HAVING vowed never to perform again, Bala musician Cass Meurig will launch a new album later this month.

The 43-year-old, who is known for playing crwth and fiddle, gave up performing and recording in 2012 in order to follow a call to ministry in the Church in Wales.

She spent three years training, thinking her musical career was behind her, but during that time began to write a collection of songs combining traditional tunes with new lyrics reflecting on the Christian faith and her own personal journey.

“I never used to write songs,” said Cass. “I was a musician and I performed other people’s music, but these songs just came to me, and they were my way of processing what I was learning and my faith.

“I had decided not to do any more performing – and I said so quite publicly – but I had all these songs and I didn’t know what to do with them.”

Some of those songs are congregational and Cass has shared them with the church, but the mother-of-three felt others were more personal.

“Some of them are more about my journey and my faith. Various people prodded me to record them and I wasn’t sure but I received a grant and decided to do that in the end.”

The grant from Coda Festival resulted in the appropriately titled CD Taith (Journey).

“I recorded it with singer and guitarist Elise Gwilym, who works as a music therapist in Bangor,” Cass explained.

“We’ve been friends for years and she’s also a Christian. I knew I didn’t want to record the album on my own so Elise came got on board and that was great.”

The album was recorded in Bala at Thompsound Studio and features Cass on lead vocals, fiddle, piano and crwth.

Cass is one of the leading exponents of the crwth, a six-stringed medieval bowed lyre which is surely Wales’ most esoteric instrument.

She is accompanied by Elise on guitar and backing vocals, with double bass by Owen Lloyd Evans.

The album is engineered and produced by the well-known violinist Billy Thompson and will be launched at Gwyl Coda in Llanidloes on Friday, 27 July.

Cass and Elise are also touring the album in a series of concerts in churches and chapels before the official launch.

Prior to joining the ministry, Cass worked internationally as a soloist, playing in many international music festivals including Lorient, Rudolstadt and Saint Chartier.

She is also an accomplished fiddle player, specialising in traditional music and has played with Welsh bands Fernhill and Pigyn Clust, and more recently in a duo with guitarist Nial Cain.

In 2004 she released Crwth, a solo album of Welsh music for the crwth on the acclaimed fflach:tradd label, followed by two duo albums with Nial Cain, Deuawd (2009) and Oes i Oes (2013), all of which were warmly reviewed and received radio play on Radio Cymru, Radio 3 and abroad.

In addition she features on several albums by Fernhill, Pigyn Clust, and Gorwel and Fiona Owen and has worked as a session musician for numerous other Welsh artists including Gwyneth Glyn and Cerys Matthews.

Cass has also published an 18th century manuscript of fiddle tunes and various articles of research on the subject.

Having taken a break from performing and research in order to pursue a Christian calling, Cass is now licensed as a lay minister and works as a children’s and families minister for the Church in Wales.

Cass doesn’t know if she’ll make more music but is enjoying the experience again.

“Before this album I wanted to keep traditional music alive and I often felt pressure to perform to keep my name out there, but this one feels different.

“I feel like this album is a gift and I’ve been given these songs, and now I’m giving them to others.

“It’s been a blessing to me and I hope it is to others.”

For more information about ‘Taith’, visit www.cassmeurig.com