David R. Allen ~ Presenter, lives in Owego, New York, where he is Senior Financial Consultant at Tioga State Bank.  He has a PhD from Columbia University and was a Fulbright Scholar to Belgium and a Danforth Graduate Fellow.  David is a Professor Emeritus at City University of New York where, from 1966 to 1995, he taught a variety of courses in economics and American government.  Over the years, he has been involved in many academic, political and civic organizations.  He has served as president of the board of the Tri-Cities Opera, as president of the trustees of the Welsh Congregational Church of New York and on the board of the St. David’s Society of New York.  David was elected Treasurer of WNGGA in 2009.

Beltaine ~ Welsh Folk Dancing Band 
Brian Baker, John Keys and Kris Chase form a Northwest trio featuring hammered dulcimer, guitar, flute, and marimbula. They are unique in their blend of instrumentation. Their styles range from Celtic to traditional music from around the world. They do not limit themselves to any one genre. Their backgrounds include folk, rock, classical, jazz, and blues. They choose music that speaks to them. They try to put their spin on these tunes to make them unique to Beltaine.  Their music is their passion, and they love playing and performing around the Northwest. They are excited to hear that others enjoy their music and they love stories about the music.  Visit their website www.beltainemusic.com.

Rhys Bowen ~ Novelist  & Presenter
Rhys Bowen was born in Bath, England, of a Welsh/English family, and educated at London University. Upon graduation, she went to work for the BBC in London, specializing in drama and becoming a studio manager. She also started writing her own radio and TV plays.  When, Rhys accepted an invitation to work for Australian Broadcasting in Sydney, she met her future husband John, and they settled in the San Francisco area, where she has lived ever since, raising four children. Rhys began writing children’s books. Her first picture book was named a NY Times best book of the year.  She moved on to young adult novels, writing many best selling titles. When she had exhausted her enthusiasm for writing for teenagers, Rhys decided to write what she likes to read: mysteries.  And she has written several series on novels in that genre. Her childhood memories of her Welsh relatives were the inspiration for her Constable Evans novels.  The second book, Evan Help Us, was called “a jewel of a story” by Publisher's Weekly and nominated for a Barry Award.  Evan’s Gate received an Edgar nomination.  She also enjoys writing short stories, for which she has achieved much critical acclaim.  Rhys is a past national board member of the Mystery Writers of America. When not writing she loves to travel, sing, hike, play her Celtic harp and entertain her grandchildren.

John Cann ~ Presiding Minister, Sunday Morning Worship Service
John was born in Llanelli and educated at Monmouthshire College of Education, University of Wales, Caerleon, and at Lethbridge University, Alberta.  He taught for more than 40 years in a variety of schools and adult education entities in England, Wales and Canada. He and his Welsh-born, and Welsh-speaking, wife Delyth immigrated to Canada in 1966. They worked initially in British Columbia state schools and then, from 1976, in various independent Christian schools. During his appointment with Pacific Academy, Surrey BC, 1995–2006, he and Del also led outreach assignments to Mexico, Uganda and South Korea.  In his second career, John obtained ministerial credentials with The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (PAOC). He served as interim senior pastor in Cherryville Gospel Church in the North Okanagan region of BC. Presently he and Del lead the seniors' ministry in their home church, Surrey Pentecostal Assembly. He expects to be ordained during 2010.  John is an enthusiastic and active member of the Vancouver Welsh Society, the Vancouver Welsh Men's Choir and the Dylan Thomas Circle. He leads monthly church services in Welsh for the Society at Cambrian Hall and is a founding member of a small musical ensemble of Welsh singers called the Gospel Boys. He and Del are excited at the prospect of attending the Festival once more.

Côr Godre'r Aran  ~

Grand Concert Performers

Nerys Jones ~ Soprano, Opening Ceremony &  Eisteddfod adjudicator
Nerys Jones was born and educated in Mid Wales and studied at both the Royal Scottish Academy and Guildhall schools of music and drama.

Early soprano roles include Karolka Jenufa and Marzelline Fidelio for Scottish Opera with the American director Stephen Wadsworth and Norina Don Pasquale with Welsh National Opera on the BP Tour. In 1994 she joined English National Opera where she remained a company mezzo-soprano for six seasons, roles including Cherubino, Despina, Zerlina, Second Lady, Melissa Princess Ida, Bird Blond Eckbert, Proserpina Orfeo, Flora La Traviata, Pitti Sing Mikado, Mercédès Carmen, Nursing Sister Suor Angelica, Rosette Manon, Kitchen Boy Rusalka, Hansel Hansel and Gretel, Flower Maiden and Second Squire Parsifal, and Sister Mathilde Dialogues des Carmélites.  

She has performed with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the Scottish Early Music Consort and the National Youth Orchestra of Wales at the National Eisteddfod. Recitals include the North Wales Music Festival with the pianist Malcolm Martineau, and a celebration concert for the composer, Geoffrey Bush, at St John's Smith Square, London.

Other appearances include Cherubino, Rosina and Dorabella for Grange Park Opera, Dryad in a concert performance of Ariadne auf Naxos at the Barbican Concert Hall conducted by Richard Hickox, Lisetta Il Mondo della Luna and Pippo La Gazza Ladra at Garsington, Stewardess Flight with Reisopera in Holland, Vlaamse Opera and the Adelaide Festival. The title role La Cenerentola for Opera Zuid and Pitti Sing The Mikado for La Fenice in Venice. Most recently Hansel with Reisopera in Holland.

Gethin Matthews ~ Seminar Presenter
Gethin is a Lecturer in Welsh History at Cardiff University, specializing in the history of the Welsh overseas and in the evolution of Welsh culture and society in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. His PhD thesis is on the Welsh in the Gold Rushes to British Columbia in the 1860s: as well as looking at the narrative of how so many hundreds of Welshmen were drawn to this remote location by the lure of gold, his research deals with development of the Welsh community in the gold-fields, and how the gold-seekers interacted with their ‘home’ communities back in Wales.  Gethin previously worked in the Welsh television industry as a producer-director of documentaries, particularly ones that dealt with Welsh history. He published a biography of the legendary Welsh actor Richard Burton in 2002, and has also written articles looking at the involvement of Welshmen in British military campaigns.

 

Dianne McCarty ~

Dianne  is a native of southern Indiana, currently living in the Chicago area.  She has studied music since elementary school and earned degrees in piano and organ performance from the University of Evansville and Northwestern University.  She has served as organist and director of choirs for several churches in the United States, and has held the position of Organist/Director of Music and Liturgy at Emmanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church in Aurora, Illinois, since 1983.  Dianne taught music and served as College Organist in colleges in Georgia and Indiana, and she currently teaches piano, organ, and harpsichord in her private studio.  She performs in recitals as soloist, accompanist, and in chamber ensembles.  While working as an engineer for Motorola in the United Kingdom, she traveled frequently to Wales and nurtured her passion for Welsh culture, language, history and music.  Dianne is active in Welsh societies in the Chicago area and has participated in several annual Cymdeithas Madog courses.  Her special musical interests are hymnody and ensemble performance.

 

Eirian Owen ~ Côr Godre'r Aran Accompanist & Conductor , Gymanfa Conductor 
Eirain was born in Llanuwchllyn near Bala.  She graduated with first class honors in music from the University of Wales and holds the ARCM diploma in piano accompaniment, together with a postgraduate diploma from the University of Manchester. She spent several years as a teacher before joining the staff of Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester as part-time accompanist and piano tutor, a position she retained for 20 years before resigning in order to concentrate on private teaching at her home in Dolgellau.  For many years she has been an official accompanist at the National Eisteddfod of Wales and at the International Eisteddfod at Llangollen and has performed with most of the current generation of Welsh singers who are prominent in the world of international opera.  She is Music Director of Côr Godre’r Aran from the village where she was born.  Eirian was Chorus Master of the National Eisteddfod Choir in both 1997 and 2009, and in 1998 she was Guest Conductor of New Zealand’s National Festival of Male Choirs.  She was awarded the distinction of Honorary Druid by the National Eisteddfod’s Gorsedd of Bards in 1999 and served as a choral adjudicator at the same event in 1999 and in 2005.  Eirian has presented two series of programs of classical music on BBC Radio Cymru and has been awarded an honorary MA degree by the University of Wales.

Hefina Phillips ~ Welsh Language Instructor
Hefina never asks people why they want to learn Welsh.  To her, it the most natural thing in the world!  To have been born Welsh is the utmost privilege, and she does all that she can in North America to share her passion and love of Wales and its beautiful language. Welsh was the only language spoken in her home in Cwmgiedd, in the Swansea Valley.She was educated at Cardiff University's Welsh Department and was fortunate to have Saunders Lewis as one of her professors. Since moving to North America she has taught on the annual Cymdeithas Madog courses as well as being responsible for starting Welsh language classes in Toronto. The other passions of her life?  Her grandchildren, of course.

 




Dick Pugh ~ Presenter
Dick is a staff member of the Cascadia Meteorite Laboratory, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon. He will tell the fascinating story of the Willamette Meteorite which was discovered by a Welshman in 1902. This seminar will be presented once only and will be followed by the tour “Knick Knacks.”

Alan Thomas ~ Festival Accompanist 
Alan Thomas was born in Neath, South Wales and studied in Manchester University where he received a Bachelor of Music degree.  He went to Reading University for a degree in Education.   As well as being Director of Music in two large boarding schools in England, Alan was very active in the National Youth Orchestra of Wales, Granada Television and many community choral societies and orchestras.  In 1974, he became Director of Music at Ashbury College in Ottawa, a post he held for ten years before becoming a free-lance musician and teacher, but still remaining at the College as Chapel Organist until 1996.  In 1977, Alan was appointed Organist and Choir Director of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Ottawa.  Alan has been involved in many musical activities in Ottawa including conducting the Parkdale Symphony Orchestra.  He has maintained a strong connection with the Ottawa Welsh Society and has played for numerous cymanfaoedd in recent years, including the National Gymanfa Ganu in Ottawa in 2000, and every other National since 2004.