Cwrs Goleuni'r Gogledd – The Northern Lights Course

Cymdeithas Madog presents Cwrs Cymraeg 2009:
Cwrs Goleuni'r Gogledd – The Northern Lights Course
University of Alberta, Augustana Campus ~ Camrose, Alberta, CanadaSunday, July 19 – Sunday, July 26, 2009

Cwrs Cymraeg, meaning Welsh Course, is a unique educational opportunity for language enthusiasts, individuals or families of Welsh descent, or anybody interested in the beautiful Welsh language and culture. It is a week-long residential course emphasizing the spoken language and provides instruction/classes at seven levels, ranging from the absolute beginner to those who are well advanced.

At this year's course in Camrose, Alberta, Hefina Phillips will be the lead tutor; joining her from North America will be Annette Evans, Deian Evans, Marta Diaz, and Aled Llion. The tutors from Wales will be Geraint Wilson-Price and Chris Reynolds. There are approximately 5 hours of language class each day, supplemented by further language and culture-related activities in the afternoon. Evening events such as singing, folk dancing, Welsh-language films, and a Noson Lawen (talent night) provide additional opportunities to relax while enjoying a Welsh-language atmosphere.

Registration and Fees: A check or money order for $100, in US funds, reserves a place. Deposits, together with the applicant's mailing address and e-mail, should be sent to the Cwrs Cymraeg registrar: Shirley McKee, Registrar, Cwrs Cymraeg 2009; 3033 Willowbrook Way, Beavercreek, OH 45431-7702 USA. On-line registration and deposit payment will be available soon--please check www.madog.org for updates. For questions, please contact the registrar at registrar@madog.org

Make checks payable to: Cwrs Cymraeg 2009. The deposit will be applied to the cost of registration. Deposits are fully refundable until April 30, 2009. No refunds of deposits will be made after June 1, and registration will close on June 15. If necessary, we will establish a waiting list, so after June 1 check with the Registrar regarding openings.

Fees for the course include all meals, tuition, course materials, and official evening activities. This covers the period from dinner on Sunday evening, July 19 until and including breakfast on Sunday, July 26. A mid-week trip will be an extra cost option.

Adult Resident (Double occupancy) $740.00

Adult Commuter $640.00

Discount for students (off above rates) - $50.00

Tag-along (Double occupancy) $440.00

Upgrade to Single occupancy $60.00

Full payment is due by June 15. Payments after June 15 will be subject to a $50 late fee.

Scholarships: An application for a scholarship should be postmarked by April 20, 2009. The application may be submitted either online or though the mail. The $100 deposit for the course must be paid to hold a place on the course and for the applicant to be considered for a scholarship. If an applicant is not awarded a scholarship and cannot afford to attend otherwise, the deposit will be refunded in full.

Full scholarship details and application materials can be mailed to anyone without internet access. The scholarship application form and answers to frequently asked questions will be available online in February 2009 on the Cymdeithas Madog website, www.madog.org.

For scholarship information and requests, contact:

Bill Roberts

Cymdeithas Madog Scholarship Committee

875 Wilmot Road

Deerfield, IL 60015 USA

Scholarship Endowment Fund: For over 30 years, Cymdeithas Madog has provided a unique opportunity to study the Welsh language in North America. Thanks to the generosity of the Welsh National Gymanfa Ganu Association (WNGGA), the National Welsh American Foundation (NWAF), societies and individuals, we have been able to offer a limited number of partial scholarships each year, to help students attend the course. In many cases the award makes a crucial difference.

In addition, Cymdeithas Madog has established a Scholarship Endowment Fund to provide scholarship assistance. Donations to this fund are always welcome! Cymdeithas Madog is a non-profit organization [501(c)(3)] and such contributions are US tax deductible. If you would like to make a donation to Cymdeithas Madog, send a check, payable to Cymdeithas Madog's Scholarship Endowment Fund, to the registrar at the above address.

Further Information: Visit the Cymdeithas Madog website, www.madog.org. The site will maintain updated information about registering online and other details as they become available. We invite you to start making plans to attend Cwrs Goleuni'r Gogledd--The Northern Lights Course! Veterans of previous courses already know what a rich and rewarding experience Cwrs Cymraeg is, and they extend a warm welcome to each new participant.

Sincerely,

Cymdeithas Madog Board of Directors

"Dunkin Like David" Promo Video

For more info see St Davids Day Blogspot

Welsh Composer - Karl Jenkins To Play New York!!!

Karl Jenkins on Wikipedia


Karl Jenkins Website


Karl Jenkins on YouTube



Karl Jenkins: The United Kingdom's Most Popular Living Composer To Have Three Premieres At Avery Fiher Hall On Monday, January 19, 2009, 8 PM

Concert to be Presented by Distinguished Concerts International New York - Purchase tickets HERE

(DCINY) Will Feature World Premiere Performance of Jenkins’ Violin Concerto, Sarikiz; US Premieres of His Te Deum and Stabat Mater; Jonathan Griffith and Karl Jenkins, Conductors

Karl Jenkins was voted the United Kingdom’s most popular living composer for the past five years by listeners on BBC Classical Radio One, and entered Classic FM’s “Hall of Fame” at number eight, the highest position ever for a living composer. Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) is proud to present two US premiere performances of new works by Mr. Jenkins, as well as the world premiere performance of his violin concerto, Sarikiz. This evening of choral and orchestral works will take place on January 19, 2009, 8 PM, at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall, and will feature the Distinguished Concerts Orchestra International and the Distinguished Concerts Singers International.

Sarikiz will showcase the talent of the Kazakh violinist for whom the piece was written, Marat Bisengaliev. Mr. Bisengaliev has performed in over thirty-five countries, and was the winner of the Royal Philharmonic Society’s “Instrumentalist of the Year” award in 2007. Featured in the US premiere performance of Stabat Mater will be mezzo-soprano Charlotte Daw Paulsen, whose recent appearance in Rossini’s Petite Messe Solenelle was called “dramatic in the best sense and utterly gripping” by the New York Times. Ms. Paulsen’s Western classical singing will be juxtaposed with the Middle Eastern-based vocals of Belinda Sykes, who will also demonstrate her virtuosity on the “mey”, an indigenous Middle Eastern reed instrument. Mr. Jenkins himself will be conducting, marking his Lincoln Center debut.

The opening piece of the evening, and the first of the US debuts, will be Te Deum, commissioned by Liverpool’s Welsh Choral. The text is based on an early Christian hymn of praise and thanksgiving. Jenkins’ setting of Te Deum was reviewed as “a joyous, theatrical piece of music…which alternates between dynamic, brassy flourishes and the lush rise and fall of massed voices” by the Liverpool Echo in 2008. At the baton will be DCINY Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Jonathan Griffith.

Sarikiz was commissioned by Kazakh philanthropist Sapar Iskakov. It is dedicated to his ancestor, Tlep Aspantaiuly, composer and master of the kobyz, a Middle Eastern relative of the violin. Throughout, Jenkins makes references to native folk themes, and employs two traditional percussion instruments, the dabel [hand drum] and the kepshek [tambourine].

The second half of the evening will consist of Stabat Mater. The 13th-century poem, a meditation on the sorrows of Jesus’ mother Mary during his crucifixion, has been used as a theme by composers from Vivaldi to Verdi. Mr. Jenkins’ 21st-century interpretation of the verse includes six texts not from the original poem, including a section of the Epic of Gilgamesh as well as a poem by 13th-century mystic poet Jalal al-Din Rumi.

In Jenkins’ words, “The Epic of Gilgamesh…is the world’s oldest written story. It is from the ancient Babylonian civilization, which means, of course, that it comes from what is now Iraq, so it has real resonance for our current time. Rumi…had an intense relationship with a spiritual mentor called Shams al-Din Tabrizi, whose apparent murder turned [him] into a poet and mystic who sought consolation in the Divine.”

Karl Jenkins has received numerous critical accolades and extensive academic honors, and has achieved wide-scale popular appeal as well.

He is a recipient of the Order of the British Empire for his “services to music”, and his innovative work with the jazz ensemble Nucleus won first prize at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1970. The album on which he initially appeared as part of the seminal progressive rock group Soft Machine, entitled Six, won the Melody Maker “British Jazz Album of the Year” award. He has twice won industry prizes in the advertising field, and his work Palladio has become iconic for the De Beers diamond company. He is both a Fellow and an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music, where a room has been named in his honor. Additionally, he has been bestowed with an Honorary Doctorate in music from the University of Leicester, and a Chancellor’s Medal from the University of Glamorgan.

Date & Concert Programme

Karl Jenkins at Avery Fisher Hall
Monday, January 19, 2009, 8:00 PM

Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center
Te Deum (US premiere performance)

Sarikiz, violin concerto (world premiere performance)

Stabat Mater (US premiere performance)

Karl Jenkins Conducts "Palladio"

Join Derek Brockway for More Weatherman Walks

Following the success of his radio and television series Wales’ most popular weatherman is back with More Weatherman Walks – a second book of his favourite tramps around Wales.

Derek says, “After the first book, lots of people wrote to say that they bought it and pledged to do every walk in the book – and it would be great if lots of people did that again. I’ve done them all and thoroughly enjoyed them. Remember, if I can do it – so can you!”

The twelve routes are suitable for the general walker, and each one has been chosen for a particular month of the year. As Derek explains: “The aim of the book is to get you walking through the year and to enjoy the different seasons.” He hopes the book will “inspire you at home to want to get out and about and explore our wonderful country.”

This reasonably-priced book includes stunning colour photographs, maps and comprehensive directions to accompany each walk. They are all introduced by Derek and an experienced local guide, and feature background information on social history, heritage, wildlife and topography by the BBC’s Julian Carey. There are also details of walking festivals throughout Wales.

Derek Brockway was born in Barry, South Wales and has been passionately interested in the weather ever since he was a young boy. A qualified meteorologist, he has been employed by the Met Office for over 20 years and became the main weather forecaster for BBC Wales in 1997. He now presents a number of radio and television programmes, including Derek’s Welsh Weather and Weatherman Walking, which had one of the highest viewing figures in Wales. His autobiography, Whatever the Weather, was published in 2007, and his leisure activities include walking, squash, skiing and learning Welsh.

More Weatherman Walks is published by Y Lolfa and is now available in bookshops around Wales for £8.95.

The walks included in the book are:


Pen-y-Fan, Brecon Beacons

Newborough Beach, Anglesey

Dylife, near Machynlleth (part of Glyndãr’s Way)

Pontneddfechan Waterfalls (Glyneath)

Merthyr Mawr, Glamorgan Heritage Coast

Y Lliwedd (part of the Watkin Path, Snowdon)

Llangollen

The Sugar Loaf, Abergavenny

Gower (Worm’s Head and Rhossili), Swansea

Pontypool Park

Llanwonno, near Rhondda

Bethlehem, near Llandeilo


Derek will be signing copies of his new book More Weatherman Walks at the following venues:

06/12/2008

WH Smith’s Brecon 11.00 - 12.00

Waterstone’s Abergavenny 14.00 - 15.00

The Chepstow Bookshop 16.00 - 17.00

13/12/2008

WH Smith’s Barry 15.00 - 16.00

20/12/2008

Waterstone’s Swansea 12.00 - 13.00

Cover to Cover Swansea 14.00 - 15.00