In June of 1964 a local Blaenau Ffestiniog man, Meirion Jones formed a male voice choir of about 15 men to compete in the local Eisteddfod in Blaenau. Due to the encouragement they received Meirion decided to formally create a Choir and went about recruiting new members, travelling many miles in the process the Choir number grew rapidly. From the outset , competition was an important part of the Choirs life and they quickly became a force to be reckoned with in the competition world. Between 1966 and 1974 the Choir entered 26 competitions and won 19 of them coming second in three others. In 1972 the Choir won the first prize in the Butlins Eisteddfod which at that time attracted many famous Choirs from all over the UK. The Choir went on to win this competition five times. In 1975 the Choir embarked on an historical visit behind the ‘Iron curtain’ as was, to Hungary where they were the guests of the Zoltan Kodaly Male Choir. The Brythoniaid also sang in front of a panel of distinguished musicians at the Cultural Academy and were awarded a Diploma for their performance. Since then the Choir has travelled extensively in Europe and both coasts of the USA.
Do you have any interesting stories about your group? The Choir were the first to travel behind the ‘iron curtain’ as was when they undertook a tour of Hungary in 1975 where they appeared before a panel of eminent musicians and were awarded a Diploma of Excellence from the Academy of Culture. There are two original Choir members still singing in the Choir. They have sung with the Pet Shop Boys at Festival No 6 in Portmeirion, North Wales. To date the Choir has won the Male Voice Choir competition at the National Eisteddfod on seven occasions and in 2019 won the Male Voice Choir competition at the Interceltic Festival in Ireland and also the Male Voice Choir Competition at the prestigious Mrs Sunderland Festival in Huddersfield Town Hall where they also won the open competition for Choirs from all parts of the UK.
The Choir has made numerous television appearances and shared the stage with many international Artistes such as Dennis and Patricia O’Neill, Willard White, Shirley Bassey, Harry Secombe, Gwyn Hughes Jones, The Black Dyke Mills Band, and Bryn Terfel. In 2015 the Choir shared the stage with the Pet Shop Boys at Festival Number Six at Portmeirion. Since 2001 the Brythoniaid have been under the expert guidance of John Eifion Jones who has continued to bring success and notable performances to the Choir, along with the invaluable assistance of our accompanist since 1984, Elizabeth Ellis, and long may this continue.
In 2024 the Choir will be celebrating 60 years of existence and our Accompanist will be celebrating 40 years of uninterrupted service to the Choir.
Country representing: Cymru
How would you best describe your group? 70 members from all walks of life who enjoy the companionship that music brings.
Have you been to the Llangollen Eisteddfodd before? Yes
Where and how often do you rehearse? Main Hall, Ysgol y Moelwyn , Blaenau Ffestiniog, Gwynedd.
Website: corybrythoniaid.com
Youtube: https://youtu.be/q8vch_GUL50?si=T9StMrZaDj-8jIeb
Facebook: https://Brythoniaid.com
