This month (and next), thousands of teenagers will be leaving home for the very first time as they start university.

For some it’s a truly daunting experience.

So, with the help of ex BBC World boss, now Head of school at ScreenSpace (part of London’s MetFilm School), Dr Lisette Johnston, here’s a list of 11 things for students to consider before they head off on their next big adventure.

Finance:

1. Banking: If you don’t already have a bank account – once you have registered and got a student card you can open a new student account, or convert your existing account. Lots of student accounts come with benefits such as free student rail cards or cheap house or mobile phone or travel insurance. Investigate the options it’ll be worth it.

2. Overdraft: But… some student accounts also come with overdrafts, and if you aren’t used to dealing with your own money, it’s easy to go ‘over draft’. Try to keep an overdraft for emergencies only, it is not free money, it’s not even really yours.

3. Budget: Do not blow your student loan all at once.

Set a realistic budget for yourself for each week. It’s very easy to think you need all the new sports kit, a fresh haircut, new clothes and to eat and drink out every night, but pretty soon you might not have enough money for next month’s rent or a pint of milk. So, try and be sensible – being too poor to eat properly and look after yourself will make you stressed and anxious – don’t create unnecessary worries, you’ll have enough to think about.

Health & Wellbeing:

4. Make friends: This means leaving your room and saying hello to people; If you are in student accommodation (halls), everyone will be in the same boat and living away from home for the very first time. 20 years later I am still in touch with people I met in fresher’s week, one was even a bridesmaid at my wedding! So open your door and be open minded at fresher’s events and, when you turn up at class for the first time.

5. But don’t try too hard: You don’t need to be everyone’s friend, you don’t need to go to every night out, and you shouldn’t join every society (do you really need to enrol in the fencing club when you have already joined videography, canoeing, chess and photography?) Don’t have FOMO (fear of missing out) when you have an essay due. There will be other events and other nights out!

6. Watch your mood: Moving to uni is a daunting thing, if it all seems a bit overwhelming don’t forget about the support available from your uni, family and friends. There are lots of support networks out there. And, while student life does mean freedom, going all out drinking every night in the short term sounds fun, long term it can lead to problems and won’t help your mood as much as a walk or run in the park, or a nice chat over a coffee will.

7. Register with a GP: You might have a dentist and doctor in Dundee, but if you have move to Dorset that’s not much help.

What else?

8. Packing: Remember important documents: depending on the course, you might need your qualifications, certificates, proof of family income and ID. A lot of this is done digitally these days but it never hurts to have scans or paper copies if you need to file something with university finance or student services.

9. Do a checklist: Depending on where you move to, or if you move at all, you might not need to bring everything you own. If you are in catered accommodation, you should be good, if you are in shared flats or halls, perhaps wait ‘til you have seen the kitchen before you go out and buy a full set of pots and pans. A kitchen doesn’t need 10 tin openers, and you might not cook a lot in the first few weeks anyway, while you are getting to know your uni and your city.

10. Remember to check in: you might be ‘finding yourself; and get drawn into the throes of student life in the union most nights, but there will be people back home who will want to know how you are doing. Gone are the days of queuing for a payphone to ring home, just check in now and again so your parents or guardians know you are alive and in one piece.

11: Above all, be yourself. Enjoy the experience, don’t be scared to ask questions (there is no such thing as a stupid question) and know that the people at the university, whether it be wardens, counsellors, lecturers or student ambassadors are there to help!

The members of the Hospital Notes Choir – based in Llanelli but with choristers from all over Carmarthenshire – are getting ready for a big concert this weekend.

Hospital Notes will be joined by Côr Meibion Llanelli Male Voice Choir for ‘The Greatest Show’ on Friday, September 6 (7.30pm) at The Diplomat Hotel, Llanelli.

It promises to be an entertaining evening, with Côr Meibion Llanelli under the baton of their new musical director Alex Esney.

Alex said: “My first couple of months with the choir have been great fun and we’ve been working hard on some old favourites and some new songs to add to the repertoire.

“The enthusiasm of the choristers is great. We’ve had a few new members – and could do with a few more.

“But the choir produces a great sound and we are all looking forward to a great evening with Hospital Notes.”

The Hospital Notes Choir was founded to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the National Health Service.

Hospital Notes will perform under the guidance of talented musical directors Andrew Harries and Stacey Harris.

Tickets are just £10 for Friday night’s concert.

September is turning out to be a busy month, with Côr Meibion Porth Tywyn (Burry Port Male Choir) holding their 56th annual concert at 7pm on Saturday, September 21, at St Mary’s Church in Burry Port.

The guests include bass baritone Anthony Stuart Lloyd, soprano Keely Morgan, harpist Rhian Griffiths and accompanist Caradog Williams,

The compere will be Iwan Jenkins. The musical director will be Ryan Lee and the choir’s accompanist will be John Evans. Tickets are available at £10.

There is more information this week on the big Three Welsh Tenors concert coming up in Llanelli.

Y Tri Tenor will perform at a charity fundraising concert at the Stradey Park Hotel, Llanelli, on Friday, September 27, 7pm.

The concert is part of Lleisiau Llan choir’s year-long fundraising for the Uganda Dr Vaughan Fund.

The host for the evening will be Carmarthenshire councillor and former TV presenter Glynog Davies.

Llanelli, Wales and British Lions rugby hero Phil Bennett will be the guest speaker.

Lleisiau’r Llan is a ladies choir from Llanelli formed in 1995 in response to a request by a group of friends who wanted to sing and socialise.

The choir’s conductor is Jill Evans and they have two talented accompanists, R Allan Fewster MBE and Julie Humphreys. Glynog Davies and BBC newsreader Huw Edwards are the choir’s honorary presidents.

The choir has raised more than £250,000 for the Breastcare Unit, Ty Bryngwyn Hospice in Llanelli, Dementia and Kidney Research.

Y Tri Tenor are, of course, Rhys Meirion, Aled Hall and Aled Wyn Davies.

They are all famous tenors in their own right, enjoying successful solo careers.

But when they come together under the banner of Y Tri Tenor you are promised something extra special.

The concert line-up also includes James Oakley, the winner of the singing category in this year’s Llanelli Rotary Club Young Musician of the Year competition.

James is a pupil at Ysgol y Strade in Llanelli.

His previous choirs include – Ysgol Llangennech 2011-2015 and Only Kids Aloud Chorus 2013-2016.

He is currently a member of Côr Adran Llwyth Y Llan, Côr Ysgol Y Strade and Only Boys Aloud.

With the above choirs, James has taken part in a variety of concerts and celebrations in many locations in Wales and further afield over the years, .

James has also performed with the choirs on television programmes including S4C’s Noson Lawen, Dechrau Canu Dechrau Canmol, Côr Cymru and the BBC’s Songs of Praise.

James has had the opportunity to sing with and alongside Sir Bryn Terfel, Shân Cothi, Alfie Bow, Only Men Aloud, Rhys Meirion and many more talented artists.

Also taking the stage at the Lleisiau’r Llan concert will be Elen Morse Gale, a talented violinist who is a music scholar at Llandaff Church in Wales School in Cardidd, and Gwyr Secondary School Senior Boys Choir, led by Mr Berian Lewis.

The evening will also feature an auction conducted by Mr Brian Richards.

Tickets are £20 and can be purchased by ringing either of these two telephone numbers – 07971116091 or 07805643281.

In November, Côr Curiad Ladies Choir are holding a Masquerade Ball at the Stradey Park Hotel, Llanelli. The event, in aid of Wales Air Ambulance, is on Friday, November 1.

This Côr Curiad’s first major fundraising event for Wales Air Ambulance, hot on the heels of two years of support for Marie Curie Wales.

Tickets are £35 per head. This includes music from Côr Curiad and live entertainment from the fabulous duo Sibling Rivalry, plus a three course meal and dancing until late.

The evening will be hosted by Kevin Johns MBE, of Swansea Sound fame.

You can book tickets by emailing Corcuriad@gmail.com

The team at Loud Applause Rising Stars has announced a couple of new members.

Matthew Lewis is 15 years old and lives in Llangennech. He is a pupil at Ysgol Gyfun Gwyr. He is a chorister with Only Boys Aloud (OBA), Côr Adran Llwyth y Llan and Ysgol Gyfun Gwyr Choirs and a former chorister of Côr Ysgol Llangennech and Only Kids Aloud. Matthew has also competed at local Eisteddfodau and the Urdd National Eisteddfod.

Some of his highlights include the Ypres and Somme tour with OBA to commemorate the 100th year anniversary of the battle of Passchendaele and Hedd Wyn. Matthew was a member of the highly successful Côr Ysgol Llangennech when they won the BBC Songs of Praise ‘School Choir of the Year’in 2015 and later that year appeared with them in the Royal Albert Hall.

In 2016, Llwyth Y Llan were winners at the North Wales Choral Festival, double winners at the National Urdd Eisteddfod in 2015 and runners up in 2016 and 2017.

Matthew has achieved Grade 3 Piano and Euphonium Grade 5 and is focused on achieving singing grades.

Nikkila Thomas is a student at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (RWCMD) in Cardiff. She is currently under the tutelage of Elizabeth Atherton. During this time she has been working particularly close with Stevie Wood, a coach at RWCMD and WNO.

Nikkila is an Alto at the BBC National Chorus of Wales. Nikkila started singing at the age of six with The Hywel Girls Choir in Llanelli, and remained a chorister with them for 12 years becoming the senior soloist. She achieved a Distinction in Grade 8 Classical Singing (ABRSM) with Penny Ryan.

Nikkila attended Gower College Swansea where she studied music, law, photography and Classical Civilisations. During her time there she had a scholarship to attend the Swansea Philharmonic Choir, whose musical director is Jonathan Rogers. This gave her the opportunity to widen her knowledge and sing more challenging classical repertoire. She performed with the Swansea Philharmonic Choir Bach’s Christmas Oratorio and Mendelssohn’s Elijah. Nikkila has also performed as soloist with Dunvant Male Choir.

2016 was a significant year for Nikkila. She sang the role of The Youth in Mendelsohn’s Elijah with baritone Gary Griffiths in St David’s Cathedral.

* If you have news about the choral or concert scene in Llanelli, email robert.lloyd01@walesonline.co.uk or rlloydpr@btinternet.com

From low cost Yugos to memorable Rovers and the famous DeLorean, six common car brands of yesteryear that are no longer seen on UK roads have been revealed by motoring experts from LeaseCar.uk.

Car experts from LeaseCar.uk have revealed exactly when and why some of Britain’s favourite motoring brands from years gone by closed down.

Triumph, Morris and Stanley all produced cars which graced Britain’s streets for many years, but their production lines have since come to a halt.

Some brands collapsed due to management issues, with others being swallowed up by bigger companies such as Jaguar Land Rover and consequently have never been seen since.

Tim Alcock from LeaseCar.uk said: “Cars often have a special place in our hearts but as one car manufacturer is created sadly, we often lose others.

“Creating this list sent us on a trip down memory lane and reminded our experts of many of the forgotten cars of yesteryear, when British car manufacturing was the best in the world.

“Some of the companies were around for many years producing some iconic cars, with others being one model wonders.”

Here is the LeaseCar.uk list of six extinct car brands:

1. Yugo

Seen as the low-cost alternative to models of cars which were becoming more and more expensive, Yugo made a large impact on our roads in the 1980’s. Unfortunately, it was the low-cost options which brought the company to its end, with a lack of quality control. The company had a brief period of stardom but closed in 1992.

2. DeLorean

Creating only one model – the DMC-12 – which was made famous in the Back to the Future films, there are still around 6,500 DeLoreans being driven. The company was only survived for seven years, with the remaining parts being bought by someone who set up the DeLorean Motor Company.

3. Triumph

The brand was acquired by Leyland Motors in 1960 and BMW took over the brand in 1994. The name ‘Triumph’ was retired in 1984. Triumph gave us many great models such as the 1946 1800 Roadster, 1973 Spitfire and 1983 Acclaim.

4. Rover

Based in Solihull and known for quality and performance Rover was sold to Leyland Motors in 1967. The company made an electric car in 1888 but it was never put into production. The name and marque of Rover was used up until 2005, but is now owned by Jaguar Land Rover, with no Rover Vehicles currently being in production.

5. Morris

Set up by William Morris in 1912 he started with bicycles and then diversified into cars. One of the most famous cars of the Morris production line was the Morris Minor. The company owned and produced many different engines and had agreed to manufacture Spitfires until the management failed.

6. Wolseley

Britain’s best-selling car brand in the 1920’s, the last ever Wolseley was created in 1975, the 18-22 Series. In 1927 William Morris bought the company and ran it separately alongside Morris Motors, until just before the Second World War when the two companies came together. Wolseley and Morris are now owned by the Shanghai Automotive Industries Corporation.

Busy parents getting ready for the new term this week have been offered five back to school money saving hacks by shopping experts from NetVoucherCodes.co.uk, to help manage the purse strings while getting everything needed.

Deciding what is worth investing in and what can be bought in bulk can help reduce the amount of money being spent.

Being super savvy and eyeing up the best deals offered by supermarkets and stationery shops can mean there’s more money to put towards school lunches.

A spokesperson for NetVoucherCodes.co.uk said: “After an expensive summer spending time with the kids, preparing to send them back off to school can be financially difficult too.

“With new uniform, stationery and shoes all being needed the expense can soon rack up – even more so if you have more than one child.

“Being a bit more thoughtful about where you spend the money and being realistic about how long items are going to last can help money go a bit further.”

These are NetVoucherCodes.co.uk five handy back to school hacks:

1. Uniform

Supermarkets always have back to school offers on, so making sure you’re keeping an eye on these can help keep more money in your pocket. This year ASDA are offering school uniform from £2. To be super savvy you can also save some money on your weekly shop as you’re doing it!

If you have more than one child, buy one get one free offers can be great to get them all kitted out. Hand-me-downs are also brilliant, with children growing so quickly they can sometimes only be in clothes for a few weeks before they need the next size up.

2. Re-use

Going back through stationery and clothes from last year and see what the kids already have plenty of means you won’t end up buying more of the same thing. Children can be notorious for using only one page of a notebook and wanting a new one, or not.

3. Buy in bulk

Pens and pencils are always going to be needed and are items which will always run out. Buying in bulk at the beginning of the academic year will mean that there is no added costs throughout the terms when more pens are needed.

4. Wait

If you have a list and know exactly what you need to buy, waiting until a few days before schools start means you may be able to make the most of some great offers. Similarly, buying early before to back to school rush can help save you money too.

5. Invest

Some items are worth spending a bit more money on. A good backpack will be able to be used for many years, so can be seen as a long-term investment. A more expensive pair of shoes will also last the year, or until their feet grow out of them! Deciding what’s worth the money and what isn’t can help you save in the long run.

There’s a new male choir in town in Llanelli.

It has been set up by former Côr Meibion Llanelli Male Voice Choir musical director D Eifion Thomas.

And the choir’s accompanist is former Côr Meibion Llanelli pianist Aled Maddock.

The choir is called Meibion Elli – The Sons of Elli.

The autumn series of rehearsals for the choir start on Thursday, September 5 at 7pm at Llanelli Library’s
Athenaeum Hall.

Musical director Mr Thomas said: “Meibion Elli aims to perpetuate, develop and extend that male choral excellence for which Llanelli enjoys a worldwide reputation.

“If you feel that you could contribute to this goal, then please visit us when we meet at the Llanelli Library on September 5.

“You will not have a formal audition, other than a brief informal chat to find your vocal range.

“You do not have to possess a ‘great voice’. We can help you become a valued chorister.

“Call in to see and hear us at Llanelli Library. You’ll have a warm welcome – Fe gewch groeso cynnes!”

Mr Thomas has achieved most things in Welsh choral singing.

Under Mr Thomas, Côr Meibion Llanelli were successful at all the major Welsh choral competitions.

The honours list included five National Eisteddfod first prizes – at Lampeter in 1984, Fishguard in 1986, Llandeilo in 1996, Bridgend in 1998 and Llanelli in 2000.

Mr Thomas initially served as accompanist to the choir from 1965 until 1974, under the direction of founder-conductor Denver Phillips.

Mr Thomas helped spread the name of Llanelli across the world, with successful tours and visits to Canada, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Austria, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Ireland, Scotland, and England.

He had the honour of conducting the North American Welsh Societies National Gymanfa Ganu on four occasions – Vancouver (1980), Victoria, Canada (1990), Seattle (1994), and San Jose (2001).

As a result of his work in the sphere of music in the community, Mr Thomas was awarded the Paul Harris Fellowship by Rotary International and was inducted into the highest level of Wales’s Bardic Circle in 2007.

In 2000, he was the conductor of the National Eisteddfod Choir when the Festival was held in Llanelli. The Eisteddfod Choir’s singing, under his direction at the Gymanfa Ganu, of the anthem Dyn A Aned O Wraig still remains as one of the most memorable occasions in the Eisteddfod’s history.

Mr Thomas is also a fine tenor soloist and has appeared as soloist in performances of Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s Creation, and Mass in Time of War, Stainer’s Crucifiction, Maunder’s Olivet to Calvary, Coleridge-Taylor’s Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast, and Mendelssohn’s Elijah and Lobegesang.

Perhaps one of the most memorable choral experiences was the choir’s appearance at The Brit Awards in 1993 – sharing the stage with such musical giants as Take That, Elton John, Meatloaf and The Pet Shop Boys.

Mr Thomas is an honorary member of Cor Meibion Llanelli’s twin choir in Germany, the 1870 Singverein of Laudenbach.

The summer concert season at St Peter’s Church in Carmarthen will finish today at 1pm, with the organist Meirion Wynn Jones.

A native of Rhewl, Llangollen, Meirion was educated at Wells Cathedral School, before winning a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he studied piano with Alexander Kelly, organ with Nicholas Danby, organ improvisation with Naji Hakim, and choral direction with Patrick Russill.

As a student, he held organ scholarships at Winchester Cathedral and Westminster Abbey, working with David Hill and Martin Neary, respectively.

Having held organist posts at Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, the Birmingham Oratory and Brecon Cathedral, Meirion now pursues a freelance career as a composer, accompanist and teacher.

He was for many years a staff accompanist at the International Eisteddfod in Llangollen and at the National Eisteddfod of Wales.

His choral and vocal works have been recorded and broadcast on BBC radio and S4C.

In 2011 he was awarded the Musician’s Medal (Tlws y Cerddor) for composition at the National Eisteddfod of Wales.

Recently commissioned works include Ffrindiau Bach a Mawr for Côr Heol y March, and the anthem Beloved, Let Us Love for the John S. Davies Singers, marking the 40th anniversary of their founding.

The members of the Hospital Notes Choir, based in Llanelli, are getting ready for a big concert next week.

Hospital Notes will be joined by Côr Meibion Llanelli for ‘The Greatest Show’ on Friday, September 6 (7.30pm) at The Diplomat Hotel,
Llanelli.

The Hospital Notes Choir was founded to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the National Health Service.

Choir member Linda Williams explained it has been an eventful and exciting time for the choristers.

She said: “The choir was founded to bring together colleagues from the hospital and community sectors, past and present, to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the NHS.

Linda added: “We secured the talented leadership and direction of our musical directors Andrew Harries and Stacey Harris. We rehearsed weekly at Prince Philip Hospital.

“Our first concert performance was at Dafen Church at the Remembrance Service. We also sang at ‘Their Light Still Shines’ service at the National Botanic Gardens in
Llanarthne.

“We sang at the Prince Philip Hospital Carol Service and performed Christmas Carols around the wards at both Glangwili Hospital, Carmarthen, and Prince Philip Hospital. We continue to go from strength to strength, with a busy and diverse performance schedule for 2019. We are excited and proud to have become the only integrated health, care and emergency services choir in the UK.

“We believe that the choir is a way of creating a wonderful community, getting to know people that you may never have come in to contact with and forging new friendships. Being able to sing is not as important as wanting to have fun and be part of the choir.

“The rehearsals and performances and the fundraising activities of the choir all support our well-being and provides us with the opportunity of giving back to our community.”

There’s a big night coming up in Burry Port next month when Côr Meibion Porth Tywyn (Burry Port Male Choir) hold their 56th annual concert. It is taking place at 7pm on Saturday, September 21, at St Mary’s Church in Burry Port.

The guests include bass baritone Anthony Stuart Lloyd, soprano Keely Morgan, harpist Rhian Griffiths and accompanist Caradog Williams, the compere will be Iwan Jenkins. The musical director will be Ryan Lee and the choir’s accompanist will be John Evans. Tickets are available at £10.

There’s a chance to see and hear the Three Welsh Tenors coming up in Llanelli next month when Y Tri Tenor perform at a charity fundraising concert at the Stradey Park Hotel,
Llanelli.

The event, on Friday, September 27 at 7pm, is part of Lleisiau Llan choir’s year-long fundraising for the Uganda Dr Vaughan Fund.

The host for the evening will be Carmarthenshire councillor and former TV presenter Glynog Davies.

* If you have news about the choral or concert scene in Llanelli, email robert.lloyd01@walesonline.co.uk or rlloydpr@btinternet.com

Any opportunity to see and listen to the Welsh Three Tenors (Y Tri Tenor) is not to be missed.

There’s one coming up in Llanelli next month when Y Tri Tenor perform at a charity fundraising concert at the Stradey Park Hotel, Llanelli.

The event, on Friday, September 27, 7pm, is part of Lleisiau Llan choir’s year-long fundraising for the Uganda Dr Vaughan Fund.

The host for the evening will be Carmarthenshire councillor and former TV presenter Glynog Davies. Llanelli, Wales and British Lions rugby hero Phil Bennett will be the guest speaker.

Lleisiau’r Llan is a ladies choir from Llanelli formed in 1995 in response to a request by a group of friends who wanted to sing and socialise.

The socialising element remains very important to the girls, but the choir also raises money for local charities.

The choir’s conductor is Jill Evans and they have two talented accompanists, R Allan Fewster MBE and Julie Humphreys. Glynog Davies and BBC newsreader Huw Edwards are the choir’s honorary presidents.

The choir has raised more than £250,000 for the Breastcare Unit, Ty Bryngwyn Hospice in Llanelli, Dementia and Kidney Research.

Y Tri Tenor are, of course, Rhys Meirion, Aled Hall and Aled Wyn Davies.

They are all famous tenors in their own right, enjoying successful solo careers.

But when they come together under the banner of Y Tri Tenor you are promised something extra special.

Rhys Meirion has enjoyed international success in opera and recording and national success in broadcasting.

After two years on the Opera Course at The Guild Hall of Music and Drama in London, he joined the English National Opera Jerwood Young Singers Programme and was subsequently a Company Principal before becoming a freelance performer.

His roles include Rodolfo in La Boheme, Pinkerton in Madam Butterfly, Alfredo in La Traviata, Nemorino in L’Elisir d’Amore, Nadir in The Pearl Fishers, Marcello in Leoncavallo’s La Boheme, Duke in Rigoletto, Tebaldo in Capuletti e Montecchi, Tamino in The Magic Flute, Ernani, Sailor in Tristan und Isolde, Faust, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi, Italian Singer in Der Rosenkavalier, Froh in Das Rheingold, Zinovy in Lady Macbeth of Mtzensk and more.

Concert highlights include The Karl Jenkins 70th Birthday Celebrations Concert at The Carnegie Hall New York, a gala concert at the Royal Albert Hall with Bryn Terfel, his BBC Prom debut at the opening night of the BBC Proms (televised on BBC 2), Desert Island Discs Anniversary Concert at London’s Royal Festival Hall, a live BBC recording of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony conducted by Richard Hickox, and Verdi’s Requiem at the Royal Albert Hall .

Rhys has an extensive catalogue of recording work, including a duet album with Bryn Terfel (‘Benedictus on the SAIN label’) which was nominated for a Classical Brit Award.

Rhys was a regular presenter on the television programme Dechrau Canu Dechrau Canmol for S4C and had his own radio show on Sunday mornings on BBC Radio Cymru.

His charity work has included three 200 mile walks to support the Wales Air Ambulance, for whom he is an Ambassador.

His autobiography for Welsh publishers Y Lolfa became the No 1 Best selling book in Wales.

Pencader-based Aled Hall has natural stage presence and unrivalled comic timing.

Recently, he has excelled in the character tenor repertoire with many leading companies internationally.

Highlights, both in the UK and abroad, have included Valzacchi Der Rosenkavalier (Royal Swedish Opera); Pang Turandot, Spoletta Tosca, the Dancing Master Manon Lescaut (Royal Opera House); Don Curzio Le nozze di Figaro (Aix-en-Provence, Tokyo, Baden Baden); Mr Upfold Albert Herring (Salzburger Landestheater); Valzacchi Der Rosenkavalier and Maintop Billy Budd (Opera North); Don Basilio/Don Curzio, Beadle Bamford, Monostatos, Scaramuccio, and Remendado (Welsh National Opera); Don Basilio, Bardolpho and Frisellino Le Pescatrici (Garsington Opera); Tinca and Gherardo Il Trittico, Flaminio L’amore dei tre Re, Chekalinsky The Queen of Spades, Isèpo La Gioconda, Almeric Iolanta, Lord Cecil Roberto Devereux, Trabuco La Forza del destino, Ser Toldo Berardengo Francesca da Rimini, Arturo Lucia di Lammermoor, Borsa, and Don Basilio/Don Curzio (Opera Holland Park).

Concert highlights include Handel’s Messiah at the Royal Albert Hall conducted by Sir David Willcocks; a British Tour of Messiah by Candlelight for Raymond Gubbay; Carmina Burana with the BBC Concert Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall; Mozart Requiem with the London Mozart Players at the Fishguard International Festival; tenor soloist in the first London performance of Daniel Jones’ oratorio St Peter; Facio in Offenbach’s Fantasio with the OAE, Ebbone in Mercadante’s I Normanni a Parigi with the Philharmonia Orchestra, Osburgo in Bellini’s La Straniera with London Philharmonic Orchestra all for Opera Rara at the Royal Festival Hall, London.

Aled Wyn Davies is often better known as ‘Aled Pentremawr’. He started his career as a folk-singer, but after winning all the important prizes in folk-singing at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod in 1999 and the National Eisteddfod of Wales in 2001, he started to broaden his horizons as a tenor soloist. Now he has become a familiar voice and face on TV, radio and concert venues all over the world.

One of Aled’s greatest achievements so far is the fact that he has won the national tenor solo competition three times in succession in 2004, 2005 and 2006, then he won the ultimate accolade at the Swansea National Eisteddfod of Wales in 2006 – the famous Blue Riband vocal prize (Y Rhuban Glas), and who could forget the memorable applause he received for his special rendition of the famous aria “Che Gelida Manina” from the opera La Boheme.

There’s a big night coming up in Burry Port next month when Côr Meibion Porth Tywyn (Burry Port Male Choir) hold their 56th annual concert.

It is taking place at 7pm on Saturday, September 21, at St Mary’s Church in Burry Port.

The guests include bass baritone Anthony Stuart Lloyd, soprano Keely Morgan, harpist Rhian Griffiths and accompanist Caradog Williams, The compere will be Iwan Jenkins. The musical director will be Ryan Lee and the choir’s accompanist will be John Evans. Tickets are available at £10.

It’s a busy August at St Peter’s Church in Carmarthen. Today, (1pm) sees classical guitarist Duncan Leigh perform at St Peter’s. Duncan is a classical guitarist, composer and teacher based in Swansea.

He performs the Renaissance and Baroque era music of Scarlatti and Handel, the Classical and Romantic compositions of Sor and Giuliani, traditional Spanish and Latin American guitar music (e.g. Tarrega and Villa-Lobos), up to modern day pop tune arrangements and his own original compositions.

The summer concert season at St Peter’s will finish on Wednesday, August 28 (1pm), with the organist Meirion Wynn Jones.

The members of the Hospital Notes Choir, based in Llanelli, are getting ready for a big concert in September. Hospital Notes will be joined by Cor Meibion Llanelli Male Voice Choir for ‘The Greatest Show’ on Friday, September 6 (7.30pm) at The Diplomat Hotel, Llanelli.

* If you have news about the choral or concert scene in Llanelli, email robert.lloyd01@walesonline.co.uk or rlloydpr@btinternet.com