Phyllis Kinney and Meredydd Evans: Pillars of Welsh Traditional Music
Phyllis Kinney, the American opera singer renowned for her dedication to Welsh folk music, has passed away at the age of 103. Alongside her late husband, Dr Meredydd Evans, she was regarded as one of the most influential figures in Welsh traditional music.
Music, particularly Welsh folk singing, was central to Kinney's life. She met the scholar and folk musician Dr Meredydd Evans, known as Merêd, in Bangor. The couple married and moved to America in the early 1950s.
Upon returning to Wales, Kinney and Evans committed themselves to preserving Welsh folk songs and ensuring their legacy endured. They contributed numerous articles, journals, and acclaimed books in the field of music.
During their later years, Phyllis Kinney and Meredydd Evans lived in Cwmystwyth.
Early Connections and Musical Journey
Speaking on the Caryl programme on Radio Cymru in July 2025, Eluned Evans, their daughter, described her mother's connection to Wales dating back to 1940.
"At Michigan State College, she met her voice tutor Gomer Llewellyn Jones from Treforys, who taught her five folk tunes in English.
‘You have a wonderful voice but I don't want you to murder my beautiful language,’ he said.
Then, when Mum attended the Juilliard Conservatory of Music in New York, she encountered Cynolwyn Pugh, minister of the Welsh chapel there. Through him, Mum learned Welsh songs and performed Welsh hymns and songs in concerts in New York."
Through Reverend Cynolwyn Pugh, Kinney came to England and then to Wales.
"Mum stayed with a woman named Janet Evans who took her to North Wales and to the BBC in Bangor.
At the time, Myfanwy Howells was producing a programme about Welsh women and was delighted to meet an American who could sing in Welsh. On the day Mum was recording, the only people in the BBC canteen were the Triawd y Coleg.
It was there that Dad and Mum met, forming a lifelong partnership — both in life and in song.
In America, I remember sitting in the back of the car as they went to concerts, singing together on the way there and back."
Recognition and Legacy
In 2019, Dr Meredydd Evans (who died in 2015) and his widow Phyllis Kinney received the Welsh Music Inspiration Award. Organisers described their contribution to Wales as "invaluable" and noted their deep understanding of folk music as something the couple were "very proud to pass on."
As noted by R Arwel Jones in Y Bywgraffiadur, the impact of Meredydd Evans and Phyllis Kinney on the Cwmystwyth area in Ceredigion was "immense" over more than 30 years.
"They supported, restored, established and maintained the cultural society, the chapel, the local paper, and the eisteddfod, and taught Welsh to many immigrants who were their neighbours.
Although Cwmystwyth is relatively remote, their household became a destination for people of all ages from across Wales and the world, who would come to enjoy their company and benefit from their intellectual generosity."
During their time in Ceredigion, the couple were regular visitors to the National Library in Aberystwyth.
"They immersed themselves in the history of folk songs and melodies," added R Arwel Jones.
"Their work appeared regularly in Canu Gwerin (the Journal of the Folk Song Society), and they published several collections of songs based on their research, as well as collections of essays tracing the history of various elements of the tradition.
They often researched and published as a team, but were also able to address different audiences, with Phyllis publishing for English-speaking audiences and Merêd for Welsh-speaking ones."
Family
Phyllis Kinney is survived by her only child, Eluned, and her family.
