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About – “Am”
BRIEF HISTORY OF THE TORONTO WELSH MALE VOICE CHOIR
The Toronto Welsh Male Voice Choir (TWMVC) was established in 1995 when its founding member and first president, Gwyn Roberts, gathered a group of like-minded individuals of Welsh heritage. They sought to kindle the spirit of traditional Welsh male voice singing here in Canada. The founding members saw their numbers grow over the years. The choir continues to flourish musically under the direction of William Woloschuk and our principal accompanist Matthew Coons. Many of the current members still lay claim to Welsh connections, but the TWMVC now also has members from a variety of ethnic backgrounds.
The TWMVC draws on the great Welsh tradition of singing hymns and songs born of the mountains and valleys of Wales. We also emphasize a multicultural context in our broad repertoire, which includes spirituals, operatic arias, Canadian folk songs, as well as Broadway show tunes, pop and contemporary music, all sung off book, following Welsh tradition.
Since its inception, the Choir has performed in churches, cathedrals and concert halls throughout Ontario, Quebec, The Maritimes, Atlantic Canada, New York State and the UK. In August 2002 the choir embarked on a highly successful tour of Wales. During July 2005 we toured the Maritimes, performing to appreciative audiences in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. In September 2008, the choir was honoured to be invited to take part in a combined choir of 400 voices at Carnegie Hall in New York City. The soloist for the evening was the renowned Welsh baritone, Sir Bryn Terfel, honorary patron of the Choir.
In 2010 the choir toured the Canadian Rockies and in July 2013 the choir embarked on another successful tour of Wales where we performed six concerts and were complimented for our Welsh diction by native Welsh speakers.
In September 2017 the choir was invited to perform at the NAFOW (North American Festival of Wales) Gala in Rochester, New York as the featured guest choir. It was an honor and a privilege that will live long in the memory. In July 2018 the choir toured Newfoundland; we will never forget audiences standing and singing with us during “Ode to Newfoundland”.
In 2025 we celebrate our 30th anniversary; we give thanks to Gwyn Roberts and the “founding fathers” of our choir, as we look forward to another season of singing together. The choir is planning a return visit to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island in July 2026. Judging by the comments we receive from our audiences (see our Guestbook) we must be doing something worthwhile. It certainly seems so to us.
Diolch yn fawr iawn.