YOU’VE got to take your hat off to the Llanelli Chamber Choir; they like taking on big and bold projects.
This month they will be staging Joseph Haydn’s The Creation at St Elli Parish Church, Llanelli.
The concert will be under the musical direction of Piet Zorn and will take place at 7pm on Saturday, September 28.
The choir will be supported by a 10-strong musical ensemble.
The soloists will be Kieran Rayner, baritone, Osian Wyn Bowen, tenor, Morgan Summers, soprano, and Jade Fouracre-Reynolds, alto.
Llanelli Chamber Choir was founded by Piet Zorn in October, 2021.
The aim of the choir is to bring a variety of classical and traditional music to Llanelli and add to the rich musical culture in south Wales.
The Llanelli Chamber Choir is about much more than just performance.
Piet hopes that by providing a space, where people are welcome to sing regularly, this will improve wellbeing and the mental health within our community.
He has ensured that joining the choir is accessible to everyone who has the desire to learn and sing, bringing joy to both the participants and the audience members.
Piet is a professional opera singer, vocal teacher, pianist, and composer.
He currently teaches music at a comprehensive school and has many of his private students go on to study singing, theatre and some who have become professional singers themselves.
He graduated with a master’s degree in music education from the Hamburg College of Music and Drama and went on to teach music teachers in Germany before moving to Wales eight years ago.
He has performed in many operas and oratorios both in Germany and Wales. Regular recitals and choral concerts round up his professional career.
Piet’s desire to start a chamber choir in Llanelli filled a gap within the community for this style of music.
You can find out more about the Llanelli Chamber Choir on their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090227216918
The Creation is an oratorio written in 1797 and 1798 by Joseph Haydn. It is considered by many to be one of his masterpieces. The oratorio celebrates the creation of the world as narrated in the Book of Genesis in The Bible.
The libretto was written by Gottfried van Swieten. The work is structured in three parts and scored for soprano, tenor and bass soloists, chorus and a symphonic orchestra.
In parts I and II, depicting the creation, the soloists represent the archangels Raphael (bass), Uriel (tenor) and Gabriel (soprano). In part III, the bass and soprano represent Adam and Eve.
The first public performance was held in Vienna at the old Burgtheater on March 19, 1799.
The featured ensemble members for the performance are – David Wheeler, Cellan Morgan, Gareth Hamlin, Imogen Holborn, Louise Baylis, Rachel Thomas, James McBeth, Mihai Stoican, Sian Davies and Aden Yip.
Tickets are £15 and are available from the email address chamberchoirllanelli@gmail.com or by phoning 07535 166956.
In other news, Côr Dyfed Choir is offering an exciting opportunity through its Youth Choral Scholarship Scheme to young people who want singing to be an important part of their lives, either as an amateur or professional.
The aims of the scheme are to encourage and mentor talented young singers and to provide opportunities for them to perform a wide range of musical works with the choir, often in concerts with professional orchestra and soloists. It enables young singers to help fulfil the choir’s core aim which is to foster and promote interest and appreciation of choral music among the general public.
The scheme offers regular free one-to-one tuition with qualified singing teachers and, at the end of the year, a certificate to add to scholars’ portfolios or CVs.
It also offers free annual membership of a high-quality choir, worth over £100, and the experience of rehearsing and performing a wide choral repertoire under the baton of professional music directors.
Any singer aged between 16 and 25 living in Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire or Ceredigion is eligible to apply for a choral scholarship. Applicants need to complete an application form and then attend an interview and audition with the choir’s Music Director. Auditions and interviews take place throughout the year. Scholars must attend regularly the rehearsals held every Tuesday evening during term-time at the Bloomfield Centre in Narberth. They will also sing in Côr Dyfed Choir concerts three or four times a year, often in St Davids Cathedral.
Any young person who is interested in these scholarships can find details on the choir’s website at www.dyfedchoir.co.uk/join and contact the secretary Hannah Jones for an application form.
Members of Llanelli Youth Theatre will be continuing their 40th anniversary celebrations this week.
They will be staging Sweeney Todd – The Demon Barber of Fleet Street at Ffwrnes Theatre, Llanelli.
Cast members included members of the youth theatre from the past 40 years.
The role of Sweeney Todd will be played by Llanelli’s Simon Nehan.
Tickets for Sweeney Todd are £20 and performance dates are – 12 Sept, 19:30; 13 Sept, 19:30; 14 Sept, 14:30; 14 Sept, 19:30; 15 Sept, 14:30.
Tickets are available from the Ffwrnes Theatre box office and the Carmarthenshire Theatres – Theatrau Sir Gar website at – https://www.theatrausirgar.co.uk/en/shows/sweeney-todd-the-demon-barber-of-fleet-street
Meanwhile, the Lyric Theatre in Carmarthen will see the arrival of the popular touring show called Celine – My Heart Will Go On.
After a sold-out tour across the UK and Europe in 2023, Celine – My Heart Will Go On is back for 2024, bigger and better than ever!
The September 12 concert in Carmarthen promises to be a stunning celebration of the music and one of one of the greatest singers of our time, Celine Dion.
Starring Alexandra Darby, as seen on ITV’s This Morning, and an outstanding live band, the audience are taken on a magical ride through four decades of hits that include: The Power Of Love, It’s All Coming Back To Me Now, I’m Alive, All By Myself, Because You Loved Me, My Heart Will Go On and many more.
Tickets are £25.50.
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