St David's Day 2024

As part of the 2024 St. David's Day celebrations, four talented young singers from the Urdd travelled to perform in St. David’s Day concerts with North American Welsh Societies.

Representing the Urdd, and Wales, were Owain Rowlands, Llinos Haf Jones, Ynyr Rogers, and Manw Lili Robin. Following their success in the Urdd Eisteddfod, they were chosen to be Urdd ambassadors for the tour.

The group performed at several exciting events in three different cities – Philadelphia, New York, and Washington D.C.

In New York, there was a lovely service at the Welsh Church, followed by a performance in a Welsh-owned bar – The Liberty. The largest event was in Philadelphia: the Grand Banquet of the Welsh Society of Philadelphia, held in celebration of St. David. There was also a service at Philadelphia’s Welsh Presbyterian Church on Arch Street.

In Washington D.C., they performed at the Welsh Government North America St. David’s event at the Embassy, where they received a warm welcome. Owain sang a duet with James Roscoe, a Welshman and Deputy Head of Mission in D.C.

Tours like this enable the Urdd to give young people from Wales international stage experience, helping those pursuing a professional singing career. It was a fantastic opportunity for the individuals to build confidence and form new friendships and connections.

Of course, it also gives young people the chance to see a different part of the world and to learn from these experiences while sharing the Welsh language and culture at the same time.

A similar tour was organised back in March 2023, and following the success of that visit, the Urdd was keen to continue to expand its relationship with the Welsh Societies in North America, and to recreate that special tour once again this year with four other members.

Most of the events were organised by the Welsh Society of Philadelphia, and the Urdd would like to extend a huge thank you to them for making this unforgettable opportunity possible for young people from Wales. In the future, there is a strong desire to continue this relationship and to provide more opportunities like this for young people to perform and share our language and culture.