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The Columbus Welsh Singing Society was formed in January, 2006, and in that short time has accomplished a lot. The chorus of 20 singers is under the direction of the gentle, talented, ever chipper, and indefatigable Ann Gillard. Everyone truly appreciates the time and energies of their accompanist, John Davids, Ann’s cousin. The group sings a variety of Welsh folk and inspirational songs as well as Welsh hymns in both Welsh and English. Welsh words are learned phonetically with the help of CDs and coaching by Shirley McKee.
CWSS debuted on February 25, 2006 at WSCO’s St. David’s Day dinner and has had several public performances, the most recent being in December for the Radnor Heritage Society where they sang 10 songs – 5 of them in Welsh.
People came from as far away as Virginia specifically to hear the performance, and solos were sung by Ann Gillard, “Mochyn Du/The Black Pig”; Bob Donaldson, “My Little Welsh Home” and “We'll Keep a Welcome”; Jim Gillard and Shirley McKee sang separate verses of “Eli Jenkins’ Prayer”; and Weldon Abels sang “Bugeilio'r Gwenith Gwyn/Watching the White Wheat.”
The chorus received a standing ovation at the end of their performance and flowers were presented to Ann by a member of the audience. Then, a gentleman from the audience made the lovely gesture of praising the group for its talent, abilities, and for keeping its Welsh heritage alive.
CWSS always welcomes new members into the group. You do not have to read music, speak Welsh, or have a fantastic voice. You need only to have a love of music and of our Welsh heritage -- the chorus works hard, but also has a lot of fun.
Practices are the first and third Tuesdays of each month at 7:00pm at the Worthington United Methodist Church, 600 N. High St., Worthington, Ohio. For more information email Ann at j-gillard[at]sbcglobal[dot]net.
Upcoming practices:
Jan. 16, Feb. 6 & 20, Mar. 6 & 20, Apr. 3 & 17, May 1 & 15, June 5 & 19