Special Pre-Series Event:

The Onllwyn Male Voice Choir

The Appalachian State University Office of Arts & Cultural Programs is proud to join with a large group of cross-disciplinary departments and offices at the university who value the university's commitment to developing international relationships in welcoming the Onllwyn Male Voice Choir to our community.

For the past six years, Appalachian State University has offered a summer study abroad program in Wales, focusing on the South Wales coalfields, which for the past three years has included a service-learning component. Each year, students participating in this program have been welcomed to sit in on the choir practice of the Onllwyn Male Voice Choir, and have been educated and entertained by the rich repertoire of song, stories and community that the choir members have shared. Their contributions and Welsh welcome have become integral to a valued relationship - one that has helped members of the Appalachian community understand the rich and complex South Wales coalfields history, as well as contemporary life in Wales.

The 40-member Onllwyn Male Voice Choir was founded in 1969, and follows in the tradition of the male voice choirs and their association with coal mining communities in the valleys of South Wales. Accumulating numerous accolades and awards over the years, the choir has toured extensively throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland, Bulgaria, Germany and Barbados, and in 1998, joined an array of celebrities, including Harry Belafonte, Whoopie Goldberg and Danny Glover, at Carnegie Hall in a salute to Paul Robeson.

While on campus, the choir members will participate in a daylong series of activities, offering insight into their lives and culture, and culminating with an evening performance. Tickets to this event are $5 for General Admission, and free of charge to students. For tickets, call the Farthing Auditorium Box Office toll-free at 800.841.ARTS (2787), or locally at 828.262.4046. For further information about the events and activities associated with the choir's visit to Appalachian, contact the Center for Appalachian Studies at 828.262.4089.

The Onllwyn Choir's visit to Appalachian is supported by the Offices of the Chancellor, Arts & Cultural Programs, International Programs and Student Development; the College of Arts & Sciences; the Center for Appalachian Studies; University Recreation; the Appalachian Heritage Council; the Departments of Anthropology, History, Political Science, Sociology; the Hayes School of Music; and the Sustainable Development Program at Appalachian State University.