of fun re-imagining visits from Mari Lwyd.
The Welsh Society’s own Mari Lwyd (which you’ll see is made of wood, not at actual horse’s skull!) was donated by Megs Lloyd-Patton.
In this second series of skits, the Little Dragons continue having a bit of fun re-imagining visits from Mari Lwyd.
And what would a Welsh Wassail event be without a proper Welsh Wassail? Hugo Glanville gives us the Gower. Wassail!
Jamie and her daughters Zora and Elka give us this gorgeous and touching lullaby, Cysga Di. As the refrain says: “May you sleep till morning” .. a good wish on Christmas Eve!
And now a song for the Feast of St Stephen, and also looking forward to Twelfth Night – Please to See the King. The King in question is the wren, the king of the birds, that was dressed up in ribbons and carried around the village (this, it turns out, was lucky for the village, less so for the wren). This particular song hails from Pembrokeshire.
Here is a beautiful arrangement of a carol written by Gilmor Griffiths. It was arranged for bell tree and voice by Susan-Werner Reiser, and performed by Kristie Werner Gladhill (soprano), and Carol Werner and Susan Werner Reiser (bells). It is called Carol Ben-blwydd, which means Birthday Carol!
Our re-imagined Mari Lwyd shenanigans continue with this choreographed virtual showstopper featuring a traditional Mari Lwyd song from Jeff and Jamie accompanied by an intricate pantomime performed by members of the Welsh Dragon Choir and the Little Dragons Ensemble. Keep watching at the end for the crowd-pleasing comedy of Zora and Elka performing classic Welsh jokes. The music for their virtual miniatures was provided by Preston Howard Wilde and Kimberly Taylor.
A beautiful collection of winter photographs from across Oregon accompany this sweet rendition of In the Bleak Midwinter. Many thanks to Jamie for coordinating this (and everything else!!). Organ played by Jamie Webster, and harp by Kimberly Taylor Houser.
Please contact us at oregonwelsh@gmail.com if you have any questions.
WHAT IS A GYMANFA GANU?
Gymanfa Ganu (guh-mahn-vah GAH-nee) is a magnificent Welsh hymn-singing festival and more! Literally meaning “sing gathering,” it is a tradition of song and worship that has been practiced in Wales for centuries. The songs are sung in English and Welsh in four-part harmonies. Bryn Seion Welsh Church, Beavercreek, Oregon, has carried on the Gymanfa Ganu tradition since 1935. You don’t need to know Welsh to make a joyful noise, so please join us.
Our celebration is always held on the fourth Sunday in June. The festivities begin right after church services. First we practice our individual parts and then we come together to blend our voices in harmony. Even if you are not a singer–or you cannot read Welsh–we encourage you to hum along. We sing from 1:45 p.m. until 4:00 p.m, followed by a Te Bach—traditional Welsh tea. After we are well-refreshed, the evening session begins. From 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., we raise our voices once again in song. This session consists of group singing and special requests. Some say this is the best singing of the day!
For more information, check the Bryn Seion church website .
Note: the Gymanfa Ganu for 2020 has been cancelled.
Welcome to the on-line home of the Welsh Society of Oregon! Membership in the society is open to any person of Welsh birth, Welsh ancestry or persons who are generally interested in Wales. Read, download or print our latest newsletter here:- Dragon Speak Newsletter
The Welsh Society of Oregon is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and a member of the Oregon Cultural Trust. Donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. Our Tax ID is 90-0972979. A matching donation to the Oregon Cultural Trust qualifies for a state tax credit—see CulturalTrust.org for details.
