This is a bi-lingual message - a message from Katherine Macaulay who talks about her experiences as NEW Voices Administrator!
You can buy tickets for our concert here: https://www.newsinfonia.org.uk/copy-of-events
Ym mis Medi, gwnaethom wahodd unrhyw un yn Wrecsam a thu hwnt gyda diddordeb mewn canu corawl i ymuno ein ensemble lleisiol newydd. Dros yr wythnosau, wrth i’r newyddion lledaenu, fe wnaethom dderbyn dros 60 cofrestriadau o ar draws Gogledd Cymru, ac fe wnaethom ddechrau ymarfer yn Nhŷ Pawb – adnodd cymunedol anhygoel sydd yn ymrwymedig at, ac yn blaenoriaethu cynwysoldeb. Y flaenoriaeth hon yw’r grediniaeth y sefydlwyd NEW Lleisiau arno. Ein bwriad oedd i ddod a phobl o bob cefndir at eu gilydd trwy ganu, a gwaredu rhwystrau megis cost, iaith, a phrofiad cerddorol.
Ein hamcan yw i gynnig i’r cantorion y cyfle i weithio gyda cherddorion proffesiynol, can gynnwys y profiad o ganu gyda’r gerddorfa broffesiynol NEW Sinfonia. O dan arbenigedd ac arweiniad Robert Guy a Jenny Pearson, ac ein cyfeilydd rhyfeddol Bethan Griffiths, mae ein cantorion wedi canu amrywiaeth mawr o repertoire. Mae’r darnau wedi cynnwys caneuon Cymraeg, traddodiadol a chyfoes (‘Ar Hyd y Nos’, ac ‘Anfonaf Angel’ gan Robat Arwyn), ‘Song for Athene’ gan John Tavener, yn ogystal â ‘The Nightingale’ gan Jon Guy. Rydym hefyd wedi derbyn cyllid gan Tŷ Cerdd ar gyfer comisiwn newydd, wedi’i chyfansoddi gan Jon Guy, gyda thestun wedi ysgrifennu gan y bardd Evrah Rose a chymerodd ysbrydoliaeth o brofiadau ac atgofion ein cantorion o’r pandemig.
Mae’r ymateb i’r prosiect NEW Lleisiau hyd yn hyn wedi bod yn bositif ac yn dwymgalonus. Mae hi’n bleser, fel gweinyddwr NEW Lleisiau, i glywed faint y mae pawb yn mwynhau canu gyda ni ac i fod yn rhan o’r gymuned sy’n ffurfio o amgylch y cor. Dwi yn bersonol yn drysoru yn fawr y cyfle i ddefnyddio’r iaith Gymraeg mor aml yn ystod ymarferion ac wrth gyfathrebu gydag aelodau, ac i glywed yr iaith yn cael ei siarad ymysg aelodau’r cor. Mae sicrhau bod NEW Lleisiau yn adlewyrchu dwyieithogrwydd Cymru yn amcan yr ydym yn ymrwymo’n angerddol i.
Mae gweithio gyda NEW Lleisiau, gyda’r tîm creadigol a’r cantorion wedi bod yn llawenydd llwyr. Mae hi’n bleser cael clywed y cor yn tyfu mewn hyder ac yn creu sŵn mor brydferth. Dwi wedi mwynhau bod yn rhan o’r broses gerddorol, yn ogystal â gweinyddu, trwy ganu gyda’r côr ac arwain ambell cynhesu lan. Mae’r côr a’r tîm creadigol wastad yn gefnogol ohonai wrth i mi ddatblygu fy sgiliau fel cerddor, fel arweinydd corawl, a chyfieithu. Dwi methu aros i fod yn rhan o’n gyngerdd cyntaf ym mis Tachwedd ac i weld sut mae NEW Lleisiau yn parhau i dyfu a datblygu.
In September, we invited anyone and everyone in Wrexham and beyond with an interest in choral singing to join our new vocal ensemble. Over the weeks as word spread, we acquired over 60 signups from across North Wales, and began rehearsing at Ty Pawb – an incredible cultural community resource which above all strives for inclusivity. It is this idea of inclusivity which NEW Voices was founded upon. Our aim was to bring together people from all walks of life together through song, eliminating obstacles such as cost, language, and musical experience.
We aim to provide our singers with the chance to work alongside industry professionals including singing with the professional orchestra NEW Sinfonia. Under the expertise and guidance of conductors Robert Guy and Jenny Pearson, and our wonderful accompanist Bethan Griffiths, our singers have sung a wide variety of repertoire. It has included Welsh songs, traditional and contemporary (‘Ar Hyd y Nos’, and Robat Arwyn’s ‘Anfonaf Angel’), John Tavener’s ‘Song for Athene’, as well as our very own Jon Guy’s ‘The Nightingale’. We have also received funding from Ty Cerdd for a new commission, composed by Jon Guy, with a text written by poet Evrah Rose which was inspired by our singers’ reflections and experiences of the pandemic.
The response so far to the NEW Voices project has been heart-warmingly positive. It is incredibly rewarding, as NEW Voices administrator, to hear how much everyone is enjoying singing with us and to be apart of the community which is forming around NEW Voices. I personally have loved being able to use the Welsh language so often within rehearsals and in communication with members, and to hear it being spoken so much within the choir. Ensuring that we at NEW Voices reflect the bilingual nature of Wales is something we are passionately committed to.
Working with NEW Voices both with the creative team and the singers has been simply a joy. It’s wonderful to hear the choir growing in confidence and creating such a beautiful sound. I have enjoyed being a part of the musical process, as well as administrating, through singing with the choir and taking the occasional warm up. The choir and creative team have been eternally supportive of me, helping to develop my musicianship, conducting, and translating abilities. I simply cannot wait to be apart of our debut concert in November and to see how NEW Voices continues to grow and develop!
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