Côr yn cynnwys Ficer o Gymru yn ennill yn Eisteddfod Gerddorol Llangollen
Gyda Ficer o Gymru ymhlith ei aelodau, mae Côr Glanaethwy o Fangor wedi ennill Côr y Byd yn Eisteddfod Ryngwladol Llangollen 2024.
Mae Robert Townsend, Archddiacon Meirionnydd yn Esgobaeth Bangor, wedi bod yn aelod o Gôr Glanaethwy ers 2014. Aeth y côr â thlws Côr y Flwyddyn adref gyda nhw a gwobr ariannol gwerth £3,000. Gwisgodd y côr wisgoedd coetir trawiadol gan berfformio detholiad hynod hardd o bedair cân Gymraeg. Cafodd un ei ysbrydoli gan y Mabinogion (llyfr hynafol o fytholeg Geltaidd) ac un arall gan ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream' Shakespeare.
Yn gynharach yn yr ŵyl, enillodd Côr Glanaethwy gategori’r Côr Agored, gan ganiatáu iddynt gystadlu am deitl o fri Côr y Flwyddyn. Mae Eisteddfod fyd-enwog Llangollen yn denu cystadleuaeth ffyrnig gan gorau ledled y byd, ac fe wynebodd Côr Glanaethwy gystadleuwyr o Oklahoma, y Philipinas a Llundain.
Ers ei sefydlu yn 1987, mae cystadleuaeth Côr y Byd wedi bod yn uchafbwynt Eisteddfod Llangollen, gan dynnu o gorau ledled y byd i gystadlu am y teitl uchel ei barch. Rhoddwyd y tlws hwn, symbol o ragoriaeth gorawl, i'r Eisteddfod yn 2005 gan y canwr opera chwedlonol Luciano Pavarotti er cof am ei dad, Fernando Pavarotti, a ganodd am y tro cyntaf yn Llangollen gyda'i gôr o Modena, yr Eidal, ym 1955.
Cafodd Côr Glanaethwy ei sefydlu yn 1990 ac mae wedi'i leoli mewn cyfleusterau pwrpasol ar Barc Menai ym Mangor. Wedi'i gyfarwyddo gan dîm gŵr a gwraig, Cefin a Rhian Roberts, mae'r côr yn rhan o Ysgol Celfyddydau Perfformio Ysgol Glanaethwy ac mae’n cael ei gydnabod fel enghraifft ardderchog o ragoriaeth artistig yng Ngogledd Cymru.
Meddai Robert, “Pan ymunais i â'r côr, fyddwn i byth wedi dychmygu y byddem ni’n ennill cystadleuaeth Côr y Byd 10 mlynedd yn ddiweddarach. Mae Cefin a Rhian yn arweinwyr ysbrydoledig ac maen nhw bob amser yn ein hannog ni i wthio ein hunain i ddarganfod yr hyn y gallwn ni ei gyflawni. Mae Cefin wrth ei fodd â theatr gerdd ac roedd dysgu'r caneuon a'r symudiadau yn heriol, ond roedd ein gwaith caled yn werth chweil ond i gael perfformio yn Eisteddfod Llangollen ochr yn ochr â'r corau rhagorol eraill. Roedd ennill cystadleuaeth Côr y Byd yn gwbl annisgwyl!"
Nid dyma'r tro cyntaf i Robert gystadlu gyda Chôr Glanaethwy mewn cystadleuaeth fyd-enwog. Roedd Robert a'i deulu yn aelodau o'r côr pan ddaethon nhw'n drydydd yn rownd derfynol Britain's Got Talent, gan golli’r teitl o drwch blewyn yn 2015. Cafodd eu perfformiad terfynol ei ddisgrifio’n un "cwbl hudolus" gan y beirniad David Walliams wnaeth gellwair ei fod “mor falch o fod yn chwarter Cymro".
Gwyliwch Gôr Glanaethwy yn perfformio ar BBC iPlayer [56 munud].
Choir Featuring Welsh Vicar Wins at Llangollen Music Eisteddfod
With a Welsh Vicar among its members, Banger-based Côr Glanaethwy has won Choir of the World at the 2024 Llangollen International Eisteddfod.
Robert Townsend, the Archdeacon of Meirionnydd in the Diocese of Bangor, has been a member of Côr Glanaethwy since 2014. The choir took home Choir of the Year trophy and prize money of £3,000. The choir wore striking woodland costumes and performed a hauntingly beautiful selection of four Welsh songs. One was inspired by the Mabinogion (an ancient book of Celtic mythology) and another by Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’.
Earlier in the festival, Côr Glanaethwy won the Open Choir category, allowing them to compete for the prestigious Choir of the Year title. The world-renowned Llangollen Eisteddfod attracts fierce competition from choirs worldwide, and Côr Glanaethwy faced challengers from Oklahoma, the Philippines, and London.
Since its inception in 1987, the Choir of the World competition has been a highlight of Llangollen Eisteddfod , drawing from choirs around the globe to vie for the coveted title. This trophy, a symbol of choral excellence, was donated to the Eisteddfod in 2005 by the legendary opera singer Luciano Pavarotti in memory of his father, Fernando Pavarotti, who first sang at Llangollen with his choir from Modena, Italy, in 1955.
Côr Glanaethwy was founded in 1990 and is based in purpose-built facilities on Parc Menai in Bangor. Directed by husband and wife team Cefin and Rhian Roberts, the choir is part of Ysgol Glanaethwy Performing Arts School and is recognised as a beacon of artistic excellence in North Wales.
Robert said, “When I joined the choir I would never have imagined that 10 years later we would win the Choir of the World competition. Cefin and Rhian are inspirational leaders and always encourage us to push our boundaries and discover what we can achieve. Cefin loves music theatre and learning the songs and routines was challenging, but our hard work was worth it just to perform at the Llangollen Eisteddfod alongside the other excellent choirs. Winning the Choir of the World competition was totally unexpected!”
This isn’t the first time Robert has competed with Côr Glanaethwy in a world famous competition. Robert and his family were members of the choir when they came third in the final of Britain's Got Talent, narrowly missing out on the title in 2015. Their final performance was described as "completely magical" by judge David Walliams who joked he was "so proud to be a quarter Welsh".
Watch Côr Glanaethwy perform on BBC iPlayer [56mins].