CARBONDALE — The 50-voice Swansea Valley Celebration Male Choir will tour Northeastern Pennsylvania this month with stops in Scranton and Carbondale, along with area musicians.

This pilgrimage from the Swansea Valley to the Lackawanna Valley revisits a shared heritage in coal, iron and song that spans more than 185 years since Welsh families first arrived in the area. From it’s beginning, Lackawanna County’s history was connected to Wales. Clarks Summit even has a sister city in Wales, the town of Ystradgynlais.

The choir will arrive in Carbondale at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 26 for a ceremony at the 7th Ave. mine monument with the Carbondale High School Band. Following the miners tribute, members will have dinner at 6 p.m. at the Best Western Pioneer Plaza, where they will also be presented with proclamations by regional and local officials. Selections will be presented by the Carbondale High School Chorus, under the direction of Christopher Schuster.

The group, under the direction of Conway Morgan, will perform at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27 at Elm Park Methodist Church in Scranton and at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29 at Best Western Pioneer Plaza in Carbondale. It will be joined in Scranton by the Scranton High School Knight Rhythms, directed by Lisa McConloge, and in Carbondale by the Valley View High School Choir, directed by Gina Lupini.

The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce will also host a reception at 7 p.m. Oct. 28 at its Main St. facility for the choir, featuring a performance by Carbondale’s Classic Voices.

Tickets for the concerts are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. For the Carbondale concert, call 570-536-6020 and for Scranton, call 570-344-3841.

For Abington Journal

Information provided by Carbondale Historical Society.