Coedcae pupil Thomas Park takes Llanelli Rotary Young Musician of the Year award


The third annual Young Musician competition organised by Llanelli Rotary Club saw performances of the highest standard.
“The competitors were a credit to their parents and their teachers and helped showcase what a wonderful range of youth talent we have in and around Llanelli,” said the chairman of the judging panel, Côr Meibion Llanelli Male Voice Choir musical director D Eifion Thomas.
The final of the Llanelli Rotary Club competition also doubled up as the Rotary Area Final, with the winners going through to the third round, a District Final in Cardiff on March 4.
The Young Musician event is a national competition. The target is to get through to the Rotary International Britain and Ireland final, which is being held in Wales this year – at the Welsh College of Music, Castle Grounds, Cathays Park, Cardiff, on Saturday May 6.
The winner of the Llanelli Rotary Club Final and Area Final was 12-year-old Thomas Park, of Coedcae School, Llanelli, who performed Variations Brillantes by Frederic Chopin.
The runner-up (and first reserve for the District Final) was Rhidian Tiddy, aged 14, of Bro Dinefwr School in Llandeilo. Trombonist Rhidian performed the 1st Movement from a Concertino by Ferdinand David and the Morceau Symphonique by Alexander Guilmant.
The rules of the competition also allowed the judges to send a vocalist through to the District round of the competition.
Sarah Lewis-Meredith, 15 from Coedcae School, impressed the judges with her performances of the Taylor Swift song Safe and Sound (to her own guitar accompaniment) and the classic Don’t Rain On My Parade from the musical Funny Girl.
The finals were staged at the impressive music studio facilities at Ysgol y Strade in Llanelli.
“It would be fair to say that the talent on display was quite remarkable,” said Llanelli Rotary President Mark Evans.
“I was blown away by the quality of musicianship and singing – and I know the audience at Ysgol y Strade felt the same.
“It is great to see that we will now have two representatives from Llanelli flying the flag for us in the District Final in Cardiff.
“The judges picked a very worthy winner in Thomas Park, a young man who dazzled us all with such amazing musicianship at such a tender age.”
The judges were Mr D Eifion Thomas and Anne Marie Marks, retired music teacher and secretary of the Llanelli and District Music and Drama Club.
The competition organisers were Rotarians Cerith Owens and Kevin Jones.
The compere was Rotarian and Past President of Llanelli Rotary Robert Lloyd.

Thomas Park

Winners with Llanelli Rotary Club President Mark Evans and competition organiser Cerith Owens

Rhidian Tiddy

Sarah Lewis-Meredith

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