By Mary Morris Mergenthal
All are welcome to the Welsh Hymn Sing/Gymanfa Ganu sponsored by the St. David’s Welsh Society of Minnesota.
The hymn sing will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 4, at St. Anthony Park Lutheran Church (SAPLC), 2323 Como Ave.
Naomi Karstad, of St. Paul, will direct. She has sung with the Bach Society, Minnesota Chorale, the Minnesota Opera Chorus, MacPhail’s Sonomento and numerous church choirs. Naomi is currently on the voice faculty at MacPhail and is the choir director at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church in Sunfish Lake.
David Evan Thomas, Welsh Society member, composer and two-time McKnight Foundation Fellow, will accompany singing on the grand piano.
Harper Marianne Reininger will play Celtic tunes on her pedal folk harp.
Singing will be in four parts (soprano/alto/tenor/bass). Don’t worry if you’re not sure what voice part you sing, there will be plenty of enthusiastic singers around you! Most words will be English, some Welsh. There will be loaner copies of the North American Welsh Hymnal available.
An offering will be received to help defray costs.
It will be a special centennial Gymanfa. The St. David’s Society was founded in the early 1900s and has held dozens of annual hymn sings since then, despite pausing for World War II and the pandemic.
After the hymn sing, free homemade Welsh cakes and tea will be served in the church narthex. All are welcome. The classic Welsh treats are being baked by SAPLC members.
A bit later, potato leek soup with soda bread, prepared by another SAPLC member, will be served to those who reserve in advance. Reservations are required by Monday, April 28. Cost is $5 per person. Please indicate if you prefer vegetarian potato leek soup. To reserve, please contact Mary Morris Mergenthal, [email protected], or call her at 612-670-8510. Pay for your reservation at the event.
If you’re unable to attend, the Gymanfa Ganu will be livestreamed at the SAPLC YouTube channel:
tinyurl.com/SAPLC-livestream.
Mary Morris Mergenthal, of St. Anthony Park, is a former editor of the Bugle and the newspaper’s current obits editor.
