Hats off to the team at Theatrau Sir Gar (Carmarthenshire Theatres) as they believe in adding plenty of variety to their programme schedule.
Next month (May), at Ffwrnes Theatre in Llanelli, we will see the ever-popular Curtain Up Theatre company perform Seasons of Love.
The show is being staged on May 5 for one night only.
It is planned to make the evening a celebration of the life of Myra Jones, one of the founder members of this Theatre Company.
Her son John Paul Jones is the current musical director of Curtain Up.
We’re promised an evening of pure magical theatre – an event for all the family to enjoy some uplifting, hand-clapping, foot-tapping music.
The show will feature a collection of favourite songs from across the decades.
Curtain Up dedicate most of their productions to charity fund-raising and Seasons of Love will be no exception, with money going towards the Teenage Cancer Trust and Bloodwise.
In April, there will be two special musical events at the Lyric Theatre in Carmarthen – Cosi Fan Tutte and Dau Hanner Brawd.
The opera Cosi Fan Tutte is being staged by Heritage Opera on April 14.
Mozart’s sweet and sour romantic comedy will be performed in a witty new English translation by a cast of six singers, accompanied by piano.
Heritage Opera are a renowned professional touring company from the northwest of England.
Cosi Fan Tutte asks the question: how far would you go to win a bet?
Egged on by a cynical friend, two men make a foolish wager on whose girlfriend will be the more faithful. Dreams are shattered as a silly joke goes horribly wrong.
Dau Hanner Brawd (Two Half Brothers) is being staged at the Lyric Theatre on April 26 and 27.
The production is by Cwmni Myrddin.
This musical play is based on the true story of the two half-brothers Ishmael and Isaac, as related in the Old Testament.
Abraham is the father of both sons, but Hagar, the Egyptian is Ishmael’s mother while Sarah is Isaac’s mother.
These differences lead to considerable friction within the family and eventually Ishmael is disinherited and exiled. He becomes a destitute refugee in the desert.
With time, Ishmael’s descendants form a different race and adopt the Moslem faith. The followers of Isaac are Jews and follow the Jewish faith.
There is a distinct divide which gives rise to racial attacks and religious intolerance.
Can this be possibly traced back to the two half-brothers? Or has there been a reconciliation?
This month (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 concert follows a successful ‘Music in the Park’ event organised by the Parc Howard Association.
The evening will be hosted by BBC newsreader and broadcaster Huw Edwards, who is, of course, a native of Llangennech.
The concert will feature The Phil Harmonics, alongside the award-winning 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 Pontarddulais Male Voice choir, Côr Meibion Llanelli and Morriston RFC male voice choir.
Tickets are available 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 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.
Côr Meibion Caerfyrddin Carmarthen Male Choir’s 60th anniversary concert will be held at the Lyric Theatre, Carmarthen, on Saturday, October 13.
The choir will be joined on stage by four other choirs – Mynydd Mawr, Burry Port, Dyffryn Tywi and Dyffryn Aman.
This will create a combined choir of around 150 voices under the baton of Wyn Maskell, musical director of Côr Meibion Caerfyrddin.
Also taking part will be well known soloists: Jessica Robinson, soprano, and Trystan Llŷr Griffiths, tenor.
The MC for the evening will be television and radio personality Garry Owen.
Soprano Jessica Robinson is from Pembrokeshire and graduated from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama with a first class Honours Degree.
As a student at the RWCMD, Jessica studied with Beatrice Unsworth and Jeffrey Howard, winning the Aneurin Davies memorial award, The Mansel Thomas prize, The Margaret Tann Award and the Elias Soprano award.
Throughout her studies, Jessica has been fortunate to participate in master classes with artists such as Michael Pollock, Simon Lepper, Adrian Thompson, Simon Keenleyside, Donald Maxwell and John Fisher. Jessica was also chosen to sing as part of an octet for HRH the Prince of Wales.
Her singing life started at a young age as a competitor in local eisteddfodau in her home county of Pembrokeshire.
She went on to gain success nationally in the Urdd and the National Eisteddfodau.
Jessica has represented Pembrokeshire in the Young Farmers Eisteddfod winning the under 26 solo in 2008 and again in 2012. She was awarded Vocalist of the Year in the Pembrokeshire Chevron Music Awards and Musical Student of the Year in her secondary school, Ysgol y Preseli, Crymych.
as an oratorio and concert soloist, Jessica has performed in venues such as the Wales Millennium Stadium, The National Museum of Wales, Dorking Halls and The Dora Stoutzker Hall. She regularly appears in concerts all over the UK as guest artist with many of Wales’ most renowned Male Voice Choirs such as Blaenavon, Bridgend, South Wales and the London Welsh Male Voice choir. A personal highlight for Jessica was being asked to perform to the Welsh rugby team at the Welsh Assembly during the champagne reception celebrating their success in the Six Nations Championship and also alongside Paul Potts in a Charity concert for the Philippines disaster.
Recent oratorio performances include Handel’s Messiah ( Symffonia Tywi and The Mega Messiah), Vivaldi’s Gloria, Rutter’s Mass of the Children, Karl Jenkins’ Peace Makers and Joseph Parry’s Emmanuel (Côr Bro Ogwr). Jessica performed her first operatic role as the Spirit in ‘Dido and Aeneas’ by Purcell with ‘Opera’r Ddraig’, scene credits include Despina (Cosi fan Tutti), Violetta (La Traviata) and the Countess (Le nozze di Figaro).
Jessica is an artist on the prestigious Live Music Now scheme and also performs regularly as an artist with Music in Hospitals.
Jessica performed in China in March as part of a Welsh Government Scheme; she toured around the country introducing Welsh music. Then toured with the Harry Ensemble as their soprano soloist around New York in May.
Welsh tenor Trystan Llŷr Griffiths, who hails from Clunderwen, Pembrokeshire, is a popular concert soloist throughout Wales and further afield.
One of the first recipients of a Study Award from the Bryn Terfel Foundation, he was named the Voice Of Wales by Decca Records in 2012 in an S4C TV series.
Trystan studied initially at University of Wales Trinity Saint David for a Theatre, Music and Media degree. He subsequently completed an MA degree in Vocal Studies at the Royal Academy of Music and a further postgraduate degree in Opera Performance at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. He has recently completed his studies as a Trainee at the National Opera Studio in London.
Prizes and awards include: Ian Stoutzker Prize 2014; Richard Van Allan Award 2014; Bruce Millar Gulliver Singing Prize 2014; RWCMD HRH Prince of Wales Scholarship 2013; Dunraven Welsh Young Singer of the Year 2013; MOCSA Young Welsh Singer of the Year Prize 2012; Sybil Tutton Award 2012; London Welsh Young Singer of the Year Prize 2011; W. Towyn Roberts Scholarship 2011; Osborne Roberts Memorial Prize 2009.
Concert highlights include appearances at the Royal Albert Hall, Hay-on-Wye Festival with Bryn Terfel, the Brynfest at the Southbank Centre, a concert performance of Tristan und Isolde with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and recitals at St Martin-in-the- Fields and the Cardiff Music Festival.
He took the role of Carlos in a recording of Le Duc d’Albe with the Hallé Orchestra for Opera Rara and during summer 2015 received a scholarship to attend the Mozart Residency at Festival d’Aix-en- Provence.
Trystan made his first professional operatic début in the role of Ferrando in Cosi Fan Tutte on tour with Scottish Opera.
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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