This all started back in 2019...
Being in a family of Welsh descent, we regularly attend Welsh Hymn Festivals. In 2019, the National Festival of Wales (NAFOW) was scheduled to be in Milwaukee, WI. “Perfect!” I thought. My in-laws have a lake home near Milwaukee. “We can attend the festival and see my husband’s side of the family too!”
As I began preparing to attend the NAFOW, I decided to enter the Eisteddfod (a Welsh singing competition). A few years back I had entered and won the adult soloist category, so I decided to “up my game” this year and enter the “Semi-Professional” category. The requirements were more strict in this category. The music must be memorized and one song must be by a Welsh composer and sung in Welsh. But the rewards were also greater. First prize for the Semi-Professional category was a scholarship to travel to Wales to compete in the National Eisteddfod there!
I worked for months getting my voice back in shape, learning the Welsh, meeting with my vocal coach and in August 2019, I WON the Semi-Professional Soloist category of the Eisteddfod (pronounced I-steth-vod). My family and I were ecstatic! We began planning to travel to Wales for the August 2020 competition. Then, the world shut-down because of COVID-19, and our trip was cancelled.
The competition did not re-open in 2021, but then in 2022, my sister called me and said “We’re going to Wales this year, right?” So, we began planning again for this long-delayed trip to the National Eisteddfod in Wales.
Now that I’ve caught you all up, stay tuned for more about my trip preparations and the trip itself!
Being in a family of Welsh descent, we regularly attend Welsh Hymn Festivals. In 2019, the National Festival of Wales (NAFOW) was scheduled to be in Milwaukee, WI. “Perfect!” I thought. My in-laws have a lake home near Milwaukee. “We can attend the festival and see my husband’s side of the family too!”
As I began preparing to attend the NAFOW, I decided to enter the Eisteddfod (a Welsh singing competition). A few years back I had entered and won the adult soloist category, so I decided to “up my game” this year and enter the “Semi-Professional” category. The requirements were more strict in this category. The music must be memorized and one song must be by a Welsh composer and sung in Welsh. But the rewards were also greater. First prize for the Semi-Professional category was a scholarship to travel to Wales to compete in the National Eisteddfod there!
I worked for months getting my voice back in shape, learning the Welsh, meeting with my vocal coach and in August 2019, I WON the Semi-Professional Soloist category of the Eisteddfod (pronounced I-steth-vod). My family and I were ecstatic! We began planning to travel to Wales for the August 2020 competition. Then, the world shut-down because of COVID-19, and our trip was cancelled.
The competition did not re-open in 2021, but then in 2022, my sister called me and said “We’re going to Wales this year, right?” So, we began planning again for this long-delayed trip to the National Eisteddfod in Wales.
Now that I’ve caught you all up, stay tuned for more about my trip preparations and the trip itself!