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Pontypridd Male Choir Comes to California

© Sarah Stevenson

The male voice choir is a musical tradition that holds a special place in the hearts of the Welsh, not only in Wales but worldwide. Many male choirs initially flourished in the heyday of the mining communities, and the tradition continued into the modern day with many more choirs being formed throughout the country and in Welsh communities overseas. Besides performing and competing at eisteddfodau around Wales, some of these corau meibion have gained international renown, touring other countries and releasing CDs of richly toned music infused with fervor and hwyl.

One of these well-known choirs, Côr Meibion Pontypridd, recently had a two-week American tour at various sites in California and Nevada. The most renowned local male choir here in Northern California is the relatively young San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus; having enjoyed their contemporary vision of male vocal performance, I was very interested to see a men's choir that not only comes from a long tradition of male choral singing but also has a proud history of its own, dating back to 1949.

Moreover, this was my best opportunity yet to see a male voice choir in person. At the National Eisteddfod in Llanelli in 2000, I'd seen a few snippets of songs, but this time I would get to see a full performance. Entitled "Croeso - A Welsh Welcome," the program I attended was jointly presented by the Stockton Chorale, who also performed, and the Welsh American Society of Central California. After the Stockton Chorale's rendition of the Henry Purcell opera Dido and Aeneas, the Côr Meibion Pontypridd treated their California audience to a rousing selection of tunes both traditional and modern, including "Cwm Rhondda," "Men of Harlech," "Sospan Fach," and John Denver's "Perhaps Love."

The performance was truly stirring and engaging, thanks not only to the talented choristers but also to the experienced Musical Director Johnathan Gulliford, who emceed between songs with tidbits of useful information about the music. Besides directing Côr Meibion Pontypridd, he is head of music at Afon Taf High School in Merthyr Tydfil, a G.C.S.E. music examiner, a tutor of the Mid Glamorgan Youth Choir, and he also sings with an a cappella group called "Cantemus." We also enjoyed the talents of Deputy Conductor and Accompanist Dorothy Davies Ingram, who first appeared as a soloist with the choir at their very first concert in 1950, and who has been the accompanist since 1964. She became the musical director in 1977 and in 1989 became the first woman to conduct the 1,000 male voices at the Royal Albert Hall in London.