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Côr Godre'r Aran

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Côr Godre'r Aran is a Welsh male-voice choir from Llanuwchllyn near Bala in Gwynedd. It began in 1949 to compete at the National Eisteddfod of Wales in Dolgellau, led by Tom Jones. It started as a penillion singing (cerdd dant) group of about 20 young men and grew into a choir of more than forty Welsh speakers from rural backgrounds. The choir is known for its strong tradition in Welsh music and has traveled widely since 1969.

They have performed in the United States, New Zealand, Portugal, Hong Kong, Singapore, Argentina, Canada (three times) and Australia (eight times). In 2007 they returned to Patagonia, Argentina for a three-week tour and also visited Switzerland. The choir has given concerts in Spain, Ireland, Scotland and at major venues in Britain, including the Royal Albert Hall, Symphony Hall Birmingham, The Sage Gateshead, Brangwyn Hall Swansea and St David's Hall Cardiff.

Their musical director is Eirian Owen, who has led the choir since 1975 after starting as accompanist in 1970. The group has recorded 12 times with the Sain label, including four CDs: Evviva, Cwlwm Aur, Byd o Heddwch and Cofio (released for the choir's 60th anniversary in 2009). They have won top awards at the National Eisteddfod and the Llangollen International Eisteddfod, and in 2005 won the BBC Radio Cymru competition for Male Voice choirs. They have received David Ellis Memorial Awards (Blue Ribbon) from the National Eisteddfod. Notable member Tom Evans, known as Tom Gwanas, has won twice.


This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 00:57 (CET).