BETHANIA soprano, Gwawr Edwards is used to travelling to America to sing in concerts and festivals – she’s done so since she was 11 years old. But the journey she made in September this year to Columbus, Ohio was very different to all her previous trips to the States.

Gwawr went there at the invitation of the North American Festival of Wales and she sang in the opening ceremony, in the main concert and at two cymanfa ganu - hymn-singing events - during the four days of this year’s festival. But she also spent time visiting members of her family who’ve made their home in Ohio for very many years.

In the programme Gwawr Edwards yn Ohio on S4C on Saturday, 31 October, viewers can join the singer at the festival and as she, her husband, Dan, and their six-month old daughter, Nel, call to see relatives of the Edwards family in Ohio. The programme comes after a concert from this year’s National Eisteddfod - Eisteddfod 2015: Seiniau’r Sgrin - giving the evening on S4C a distinctively musical theme.

altEisteddfod 2015:Seiniau’r Sgrin is a special concert filmed at the National Eisteddfod in Meifod this year. It is a celebration of classic film and TV music with John Owen-Jones, CF1 Choir, Luke McCall and Rhian Lois joining John Quirk’s Orchestra to lead us into the world of memorable music. The programme is sure to bring back happy memories of favourite films and television shows.

“Our time in Ohio was the best trip of my life,” said Gwawr.

“I had visited members of the family in Ohio before but not for 10 years. At that time, the visit didn’t have the same impact but this time, as I’m now a wife and mother, the whole thing was more emotional and much more meaningful. Taking Nel out to meet the relatives was a very special experience.”

Gwawr’s father, the tenor Dafydd Edwards, officially opened this year’s North American Festival of Wales and another member of the family from Bethania, Gwawr’s sister, Menna Edwards-Griffiths, provided the musical accompaniment for Gwawr and her father.

Gwawr, who is well-known in the world of opera and in concerts in Wales, in the UK and overseas, said: “Like a lot of Welsh people, a substantial number of the family emigrated to America in the 1800s sailing from Aberaeron to Liverpool and on to Ohio. Today, many of the descendants have settled in other parts of the States but there are a lot still in Ohio. It’s a lovely rural state. I’d be very happy to live there if I didn’t love Wales so much.”

In the programme, in a clip from the documentary, Cymry Ohio, the late historian Dr John Davies explains why so many people emigrated from Ceredigion to Ohio and other parts of America in the 1800s.

Sioned Geraint, producer of Gwawr Edwards yn Ohio at Tinopolis, said: “If one more member of the Edwards family had joined the others who left for Ohio, it’s quite likely that Dafydd Edwards and his family would not be living in Ceredigion today such was the flow of people to the States.”

Among the members of the Edwards family in Ohio some became famous including the Edwards Sisters vocal harmony quartet and another relative, Bob Evans, founder of Bob Evans Restaurants, eateries that are still popular in America.

Gwawr has just released her second CD, Alleluia, featuring classical music, lighter items and traditional Welsh songs.

It will feature guest appearances by Only Men Aloud, Côr Ieuenctid Môn, mezzo-soprano Caryl Hughes, harpist Dylan Cernyw and the Rhys Taylor Dixieband.

In 2010 Gwawr released her debut album with the record label SAIN featuring bass-baritone Bryn Terfel and harpist Catrin Finch. She also sang a duet with Bryn on his 2010 Christmas album on the Deutsche Grammophon label and recently toured the UK with Bryn Terfel.

The new album features 11 tracks of popular and classical favourites along with a brand new composition by Gwawr herself, a song dedicated to her baby daughter, Nel born earlier this year. “It’s been a very memorable year and an unbelievably busy one,” said Gwawr.

“After nearly six years since my debut album on Sain I’m really excited to see the release of Alleluia and wish to thank everybody who’s contributed in some way or another with a special thank you to my husband Dan for his support and guidance.”

Alleluia was released on 19 October and will be launched in a special event at the Norwegian Church, Cardiff Bay, on Thursday, 29 October at 7pm.