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The North American Festival of Wales
Portland, OR Sept. 2nd-5th 2010

History of an Eisteddfod

Print Eisteddfod Entry Form

Entry Rules and Details

Pay for Eisteddfod on PayPal

Eisteddfod by Mail

WNGGA ANNOUNCES COMPETITIONS FOR THE 2010 EISTEDDFOD

The Eisteddfod Committee of the Welsh National Gymanfa Ganu Association (WNGGA) is pleased to announce the competitions being offered at the 2010 Festival of Wales Eisteddfod.

The Eisteddfod is planned for Friday, September 3rd 2010 and Saturday morning September 4th, if necessary. The venue for both the Eisteddfod and the Festival is the Portland Doubletree Lloyd Center.

The competitions are in Singing (four competitions - Hymn Singing; Solo Voice, Solo Voice Semi-Professional and Vocal Ensemble); Recitation (one competition each for Youth and Adult groups). Full information on age, entry and performance requirements as well as entry fees and prizes for each competition is available in the Eisteddfod Entry Form.

All winners will receive cash prizes and certificates. Some competitions award a trophy to the first place winner as well. We deeply appreciate the devotion and the generosity of the following individuals and organizations in financing these awards.

    * Hymn Singing Competition: The WNGGA Past Presidents’ Award
    * Solo Voice Competition: Pacific Northwest Welsh Societies Award
    * Solo Voice Semi-Professional: The David G. Morris Memorial Award
    * Vocal Ensemble: The Edwin Thomas Batton Memorial Prize
    * Recitation: The Eisteddfod Committee Award
    * Solo youth Recitition under 18: The Cambrian Benevolent Society of Chicago Award

Please join us and show off your talents to the Festival, by entering the competitions!

Entry forms and accompanying fees must be submitted to WNGGA International HQ, P.O. Box 410, Granville, OH 43023 by June 30th 2010. Late entries will NOT be accepted.

Questions about the Eisteddfod and the competitions may be directed to: eisteddfod@nafow.org

Read More About the Competition Rules, Catagories and to Print Entry Form

There are two ways to pay and enter the Eisteddfod Compitition at this time.

Print and complete the Print Eisteddfod Entry Form and mail with relevent entry fee along with the original music for your perfomance, if indicated, to WNGGA IHQ address below*.
Print and complete the Print Eisteddfod Entry Form, Pay online with PAYPAL, then mail along with original Music amd a copy of the PAYPAL transaction to WNGGA IHQ at the address below*.

*WNGGA, International Headquarters, P.O. Box 410, Granville, OH 43023

Pay for Eisteddfod Entry with PayPal on Registration page
(you will still need to print the Eisteddfod entry form and send with a
copy of payment and original music if required)

Entry Details ~ Please Read Carefully
The Eisteddfod is planned for Friday and Saturday, September 3rd and 4th at the Festival’s location, the Doubletree Hotel, 1000 NE Multnomah Street, Portland, OR.

ENTRIES MUST BE RECEIVED BY June 30th 2010. Late entries will NOT be accepted.
ENTRY FEE WILL NOT BE REFUNDED AFTER July 25th 2010.
For singing competitions, 1 copy of the chosen music must be submitted with the entry form. For copyrighted materials this should be an original.
You will receive confirmation of your entry after WNGGA has received the entry form and fee.
Competition schedules are included but may be changed. Please monitor the web site
The Solo Voice Semi-Professional is for singers with some professional training but whose income is derived only partially from performing.
The Eisteddfod Committee reserves the right to reject any entry at its own discretion.

COMPETITIONS

A professional accompanist will be available if required.
The accompanist and the hall will be available for rehearsals on Thursday and Friday, September 2nd and 3rd. Timing will be arranged with the accompanist in Portland.
A Winners’ Concert will be held at 4:00 PM on September 4th.
The winner of the Solo Voice Semi-Professional may be required to perform at other events during the weekend.
Other winners may be offered the possibility of singing during the morning service and/or the Gymanfa Ganu on Sunday.
Recitation competitions: please contact the Eisteddfod Committee Chair at eisteddfod@nafow.org if you have any difficulty obtaining the set piece.

PRIZES

All winners will receive a certificate.
Prize amounts are in US dollars.
Any trophy awarded will be held for one year only and must be returned to WNGGA at holder’s expense.
Adjudicators’ decisions are final.

COMPETITIONS CATAGORIES

Hymn Singing Competition: The WNGGA Past Presidents’ Award
Friday 10:30 AM
Winner receives $50 and the opportunity to sing in the Sunday morning service.
Second place receives $25.
Third place receives $10.

Solo Voice Competition: Pacific Northwest Welsh Societies Award
Saturday 10:30 AM
Winner receives prize of $50 and the Puget Sound Welsh Association trophy. Winner may be invited to sing
in one Cymanfa Session on Sunday.
Second place receives $25.
Third place receives $10.

Solo Voice Semi-Professional: The David G. Morris Memorial Award
Saturday 2:00 PM
Winner receives the David G. Morris Trophy and a cash award to the value of $3,500 US, specifically for
travel to compete in the 2011 National Eisteddfod of Wales. A report on the Welsh experience is required.
Winner is invited to sing an appropriate piece in one Cymanfa Session on Sunday.
Runner up receives a cash award of $250.

Vocal Ensemble: The Edwin Thomas Batton Memorial Prize
Saturday 12:00 noon
Winning ensemble receives $150 and The Eisteddfod Trophy.

Adult Recitation: The Eisteddfod Committee Award
Friday 12:00 noon
Winner receives $50 and the Wales Tourist Board Trophy.
Second place receives $25.
Third place receives $10.
† OPEN Recitation Set Piece: “Anwadalwch” by Thomas Parry Williams

Youth Recitation: The Cambrian Benevolent Society of Chicago Award
Friday 2:30 PM
Winner receives $50 and the Urdd Trophy.
Second place receives $25.
Third place receives $10.
†† UNDER 18 Recitation Set Piece: “Tros y Garreg” by John Ceiriog Hughes

Eisteddfod Concert
Saturday 4:00 PM
A chance to appreciate the winners of each competition plus the competitor placed second in
The David G.Morris Memorial Award.

QUESTIONS
The poems for the recitations can be obtained on request.
The selection is subject to receiving copyright permission.
† OPEN Recitation Set Piece: “Anwadalwch” by Thomas Parry Williams
†† UNDER 18 Recitation Set Piece: “Tros y Garreg” by John Ceiriog Hughes

For more information and queries regarding the competitions, you may contact: Alan Upshall, the Eisteddfod Committee Chair at eisteddfod@nafow.org Tel: 425-488-7288.

First Annual Ninnau & Y Drych Eisteddfod by Mail. Deadline: June 1, 2010. Winners will be announced at the NAFOW sept. 2–5, 2010. Entrants need not be present to enter, but are encouraged to be present if possible. Contact Mary Morris Mergenthal, mary.mergenthal@comcast.net, for details of conditions, registration and monetary awards.

History Competition
1. Y DRYCH PRIZE:
Write an essay entitled: “The relationship between the Welsh in North America and the Welsh in Patagonia between 1850 and the beginning of World War I.” 10,000 words maximum.

Music Competitions
2. GREAT PLAINS WElSH HERITAGE CENTRE PRIZE:
Write an arrangement of a Welsh folk tune(s) of your choosing for mixed voice choir.

3. MYFANWY BAJAJ PRIZE:
Write an arrangement of a Welsh folk tune(s) of your choosing for instrument(s), with or without accompaniment by another instrument.

4. THE WElSH PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH oF LOS ANGELES
PRIZE:Write a piano composition based on a Welsh legend or Welsh folk tale.

Literature Competitions
UNDEB CYMRU A’R BYD PRIZES:
5. Write two verses in Welsh to the hymntune BLODWEN.

6. Write two verses in English to the hymntune BLODWEN. These new words will be sung at a Gymanfa session in Portland.

7. NINNAU PRIZE: Write an essay in Welsh about a person who has influenced your appreciation of your Welsh heritage. 1500 words maximum.

8. DAFYDD WIGlEY PRIZE: Write an essay in Welsh or English entitled “Wales as an Independent Nation.” 1500 words maximum.

9. RHIANNON & LARRY ACREE PRIZE: Write a poem in English or Welsh entitled “The Native Never Returns.”

What is an Eisteddfod

An eisteddfod has been a notable feature of The North American Festival of Wales in recent years. Eisteddfod sounds like ice / teth / vod and like cwm (coomb), it is a Welsh word that appears in English dictionaries! Its heritage stretches back to the 12th century. Literally eisteddfod means session or sitting and it is best described as a Welsh cultural tradition celebrating poetry, music, literature and performance competitions in these fields.

Nowadays eisteddfodau (Welsh plural) are held throughout Wales at local and regional levels, offering folk of all ages the chance to perform and compete in public. The pinnacle is the annual Welsh National Eisteddfod, considered the major heritage and cultural event in the country. It alternates between north and south Wales, travelling to different locations each year and encompasses a huge variety of Welsh cultural events.

Not surprisingly when the Welsh immigrants arrived in North America they brought the tradition too. Eisteddfodau have been held across North America, with records indicating an eisteddfod at the Chicago World;s Fair in 1893 and at the Alaska Yukon Pacific Exposition in Seattle in 1909. Many others are recorded at local and state level.

The eisteddfod tradition at NAFOW began in 1994 at the National Gymanfa Ganu in Bellevue WA. Though the competitions have changed over the years, an eisteddfod has been held at each Festival since and this year is no exception. The program of competitions will appeal to singers, dancers and elocutionists. We are proud that we have been able to obtain sponsors and cash prizes, a new aspect this year. Certificates will be awarded at each competition.