LLANELLI’S Meibion Elli male choir is going from strength to strength as it approaches its fifth anniversary.
The choristers are arranging a special concert to celebrate the birthday on Saturday, November 9.
It will be held at Greenfield Chapel and will feature Llanelli’s Samuel Wyn-Morris, who is carving out a career for himself in the West End in London.
The concert will also feature the popular Llanelli-based Phil Harmonics ladies choir.
The Meibion Elli choir was formed by respected Llanelli musician and singer Eifion Thomas. The choir includes many members of the now dormant Cor Meibion Llanelli Male Choir.
Meibion Elli chairman Peter Thomas said: It is a great to see the choir going from strength to strength as we celebrate our fifth anniversary.
“The choristers thoroughly enjoy the camaraderie of being in a male voice choir and the joy we get from singing helps keep us young and fit.”
It’s been a busy time for the choir as they recently performed at a special trilingual, three denominations service at St Elli Parish Church, Llanelli.
The service saw the churches of England, Germany and Wales come together for worship and a celebration in song.
Meibion Elli choir also helped the Llanelli Railway Goods Shed Trust with a special Singing in the Shed (Canu yn y Caban) event at the Marsh Street venue.
Choir chairman Mr Thomas said: “That was a fund-raising event for the Goods Shed, which is a unique new venue in Llanelli. We were delighted to support the team at the Goods Shed and it was great to see so many people in attendance to listen to, and support, Meibion Elli.”
The Meibion Elli choir recently welcomed its newest and youngest member, 14-year-old Adam Jones. Adam was officially welcomed into the choir by bottom bass stalwart and soloist Dai ‘Llansaint’ Williams.
For the Greenfield Chapel anniversary concert, the choir will be under the baton of musical director Eifion Thomas, with Aled Maddock as the accompanist.
The Phil Harmonics will be under leader Sara Richards and musical director Phil Thomas.
Tickets are £15 and can be purchased at Llanelly House with a percentage donation going to the Georgian tourist attraction for each sale.
Tickets can also be obtained through Davies Craddock Estate in Murray Street, Llanelli, with a percentage of their sales going towards the Ty Bryngwyn Hospice in Llanelli.
Tickets can also be purchased at Llanelli Docks Post Office and from choir chairman Mr Thomas on 01554 820644 or 07985136672.
Last weekend saw the special Night With The Stars concert staged by Loud Applause Productions at Ffwrnes Theatre, Llanelli. The concert was hosted by star of stage and screen Callum Scott Howells and featured many up-and-coming young singers from the Loud Applause Rising Stars (LARS) charity.
The evening saw Callum made an Honorary Life Member of LARS in recognition of his tremendous achievements on both stage and screen.
The LARS Lifetime Award is granted only on rare occasions to celebrate the extraordinary success of one of distinguished past members as professionals in the Performing Arts industry.
Callum trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (RWCMD).
Theatre credits include: A View From The Bridge (Theatre Royal Haymarket/ Theatre Royal Bath); Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club (The Kit Kat Club); Romeo and Julie (National Theatre/Sherman Theatre, Cardiff); Oliver! (UK tour); She Loves Me (Menier Chocolate Factory); Matthew Bourne’s dance production of Lord of the Flies; Crave (The Other Room) and several National Music Youth Theatre shows.
Television credits include: BBC One drama The Way (directed by Michael Sheen) and It’s a Sin (Channel 4/HBO Max – BAFTA Cymru Award for Leading Actor, RTS Award for Male Actor, and twice-nominated at the 2022 Television BAFTAs for Supporting Actor and Virgin Media’s Must-See Moment).
Film credits include: The Beautiful Game (Netflix). Upcoming projects are MadFabulous as the lead of Henry Cyril Paget and also the front man in Working Title’s Frankie Goes to Hollywood biopic Relax.
In Carmarthen, the ladies of A Choired Taste are continuing their rehearsals and plans for a special 10th anniversary concert this month.
It will be held at The Lyric Theatre on Saturday, October 19, and will be hosted by actress, TV presenter and producer Connie Fisher.
The concert is being billed as ‘A Celebration of Voices’, so you can expect to be dazzled by a dynamic mix of favourite songs and what A Choired Taste’s musical director, Sarah Kirby, describes as ‘mash-ups’ (innovative medleys and musical mixes which have been become the choir’s trademark).
The concert will also feature a special performance by Britain’s Got Talent finalists, the phenomenal gospel choir Northants Sing Out.
A very busy and packed stage will also see performances from Carmarthen Male Voice Choir, Whitland Male Voice Choir, Carmarthen Young Voices, Carmarthen Ukuleles and Saxy Brass.
All proceeds from the event will go towards the choir’s target of raising £10,000 for 10 local charities in the choir’s 10th anniversary year. The choristers are already more than halfway towards their £10,000 target.
Tickets are £15 and £12 and are available from The Lyric box office or from the Theatrau Sir Gar (Carmarthenshire Theatres) website at – https://www.theatrausirgar.co.uk/en/shows/a-celebration-of-voices
Due to high demand, the Lyric have been able to release more tickets for the concert.
Finally, Welsh harpist Catrin Finch and Irish fiddle virtuoso Aoife Ní Bhriain will take the stage at Carmarthen’s Lyric Theatre on Thursday, October 10 (7.30pm), as part of their UK tour.
Dublin native Aoife Ní Bhriain is one of Ireland’s foremost traditional fiddle players and a classical violinist of international stature who straddles both the classical world and her Irish traditional heritage.
From across the Irish Sea and the west coast of Wales, harpist Catrin Finch has also built an impressive classical career and ventured into uncharted musical territory, most notably through her award-winning international collaborations.
Tickets are priced at £22 and can be booked online at www.theatrausirgar.co.uk or with the box office on 0345 2263510.
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