Wales Meets Yale: Historic musical collaboration comes together for charity

A major musical moment is coming to Wales as the world-renowned Yale University Concert Band performs in the country for the first time in its history.

The band will be collaborating with the celebrated Llantrisant Male Voice Choir, Wales’ oldest male voice choir, for two benefit concerts in Cardiff and Pontygwaith.

The Yale Concert Band will bring 63 musicians to Wales, joining 55 voices from Llantrisant MVC to create an extraordinary ensemble of over 100 performers.

Tour

Taking place on consecutive nights, the tour begins at Cardiff’s Temple of Peace on Monday 26th May in aid of Life for African Mothers, a Cardiff-based charity delivering maternal health support across West Africa.

The following evening, the tour heads to the Cosmo Club in Pontygwaith, Rhondda, for a moving performance in support of Prostate Cymru.

The concerts showcase a powerful cultural exchange, featuring a programme of specially curated Welsh songs including Gwahoddiad, Llef, O Gymru, a new original composition My Country, and a unique choral version of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

Also featured is 16-year-old Welsh vocalist Hannah Grace, who recently recorded My Country with Llantrisant MVC. The Yale Band will perform it live at both events.

Voice

Organiser Mark Lee Hegarty, director of the upcoming documentary Let The Children Sing, said: “This is more than a concert series.

“This is about giving voice to Wales — especially the Rhondda Valley, which is too often left off the cultural map — and uniting it with Yale’s world-class musicianship to tell a story of community, compassion, and legacy.”

Both concerts will be filmed for a documentary that will share Welsh culture and identity with an international audience.

The film will also highlight the life-saving work of Life for African Mothers, celebrating their 20 years of service supporting maternal healthcare across Africa — and the urgent mission of Prostate Cymru, especially close to the hearts of several choir members currently battling prostate cancer, the leading cancer killer of men in Wales.

Tickets for the Monday 26 May show at Temple of Peace, Cardiff are sold out but may be available through cancellations. For more details call on 02920 228 549. To get tickets for the Tuesday 27 May show at Cosmo Club, Pontygwaith, Rhondda, call 07771 887500 or email [email protected] . 

The ensemble will also perform at St Elvan’s, Aberdare on Wednesday May 28th together with Lewis Merthyr Band & Cwmdare Voices Male Choir. Tickets for From Connecticut to Cynon! are available from 0333 666 4466 or from the site here.