Welsh Weekend Will Benefit Cambrian Hall Roof Fund
VANCOUVER - The Vancouver Welsh Society is planning a number of events for its upcoming Welsh Weekend to be held November 4-6.
The highlight of the weekend’s activities will be a concert featuring the Vancouver Orpheus Male Choir. The concert will be held on November 5 at St. Patrick’s parish, 125 East 12th Avenue, Vancouver, commencing at 7:30 PM. Proceeds from the concert will go to the Welsh Society’s Cambrian Hall roof fund.
Formed in 1992, the Vancouver Orpheus Male Choir is much in demand and has achieved a wide reputation in the Lower Mainland for its eclectic mix of popular songs from many lands as well as the male voice classics.
The Choir is conducted by Liana Bob, who has wide experience as a director, educator and music performer with many choirs and ensembles in Alberta and British Columbia. She also has a Master of Music in Choral Conducting degree from the University of Alberta. The Choir’s pianist is Barry Yamanouchi, a graduate of the UBC School of Music and McGill University, who has also been an accompanist for Theatre Under the Stars and the Royal City Musical Theatre.
The other major weekend event will be the Gymanfa Ganu, to be held at the Cambrian Hall on the afternoon of November 6 at 2 PM. The traditional Gymanfa Ganu consists of communal hymn singing interspersed with guest soloists and scripture reading. The key to a Gymanfa’s success is the conductor, who is charged with encouraging the enthusiastic participation of the audience
This year’s Gymanfa conductor is Jonathan Quick, musical director of the Vancouver Welsh Men’s Choir. Quick is a talented musician who has achieved a widely-acclaimed reputation for conducting, composing, arranging and singing. Among his various accomplishments, Quick has been a soloist with the Vancouver Chamber Choir and the Vancouver Cantata Singers. He has demonstrated his familiarity with the traditional Welsh hymns and has a contagious enthusiasm both as conductor and soloist. The soloist at the Gymanfa will be local soprano Lois Carter.
On the morning of November 6, there will also be a bilingual church service at the Cambrian Hall, followed by a light lunch. The service, usually held regularly on the second Sunday of each month, is organized and arranged by Welsh Society member Ann Roberts. Visitors, especially those from out of town, are always welcome at these services to worship and socialize with fellow worshipers.
Among the other activities planned for the weekend is an open house at the Cambrian Hall’s Red Dragon lounge on the evening of November 4. The Dylan Thomas Circle is also planning to present a variety of activities during the day on November 5 at the Hall.
A separate event, the Welsh Society’s annual anniversary dinner, will be held on October 15 at the Cambrian Hall. Tickets and information on this event can be obtained from Jane Byrne at (604) 732-5448 or Gaynor Evans at (604) 271-3134.
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