The popular Llanelli-based choir Côr Lleisiau Hardd have a special fundraising concert coming up next week.
The choir will be performing at The Hyst, the trendy new music venue in High Street, Swansea, on Friday, March 15.
There will be solo spots for choir members and a special appearance by Status 2.
The choir is led by Bridget Radford and has earned an enviable reputation for developing young talent.
Côr Lleisiau Hardd also have a junior choir called Lleisiau Hardd Bach. They rehearse alternate Sunday evenings and anyone interested in joining the choir can contact them through their Facebook page.
Last weekend’s big concerts fell victim to snow and ice.
Côr Meibion Llanelli Male Voice Choir’s trip to Mid Wales for a concert to raise funds for the Brecon and Radnor Urdd Eisteddfod was called off. At the time of going to press, it is not known if the concert will be rearranged.
Llanelli Male Voice’s scheduled performance at the Stradey Park Hotel, Llanelli, was also called off and this event (organised by former members of the armed services to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis therapy centres in South Wales) will be rearranged to a new date.
Meanwhile, the big ‘St David’s’ concert in Llanelli, which was scheduled for Saturday night at Ffwrnes Theatre, has been rearranged.
The concert will now go ahead on March 31 and all tickets are valid for the new date.
Concert organiser Cerith Owens said: “We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused by rearranging the date, but I am sure everyone appreciates that it was a wise move to postpone the event, given the unpredictable nature of the weather.
“Thankfully, all our guest artistes have been very helpful and will be available for the new date at the end of March.”
The concert will feature the Pendyrus Male Choir from the Rhondda Valley.
Sharing the stage will be the Cor Iau Ysgol Gyfun Y Strade Junior Choir.
Joining the choirs will be two very popular young soloists – mezzo soprano Eirlys Myfanwy Davies and tenor Osian Wyn Bowen.
The compere will be the ever-popular TV and radio personality and journalist Garry Owen.
This weekend’s big choral concert will take place at the Lyric Theatre in Carmarthen.
The South Wales Male Choir will be performing before a ‘home crowd’, much to the delight of their many fans.
Following a sell-out concert in Shrewsbury in January in aid of the Samaritans, Côr Meibion De Cymru (South Wales Male Choir) will perform again for charity on Saturday, March 10 (7pm) at the Lyric.
The ‘Sounds of Wales – Seiniau Cymru’ concert will benefit both Wales Air Ambulance and the choir.
The concert will also feature soprano Llio Evans, Carmarthenshire’s Côr Ysgol Maes Y Gwendraeth and the piano magic of Côr Meibion De Cymru accompanist Sian Davies from the Rhondda Fach.
Côr Meibion De Cymru, under the baton of Musical Director Elaine Robins, will perform a rousing programme of choral music, including several songs that will form part of the programme for the Welsh Association of Male Choirs Concert at the Royal Albert Hall in May.
Formed back in 1982 to tour the North East of the United States, the choir is proud to have performed at many high profile special events at home and abroad, including the 80th Anniversary of the Armistice in the presence of HM The Queen in Ypres.
At Cardiff Castle, the choir welcomed the late Nelson Mandela for the Freedom of the City ceremony in 1998 and for the first Anniversary of 9/11 Côr Meibion De Cymru graced both Grosvenor Square, London, at the invitation of the US Ambassador, and St. Johns, Cardiff, for the Lord Mayor’s Commemoration, prior to flying out that night to tour Australia.
The ever-popular vivacious North Wales Soprano Llio Evans is delighted to be reappearing with Côr Meibion De Cymru, having been guest soloist at both Oxford Town Hall and St. David’s Cathedral, Pembrokeshire, in recent years.
Llio hails from the famous village on the island of Anglesey, Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.
With her sparkling vocal tone and charming stage presence, Llio particularly revels in coquettish and comic roles.
Recent highlights include Iris (Semele) for Garsington Opera, The Little One in the revival of Music Theatre Wales’ critically-acclaimed production of The Golden Dragon (Eötvös) and her English National Opera debut as Celia in Iolanthe.
Llio gained a first class honours degree at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama before going on to receive an MA with distinction from the Wales International Academy of Voice.
She is a winner of numerous awards, including Osborne Roberts Memorial Prize, Dame Anne Evans Award, and the Russell Sheppard Intercollegiate Award.
Llio is a British Youth Opera and Welsh National Youth Opera alumna and a former Alvarez Young Artist at Garsington Opera where she recently received the Leonard Ingrams Award.
Completing the bill on March 10 will be a choir from one of the newest secondary schools in Wales.
Ysgol Maes Y Gwendraeth has had a thriving music department under their Head of Music Nickola Roderick since 2013.
It will be the seniors of Ysgol Maes Y Gwendraeth Choir that take to the Lyric stage with Piano Accompanist Mrs Mared Williams.
Seats available at £15.00 plus booking fee by ringing 0845 226 3510 or go on line @theatrausirgar.co.uk or just call in at the Lyric Theatre Box Office, King St. Carmarthen, excluding Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
In other news, tickets are going fast for a major concert to be staged at Ffwrnes Theatre, Llanelli on Saturday, May 19, 2018 (7pm).
An array of stars will perform a very special evening of song in celebration of Llanelli Rotary Club marking its landmark Centenary Year.
Shan Cothi, one of the country’s most popular sopranos, will be sharing the stage with two great Welsh international choral ambassadors – Côr Meibion Llanelli, under the baton of conductor D Eifion Thomas, and the Hywel Girls’ Choir and Hywel Boy Singers, under the baton of conductor John Hywel Williams.
Joining them will be the delightful sounds of Cor Ysgol Goffa, an ensemble from Ysgol Y Strade under the baton of Catrin Hughes and the Lewis-Meredith sisters – Calley, Sarah and Steffi.
The compere will be Robert Lloyd.
The event has two aims –
- To help commemorate the centenary of Llanelli Rotary Club
- To raise funds for the Green Light Postrate Cancer Machine at Prince Philip Hospital.
The concert is another event co-produced by Carmarthenshire Theatres and Loud Applause.
In April, there’s a big night planned to help raise funds for the Parc Howard Association, the voluntary group working hard to protect Llanelli’s famous park.
‘Music for the Parc’ is being staged at Llanelli’s Stradey Park Hotel on Friday, April 27 (7pm).
The evening will be hosted by BBC newsreader and broadcaster Huw Edwards, who is, of course, a native of Llangennech.
The concert is being organised by the ladies of The Phil Harmonics choir.
It will feature The Phil Harmonics alongside Parti Llwchwr, Côr Meibion Llanelli Male Voice Choir, Ysgol Gymraeg Ystalyfera, Otherside, Osian Clarke and Adele O’Neill.
Tickets are £12 and available from Mossies at Llanelli Market Precinct or via members of The Phil Harmonics.
Soloist Adele O’Neill is always a favourite with Llanelli audiences.
Adele is a native of Pontarddulais and an experienced Coloratura Soprano who graduated from The Guildhall School of Music and Drama (2003-07) under the tutelage of Professor Laura Sarti, the celebrated Italian Mezzo Soprano.
Adele has been successful in voice competitions which include the National Eisteddfod of Wales, winning several prizes in the soprano class. She was the winner of the International gold medal singing competition at Llangollen International Eisteddfod in 2008, and a semi-finalist in the International Montserrat Caballe singing competition in Zaragoza Spain in 2008.
Following her competition successes, Adele has performed in many operas with acclaim from both audience and critics.
Her operatic roles include principal roles as Adina (L’elisir d’amore) Donizetti; Leonora (Il Trovatore), Violetta (La Traviata) Verdi; Micaela (Carmen), Bizet; Adele (Die Fledermaus) Strauss; Norma (Norma) Bellini; Elizabeth (Mary Stuarda) Donezetti.
Adele has performed as a soloist for many ensembles throughout the UK.
International engagements have included concerts in Spain, Italy, Czech republic and Canada.
She has performed with Longborough Festival Opera, Grange Park opera, and most recently Welsh National Opera.
In addition to her operatic work she has recorded with the Pontardulais Male Voice choir, Côr Meibion Llanelli and Morriston RFC male voice choir.
Finally, Côr Meibion Dyffryn Tywi have announced that this year’s annual concert will be held at the Princess Gwenllian Centre, Kidwelly, on Saturday, July 21.
Guest artists appearing with the choir will be Fflur Wyn and Llandovery singing duo Aled Edwards and Eleri Owen Edwards.
The guest accompanist will be Kim Lloyd Jones and the compere will be Ioan Hefin.
Robert Lloyd works as a media consultant – www.rlloydpr.co.uk
If you have any news about the choral scene in Llanelli, the please contact him on 07777 683637 or email rlloydpr@btinternet.com
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