A musical memory of: Gertrude Martha Gronow
1883-1966
&
Lilian Gronow
1906-1989
"As long as we live, there is never enough singing"
~Martin Luther
Tours of Canada & The United States of AmericaRoyal Welsh Ladies Choir here on Friday.
The Royal Welsh Ladies Choir a chorus of fourteen voices under the leadership of Miss Gertrude Gronow will give a concert at 8 o'clock Friday evening at the Eirat Methodist church under the auspices of the Seneca Men's class of that church. The singers have been appearing in various cities in the State and have been received enthusiastically whefever they have appeared. Among their recent engagements were concerts in Elmitra, Olean, Bradford, Scranton and Youngs-Town.
Miss Gronow assembled the choir and brought it to America from her native home in Wales and she is the conductor of the choir as well as organiser. The singers will appear in costume and will present a varied program including songs in welsh as well as operatic numbers and familiar folk tunes. Solos and duet numbers will feature the program.
The choir met Queen Marie of Roumania on her arrival in Toronto the past year and Miss Gronow was received by the Queen.Among the notables and royalty before whom the choir members have presented their program is the Prince of Wales. Miss Gronow and Miss Jennie Ellis, a soloist in the choir on one of their tours Sang for Charles Evans Hughes in the State House, Albany, during his term as governor of New York state.
[Geneva Daily Times; Wednesday 23rd February 1927]
Welsh Choir to Sing
A musical event of unusual importance is promised in the visit to Cuba of the Royal Welsh Ladies choir, which will sing at the Presbyterian church next week Saturday, Feb. 5th. It is conducted by Miss Gertrude Gronow of Caerphilly, Wales. She has performed under royal patronage, and the Prince of Wales has expressed keen delight in the music rendered by her choir.
As a child Miss Gronow attracted notice in musical festivals and at length was engaged by Madame Hughes Thomas, well known in Canada and the United States, to tour on this side of the Atlantic. During the War she took prominent part in concerts for soldiers and sailors and in hospitals.
Miss Gronow has gathered a combination of voices of rare quality. Those who have heard Welsh choirs will not fail to attend this concert, as the singers of her race are renowned for their quality.
[The Cuba Patriot. N.Y. Friday January 28th 1927]
Mme. Gertrude Gronow and her Royal Welsh Ladies Chorus will appear in a concert Monday night Jan 31st at the Binghamton Central High school, under the auspices of the Men's Billy Sunday class of the Boulevard Methodist Episcopal church.
This organisation contains 14 women singers, most of them from the town of Caerphilly, a musical center within a dozen miles of Cardiff, capital of Wales. The group has appeared in all parts of Great Britain and on the continent and have sung by command, before the Prince of Wales and other royal personages. His Royal Highness was so impressed by their singing that he sent a letter of appreciation to Miss Gronow, and the choir received many engagements to appear in exclusive circles. Its initial appearance in the United States is the result of a nationwide appeal from musical communities.
Choral singing by women has become quite the vogue in Great Britian, and the Royal Welsh Ladies include some of the best known women vocalists in Wales and surrounding territory. Among them are: Mme Gronow, conductor; Miss Jennie Ellis, soprano five times a blue ribbon winner. Miss Louise Davis, Welsh soprano twice blue ribbon winner; Miss May John soprano, semi national winner; Miss Annie Flook; Mme Benjamin Thomas; Miss Mary Evans; Miss Gwenno Jones; Miss Gwen Maddox; Miss Ida W. Stevens; Miss Gladys Horgest; Miss Lilian Gronow.
[The Binghamton Press, Friday Evening January 7th 1927]
Again on the 8th October 1927 the choir left Southampton England bound for New York aboard the Cunard RMS Mauritania: The ships log lists the following members of the Royal Welsh Ladies Choir, together with their (ages). Gertrude Gronow, conductor: (44); Catherine Gowe, musician (32); Henrietta Veale, musician (22); Sarah Lewis, musician (37); Annie May John, musician (26); Grace Battinan, musician (21) Phoebe Northall, musician (20); Gwendoline Jenkins, musician (25); Morfydd Davies, musician (23); Eleanor Williams, musician (18); Doris Richards, musician (23); Sarah Williams, musician (31); Lilian Gronow, musician (21); Dorothy Hambly, musician (25) (Lilian Gronow was the niece of Mme Gertrude Gronow).
