The Welsh have a strong heritage in acting, music and literature and Wales is often called “the land of song”. If music is a passion we can tailor your tour to include a music festival or choral recitals. For example, every year in Llangollen, the prestigious Choir of the Year competition is held at the International Musical Eisteddfod. This six-day festival of music, dance, and song has been running since 1947, and in 2005 Luciano Pavarotti added his name to the Choir competition in recognition of his appreciation of the festival and its influence on his career. The winners in 2009 are The Westminster Chorus from California, USA, who won the Barbershop Chorus competition.

Welsh Male Voice Choirs

Welsh choral singing was a form of popular culture in the nineteenth century. Crowds followed the choirs in even greater numbers than in football matches and the male voice choirs of the Rhondda toured the world and left a lasting legacy. If you’d like to listen to a Welsh Male Voice choir, we will do our best to include that in your itinerary.

We also hold a national cultural festival each year called Eisteddfod which features poetry and prose readings, singing and dancing competitions. It also provides a stage for a new generation of Welsh musicians, a mix of eclectic and exciting music, attracting over 10,000 visitors and over 40 bands. In 2010, it will be held in Ebbw Vale from 31 July to 7 August 2010. Welsh classical singers include Bryn Terfel, Katherine Jenkins and Aled Jones. Famous Welsh popular music acts include Tom Jones, Duffy, Stereophonics, Charlotte Church, Shirley Bassey and Manic Street Preachers.

Then of course there is Dylan Thomas. If you are an admirer of his prose and poetry, then you must visit the Boat House at Laugharne, where Thomas and his family lived for 4 years before his death in New York in 1953. In the Parlour room you can listen to recording of Thomas reading his own poems. An extraordinary experience.

Dylan Thomas - the bard of Wales

Dylan Thomas is generally perceived to be the greatest ever Welsh writer and poet. There is a centre dedicated to studying his work in Swansea and another in nearby Laugharne where he later lived. Other great Welsh writers include R S Thomas and Sarah Waters.