Celebrating St. David's Day in the USA

On Friday, February 24th, four young performers from Wales travelled to the United States, accompanied by former Urdd president Dan Rowbotham from Ceredigion. Their visit was generously funded by Welsh societies in North America to participate in several St. David's Day events in Philadelphia, New York City, and Washington D.C. They spent nine full days visiting these cities, performing in various venues, and had the opportunity to meet and socialize with many Welsh-Americans.

Their first performance was at the Herndon Arts Centere in Washington D.C. on February 25th, organized by the Welsh Society of Washington D.C. The event, an evening of food, music, song, and friendship, was a perfect opening for the young performers from Wales and a lovely introduction to American culture.

After spending the evening in the capital, they travelled by train from Washington D.C. to New York City. They were welcomed by members of the New York Welsh societies and stayed in Brooklyn for three nights, enjoying the city and seeing its tourist attractions. During their time there, they performed at a Sunday service at Rutgers Presbyterian Church, followed by an energetic performance at The Liberty in Manhattan with the Welsh community of New York. Both events gave the performers an opportunity to meet different audiences and provided further insight into the Welsh community in New York, whether in church or at The Liberty. The presence of former Urdd members, like Matthew Rhys, was also a bonus!

On St. David's Day itself, they travelled to Philadelphia for the final leg of their U.S. tour. They had busy days performing at Harriton House and at Arch Street Presbyterian Church’s Welsh Chapel. The four young singers also performed at Merion Cricket Club for the 295th St. David’s Day Reception and Banquet of the Welsh Society of Philadelphia. The evening was a unique experience for the young people to celebrate Welsh culture, made even more special when they received the Welsh Society of Philadelphia’s Arts Excellence Award on behalf of the Urdd. The Urdd is very grateful to the society for presenting the award to the organization, recognizing its work in providing cultural opportunities for young people in Wales.

A huge thank you to the Committee that made this visit possible and to the hosts for welcoming the group into their lovely homes, making them feel at home throughout the week. The Urdd would like to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who contributed to making this fantastic visit possible.

The four singers have gained confidence not only as young people but also as performers, helping them further develop in their careers. Here’s what one of the performers had to say:

“The entire visit was amazing, and receiving the award at the Philadelphia Banquet on behalf of the Urdd was a very special moment. I felt completely at home everywhere we went – meeting so many different people with connections to Wales – it was very special, and I have learned so much about the relationship between Wales and the United States.”

The Urdd’s aim is to ensure that its members have priceless experiences and take pride in their language and heritage. The 2023 St. David's Day visit was an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience for everyone who took part. The Urdd looks forward to developing its partnership with societies and organizations in the United States, providing more opportunities for young people from Wales.