Wales presents musical gift to America at Library of Congress USA250 event

Nation.Cymru staff

A musical gift from Wales has been presented to the American people at a special event at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., marking the 250th anniversary of the United States and celebrating the enduring relationship between Wales and America.

Welsh Government Cabinet Minister for Culture and Sport Heledd Fychan joined Pontypridd-born, New York-based composer Katie Jenkins at the event, where Jenkins’ newly commissioned orchestral work Symffoni’r Môr Mawr – A Transatlantic Symphony was formally presented to the American people.

Recorded with leading Welsh and American talent including Sir Bryn Terfel and GRAMMY Award-winning pianist Chloe Flower, the 15-minute composition was previewed at the event in a live performance featuring Flower, vocalists from the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama and the U.S. Air Force Strings.

Created in both Welsh and English, the work tells the story of Welsh people who travelled to America and the cultural traditions they carried with them, while exploring the connections between the two nations that have continued across generations.

Following its presentation, the score of Symffoni’r Môr Mawr will join the Library of Congress’s extensive music collections, giving the work – and the Welsh-American story it tells – a permanent place within one of the world’s leading cultural institutions.

Known as the Land of Song, Wales created the composition as a cultural gift to mark the USA250 celebrations. Across three movements, the work explores themes of migration, heritage, home and community, drawing on Welsh hymnody and choral traditions alongside contemporary orchestral and American musical influences.

The project brings together a wider cast of Welsh and international talent, including National Poet of Wales Hanan Issa, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Pendyrus Male Voice Choir, CF1 x Côr Ifor Bach and award-winning soprano Ellen Williams, alongside bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel and GRAMMY Award-winning American pianist Chloe Flower.

Nicholas Brown-Cáceres, chief of the Library’s Music Division, said: “This gift to the people of the United States is a poignant and fitting tribute to the musical traditions of Wales that have influenced American culture.

“Representing the magnificent choral and vocal traditions of Wales with a new work that elevates contemporary voices showcases our now shared cultural heritage, developed over 250 years of friendship.”

Cabinet Minister for Culture and Sport, Heledd Fychan, said: “Symffoni’r Môr Mawr is a gift born of friendship, history and creativity, and to see it now join the collections of the Library of Congress is a fitting tribute to the deep and enduring ties between our two nations.

“Wales has always been a nation of song, and this symphony carries that tradition across the Atlantic, honouring the Welsh men and women who built new lives in America while offering a croeso cynnes, a warm welcome, to the audiences discovering it today.

“As America celebrates 250 years since the Declaration of Independence, I am delighted our nation’s contribution to this shared story will now have a permanent home in one of the world’s great cultural institutions. I hope it inspires many more creative partnerships between Wales and the United States for generations to come.”

Speaking about the project, Katie Jenkins added: “Music has always been part of my life. I grew up in Pontypridd surrounded by it, with family who filled the house with music and piano playing, which inspired me from an early age. Although I now live in New York, coming home to Wales always grounds me, and this piece really reflects the two worlds that have shaped me – the calm and warmth of Wales, and the energy and excitement of New York.

“Symffoni’r Môr Mawr tells the story of the people who left Wales generations ago. I kept thinking about what that journey must have felt like – the sadness of leaving home, the uncertainty of not knowing what lay ahead, but also the hope and excitement of starting a new chapter. I wanted the music to capture all of those emotions.

“I hope this piece celebrates the friendship between Wales and the United States and gives people a sense of the Wales I know and love – a country with deep roots, a huge creative spirit and so many stories still to tell.”

The composition was recorded at BBC Hoddinott Hall at Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff in July, bringing together the Welsh and international artists and ensembles involved in the project. The recording now forms the musical centrepiece of Wales’ contribution to the USA250 celebrations.

The project has been led by the Welsh Government’s North America office as part of Wales’ contribution to the USA250 celebrations.

The presentation at the Library of Congress marks a significant moment in the project’s journey, which continues at the North American Festival of Wales from 2–4 September. The festival will share the story behind the composition with audiences and feature a performance of the work.

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