Côr Y Penrhyn

The choir has its roots in the slate quarrying area of Dyffryn Ogwen on the edge of Eryri National Park, about 5 miles to the south east of the university city of Bangor. The choir can trace its origins back to the 1880s when a united choir was formed from a number of smaller groups that existed on the various 'galleries' or levels at the mighty Penrhyn Slate Quarry. Indeed, that choir travelled to Chicago for the World Trade Fair in 1893 under the name Penrhyn Male Choir and the present choir returned to “The Windy City” in 1993 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of that visit. At the beginning, almost all members of the choir were slate quarrymen, at a time when the quarry had a workforce of almost 3000. Over the years the numbers employed in the industry have shrunk significantly and the choir now draws its members from all walks of life including schoolteachers, local government officials, farmers and businessmen. Côr y Penrhyn is one of the busiest choirs in Wales and before Christmas 2013 the members shared the stage with Wynne Evans, the operatic tenor who fronted the TV adverts for Go Compare. Just prior to that it was down to Cardiff for the international rugby match with South Africa where the choir was part of the pre-match singing on the pitch at the Millenium Stadium before 75,000 people. The following day a Welsh language TV programme featured the choir with one of Wales’ best known actors, John Ogwen, who hails from the same area.