A male voice choir that’s become an internet sensation after clocking up nearly 500,000 hits on YouTube is helping to raise money for a top music festival.

Côr Meibion Trelawnyd will be taking centre stage with Côr Meibion Bro Glyndŵr at St Asaph Cathedral for the concert at 7pm on Saturday, November 23, in aid of the 2020 North Wales International Music Festival, which will be held at the same venue.

The Trelawnyd choir’s fanbase stretches across the globe thanks to the YouTube posting of the choir performing their heart-rending version of the classic Welsh love song, Myfanwy, which has attracted 441,928 hits and still counting.

Other featured soloists will include sopranos Lisa Dafydd and Tesni Jones, and their vocal group from The Royal Northern College of Music, Castor Voices, baritone Sion Eilir Roberts and tenor Elis Jones, of Ruthin.

On piano will be Christopher Frost, co-owner of the Manorhaus boutique hotels in Ruthin and Llangollen, who was a professional pianist and musical director in London’s West End before settling in North Wales.

His past credits include Les Misérables, Sunset Boulevard and Mamma Mia.

According to Geraint Evans, the secretary of Côr Meibion Trelawnyd, they are completely amazed by the global appeal of the video of them singing Myfanwy.

Geraint said: “It’s just phenomenal. We thought we did well when it reached a quarter of a million views but it keeps going up and up. When we first posted it we never expected anything like this. Fantastic!”

The annual music festival was founded in 1972 by celebrated Welsh composer William Mathias and is held every September.

Only weeks after the close of the hugely successful 2019 extravaganza, moves are already underway to prepare for the 2020 festival, funded by a combination of arts grants and donations.

The concert on November 23 will set the fundraising ball rolling, featuring a range of music styles delivered by the two prestigious choirs

plus up and coming young soloists.

Artistic director Ann Atkinson said: “The festival is a huge undertaking, both financially and on an organisational level, so we have no time to rest on our laurels. Even though it’s only a few weeks since the baton went down on our 2019 finale, it’s already time to be looking forward to next year.”

In addition to her festival role, Ann is musical director of both Côr Meibion Trelawnyd and Côr Meibion Bro Glyndŵr. 

Ann is still putting together the finishing touches to the concert programme, which is called An Evening of Song / Noson o Gân and says it will be a fun evening mixing popular and Welsh traditional numbers and West End favourites with the classics. 

She added: “We urge people to get their tickets fast as this is always a well-supported event. I think people who have attended the festival are still in the mood to hear yet more from us and, being November, it’s a wonderful way to begin the seasonal celebrations which mark the year end.”

Tickets for the concert are available from Cathedral Frames - 28 High Street, St Asaph, LL17 0RD – 01745 582929 (open Tuesday - Friday, 10.00 - 16.30) or from caroline@nwimf.com