The Welsh National Gymanfa Ganu Association, also known as WNGGA, was founded in 1929, after the first Cymanfa Ganu in North America was held on a field on Goat Island, located in the Niagara Reservation State Park in Niagara Falls, New York. The Welsh National Gymanfa Ganu Association is responsible for overseeing the Cymanfaoedd Ganu held in North America.
The last time the North American Festival of Wales ( then known as the National Gymanfa Ganu ) was held in Portland , Oregon was in 1984. The occasion also marked the centennial anniversary of Bryn Seion Church in Bevercreek , Oregon. Bryn Seion , founded in 1884 is the last traditional Welsh chapel on the West Coast and still holds a well attended annual Gymanfa Ganu to this day.
This year the Côr Godre’r Aran male voice choir from Wales and popular mystery author Rhys Bowen will be two of the many attractions at this year’s North American Festival of Wales in Portland, Oregon.
The festival, now in its 79th year, travels to a different city annually . Opening ceremonies will begin Thursday, September 2nd at the Lloyd Center Doubletree Hotel featuring an evening concert with harpist Bronn Journey and soprano Katherine Journey.
In an interview with AmeriCymru, Eirian Owen ( musical director of the Cor Godre’r Aran choir ) reminisced about her previous experience of Portland:-” Côr Godre’r Aran previously visited Portland in 1971 and in 1974. I was, in 1971, newly married and the choir’s tour to USA and Canada was my honeymoon – shared with, of course, my husband – and 25 other men! A diary of that trip shows that we stayed overnight at the Royal Inn (is it still there?) , that the concert was held in a chapel and that we arranged an extra concert for the following afternoon because many people were unable to get tickets for the previous night. The chapel was full to capacity on both occasions. My 1974 diary tells that I was very impressed with the shops in the Lloyd Centre and that I decided not to go ice skating with some of our group for fear of breaking an arm and being unable to play the piano. I was at that time the choir’s accompanist and would have faced the death penalty – or worse – had I sabotaged the tour by breaking a finger or arm.”
The festival will offer a wide variety of Welsh and Welsh-American cultural activities and events, including Welsh folk dance, Welsh film, Welsh music and more. The festival ends with a bilingual church service, followed by the traditional Gynanfa Ganu, a musical celebration featuring Welsh hymns in both English and Welsh.
The event is hosted by the Welsh National Gymanfu Ganu Association which invites you to observe the popular Welsh corgi and end your day by sipping tea in the Welsh tea room and finding treasures in the Welsh marketplace.
For more information about this year’s premier Welsh-American event, visit nafow.org
