There’s only 100 days to go before the start of the Vale of Glamorgan National Eisteddfod on the old airfield at Llandow near Cowbridge and Llantwit Major.
And with the final closing date almost upon us – 1 May is the date for anyone wishing to take part in the stage competitions to send in their entry forms – the preparations for this year’s festival are gearing up, with work on the Maes itself scheduled to start within the next month.
As the Eisteddfod itself approaches, it’s easy to forget that work has been ongoing in local communities for well over eighteen months, and that festival week is the pinnacle of the community project. Chief Executive, Elfed Roberts, says, “The community work began locally in September 2010, and since then, local residents have been promoting and fundraising for the festival. We are extremely grateful to them for their hard work and support during this period. The Eisteddfod is very dependent on the support of the catchment and on the Local Fund, which is increasing at a good pace as the festival comes ever closer.
“There’s an opportunity for many people to get involved and be part of the preparations during the project, from serving on one of the committees to organising fundraising events and distribute information. It’s all part of our work, not only to promote the Eisteddfod’s visit but also to encourage use of Welsh and activities through the medium of the language locally.
“Over the past few years we’ve seen the Eisteddfod leave a linguistic legacy in different areas. Last year’s festival in Wrexham and District is a good example of this, with the opening of the Saith Seren centre in town following our visit, as a predominantly cultural and Welsh language venue, which welcomes all sectors of societies, with a similar ethos to the Eisteddfod itself. A development like this is not only important to the language but also to the culture and economy of the local area, and is one of the successes of the language and the Eisteddfod in the north east,
“So many people in the festival catchment area benefit from the Eisteddfod’s work every year. An Eisteddfod Choir is created every year, and is an opportunity for singers of all ages and standards from all parts of the local area – and further afield – to come together to sing and socialise, culminating in a large-scale concert on the Pavilion stage during the festival itself. This year’s choir has over 200 members, who’ve been receiving professional training for the past few months. Over the years, the Eisteddfod choirs have performed with stars such as Bryn Terfel, Wynne Evans, Jason Howard, and this year’s choir will sing with Dennis O’Neill and Rebecca Evans, two of the leading performers of our time.
“The choir will perform the UK premiere of Penclawdd born composer, Karl Jenkins’ latest work, Beirdd Cymru (Bards of Wales), the lyrics of which are taken from a Welsh translation of a Hungarian poem, which is an allegory of the Hungarian Uprising of the 19th century. Karl Jenkins himself will conduct the work at the concert which is held on Saturday 5 August, and tickets are available now.
“It always pleases me to hear of the number of Eisteddfod choirs who continue to sing after the festival. The choirs from Wrexham and Blaenau Gwent and the Heads of the Valleys continue to meet and sing regularly, and looking further into the past, the 2001 Denbigh Eisteddfod Choir is still going, and the Choir created for the 1968 Eisteddfod in Barry evolved into the Barry Choral Society, which still performs well over forty years since the choir was originally created.
“The Eisteddfod is also an opportunity to nurture new talents and give a stage to performers of all kinds, who then enjoy further professional success. At the moment, most of the country is following the progress of Only Boys Aloud – a choir of young boys from the Valleys, created especially for the 2010 Eisteddfod opening concert – on popular programme, Britain’s Got Talent. The boys will return to the Eisteddfod stage this year for the opening concert in the Vale of Glamorgan, with Only Men Aloud and a brand new choir, created especially for this year’s festival and including local primary school children – Only Vale Kids Aloud. The preparations for the new choir are currently being finalised, and there will be hundreds of Vale of Glamorgan children joining together to sing on the Pavilion stage during the Eisteddfod’s opening concert.
“One of the best things about community projects such as the Eisteddfod Choir and Only Vale Kids Aloud is that they create opportunities for local people as well as providing professional tuition. Members of successful choir, Only Men Aloud, will be working with Only Vale Kids Aloud, mentoring and preparing the children for the concert, which will be a memorable experience for them. And performing on the Pavilion stage in front of over 2000 will be inspiring – for both performers and the audience. This year’s opening concert will be an evening to remember and tickets are for sale – and selling well, so you’ll need to book your seat as soon as possible.
“The Eisteddfod is also working with schools, and once again this year, we are lucky to be working with the Countryside Council for Wales to offer literary workshops in local schools. Caryl Parry-Jones, who lives in the Vale and has brought up her family locally, will be visiting local schools to work with primary age children and create work which will be performed in the Literary Pavilion during the week itself. A wonderful experience for the young people, and I know that Caryl also enjoys these experiences. This will take place during the summer term, and we look forward to enjoying the work created during these sessions.
“I think it’s really important that we realise that there’s much more to the Eisteddfod than the Maes and the Pink Pavilion which is erected in a different part of Wales every year. Hundreds of local individuals enjoy experiences and are taught new skills in a wide range of areas. It’s also an important part of the preparations for the week. It creates ownership of the Eisteddfod locally, and then, by the time the Pavilion is built at the end of June or the beginning of July, local people have been busily preparing for a while.”
The Vale of Glamorgan National Eisteddfod is held from 4-11 August. For more information go online – www.eisteddfod.org.uk. Tickets are available online or by ringing 0845 4090 800.
