Gymanfa Ganu 2014
The annual Gymanfa Ganu (pronounced Ga-mahn-fa-Ga'-nee)
falls in this month this year, being held on Sunday, August 31
of Labor Day weekend. We are very fortunate to have this unique and inspiring
event as an important part of our heritage.
The director this year will be Mr. Trefor Williams
who is a native of Wales. He was born into a musical family in Trefor, Gwynedd,
of northern Wales. In 1998 Mr. Williams started on an around the world tour,
but was abruptly halted at his first stop in Milwaukee, Wisconsin by a
Welsh-American woman named Barbara who is now his wife.
Putting down his roots in Milwaukee, he decided to
turn his amateur musical career into a full time professional one. He has been
involved in performing and directing with a variety of organizations in
Milwaukee. He has many stories of Wales and how the wonderful old hymns were
written.
Our soloist will be Mr. Joe Consiglio. He
studied voice at Washington University, earning a graduate degree in vocal
performance. After moving to New York City, he studied with acclaimed voice
teacher Cornelius Reid. He has appeared in roles with the Union Avenue Opera,
the Midland Reparatory Opera and the University of Houston Opera. He is the
son-in-law of David and Ann Rees.
Schedule
Sunday, August 31
2013 Gymanfa Ganu Info
2012 Gymanfa Photos
GYMANFA GANU:
Salem Church's free Welsh festival of song is held every year on the Sunday evening of Labor Day weekend; it has been an annual event since 1915.
Here is a description of a Gymanfa Ganu given by an observant first-time gymanfa attendee, Sarah Bryan Miller:
"The Welsh are a nation of singers, and whenever two or three are gathered together they perform in harmony, rarely unison. Singing is a part of the culture....Welsh emigrants to America brought their vocal traditions with them, and even now, the Gymanfa Ganu (pronounced 'gih-MAHN-vuh GAH-nee' and translated as 'gathering for song') is a regular event in any community with a significant Welsh population.
The hymns are not simply sung through at a Gymanfa. The director may pick and choose among the verses; he may designate them for men's or woman's voices; he may order the organist to drop out so that something may be performed a cappella; he may repeat verses, either because they weren't sung enthusiastically enough the first time, or because he likes them and he feels like it. He decides what will be sung in English and what in Welsh. The director works the dynamic levels and the tempi, swelling the sound here, slowing the pace there.
The numbers sung were not all originally Welsh...but they were proudly out of touch with certain trends in modern hymnody....unlike most contemporary hymnals...the music does not patronize the congregation with low-lying melody lines and missing harmonies: If you sing soprano, you'd better have an F; if you don't have an F, you'd better be ready to sing another part. This has the agreeable effect of making the alto line an actual, singable alto line instead of a growly (for a woman) extra tenor part. It challenges the congregation instead of condescending, and it eliminates the boredom of singing all melody, all the time."