Kansas Snapshots by Gloria Freeland - August 22, 2025

"Blessed is a world that sings ..."

Husband Art and I have been visiting Wales since the 1980s, but we had always avoided being there in early July to escape the hubbub surrounding the six-day International Eisteddfod ("eye-STETH-vod") - a celebration of music that began in 1947. We are not "big-crowds" people and I had heard the festival can snarl traffic and make finding accommodations difficult. Some 4,000 competitors from 35 countries arrive annually - and that doesn't include the thousands who come to watch the performances.

The mission of the festival is "to promote peace and harmony through the universal language of music." The 2025 theme was a "year of welcome and unity." It certainly sounded like something I'd like, so I reversed course and told Art last summer I was adding it to my "bucket list." He made the arrangements for us to attend this year.

It was a glorious day when we set out from Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant. The green hills, bright blue sky, puffy white clouds, and warm temperatures were the perfect companions for an outing. We drove through the beautiful Milltir Cerrig ("mile of stones") Mountain Pass and the stark moorland that followed on our way to Llangollen, the home of the festival.

The parking area was a grassy field on a hill above the Eisteddfod Pavilion. From there, we walked downtown to get a spot on the River Dee bridge to watch the Parade of Nations.

Our timing was perfect. Not too many people had arrived, allowing us to choose a good location on the sidewalk for taking photos and videos. While waiting, we chatted with our friend Joel, a bass in the Fron Male Voice Choir and an EMT. He wasn't on duty, but had come to watch just as we had.

A little after 4:30, we heard music from the direction of the pavilion. Soon, singers and dancers were making their way down Castle Street and to the bridge. I was struck by the colorful costumes, the beautiful music, and the joy expressed by the participants. Representatives from Wales, Portugal, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, China, Canada, India, the U.S., and others passed before us, dancing and singing on the way to the town hall. There, each gave a short performance and then danced and sang their way back to the pavilion.

After the crowd thinned, Art and I indulged in rum-raisin ice cream. Another couple came to sit with us on the shaded bench. They were real Eisteddfod aficionados, giving us one of their 88-page program books for the Tuesday-through Sunday music celebration.

Paging through it, I was amazed at the number of items scheduled. Each day had listings of choir and folk dance competitions, puppet-and-magic shows, children’s crafts, mini-harp workshops, and presentations by poets, authors, and storytellers.

The success of those activities depended on scores of sponsors and volunteers, who served as stewards, hosts, florists, staging crews, ticket sellers, marketing specialists, and more. Area school children were "welcome hosts" for the youngest people coming from around the world.

In recent years, the Eisteddfod has also included "big-name" artists doing evening performances. We had purchased tickets for three of those: the Wednesday "One World" concert to be conducted by Sir Karl Jenkins to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the United Nations; the Saturday Choir of the World and Dance Champions contests, along with musical theater star Lucie Jones; and the Sunday show featuring Welsh bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel.

As we arrived at the east gates to enter the pavilion for the Wednesday concert, we were told that the area was being evacuated because of a "major medical situation." We later learned that a number of children had fallen ill at the same time with flu-like symptoms, so the Welsh emergency services decided it was best to play it safe and cancel the event. We were disappointed, but realized that sometimes circumstances dictate a major change in plans. Fortunately, those who were ill recovered quickly.

On Saturday, we brought friend Jan along. Siân Thomas, a well-known personality in Welsh broadcasting, was the MC and she greeted audience members in Welsh and English. The first half was the final dance competition between groups from India and Ireland. The second half was the final choir contest with competitors from New Zealand, England, and California. The Indian dancers and New Zealand choir were the winners.

Nicoletta Mantovani, Luciano Pavarotti’s widow, was in Llangollen to help celebrate her husband’s career start at the 1955 Eisteddfod. She served as presenter of the Choir of the World trophy.

Jones, who starred in West End productions of "Les Miserables" and "Wicked," also entertained the crowd with several musical theater numbers.

On Sunday, Art, Jan, Jan's friends Maggie and Heddwen, and I attended the final night's show. We bumped into Neal Hayward, another Fron choir member, who has been an Eisteddfod volunteer "steward" for many years, taking pictures and answering questions.

The first part of evening's program was the Pendine International Voice of the Future competition between soprano Eiry Price and tenor Andrew Henley, which Henley won. Terfel, who performed at King Charles III's coronation in 2023, sang sea shanties and was later joined by Fisherman's Friends, a group from Cornwall, and Welsh singer Eve Goodman.

When the last event had concluded, we watched the stage crew - including Fron choir members Rob Edwards and Jeremy Davies - pull up cords and strike the pavilion chairs. Rob said most stage crew members work more than 80 hours during the week of the Eisteddfod. As a former event planner, I appreciated their efforts.

So was all the planning and navigating the crowds worth it? The 2025 Eisteddfod logo proclaims: "Blessed is a world that sings ..." As we left the pavilion Sunday evening, I had to admit to feeling rather blessed to have been there.