The Library of Congress Music Division has accepted a gift from the people of Wales to the American people marking 250 years of American independence, including a new orchestral work by Welsh composer Katie Jenkins.
Jenkins, who is based in New York, was invited by the Government of Wales to compose a work celebrating the connections between the Welsh people and America. The result was "Symffoni'r Môr Mawr: A Transatlantic Symphony," a 15-minute work for chorus, orchestra and vocal soloists. The full, choral and vocal scores are now available through the Library's digital collections.
The symphony is a tribute to ties between Wales and America since the colonial era. Many Welsh people have resettled in the United States over the past 250-plus years, and numerous signers of the Declaration of Independence had Welsh origins, including Francis Lewis, who represented New York in the Continental Congress. The Music Division's collections document Welsh influence on American music, from hymns by Joseph Parry (1841-1903) to singers such as Tom Jones (b. 1940), whose hits are represented in the Burt Bacharach Collection, and Bonnie Tyler (1951-2026).
The work unfolds across three movements. The first, "Caniad y Croesi" ("Music for a Voyage"), traces Welsh settlers sailing for a new life in America. The second, "Anweledig, eto'n annwyl" ("Invisible, Yet Loved"), draws on Jenkins's fieldwork in the Welsh Tract in Philadelphia and incorporates Welsh-language hymn lines from "Pigion o Hymnau," one of the earliest Welsh-language hymnals printed in Utica, New York, in 1808. The third, "Gweu Tuag Adref" ("Weaving Home"), features a libretto by Hanan Issa, National Poet of Wales, inspired by the quilt and textiles collection at Amgueddfa Cymru, St Fagans.
On September 1, 2026, the Government of Wales joined the Music Division in presenting the U.S. premiere of excerpts, with Jenkins conducting, pianist Chloe Flower, the U.S. Air Force Strings and singers from the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama. The event included a ceremonial transfer of Jenkins's annotated full score, signed by principal artists from the world premiere recording made in Cardiff in July 2026. Sir Bryn Terfel and soprano Ellen Williams are the featured vocalists on the recording. Acting Librarian of Congress Robert R. Newlen, Welsh Government Cabinet Minister for Culture and Sport Heledd Fychan, and Charlotte Thomas, Deputy Head of North America for the Welsh Government, took part in the transfer.
The signed full score is available to researchers through the Performing Arts Reading Room. The Music Division is offering concerts and educational events for America 250, including an evening with composer John Adams and the Washington National Opera on October 13 and Audra McDonald on January 13.