The latest 'On Song' column from the Carmarthen Journal and Llanelli Star
The latest 'On Song' column from the Carmarthen Journal and Llanelli Star -
The wonderful ladies of Côr Curiad are just a slim fingernail away from having a sell-out concert in September.
At the start of this week, there were just three seats left for their September 2 concert with The Overtones at Ffwrnes Theatre, Llanelli.
The night will conclude Côr Curiad’s two-year fundraising efforts for Ty Bryngwyn Hospice in Llanelli.
The choristers set themselves a £20,000 target.
The target has already been met, so Côr Curiad’s members are looking forward to smashing the figure and handing the final cheque over on a special night!
The Overtones are a five-piece vocal harmony group - Darren, Mark, Timmy, Mike and Lachie.
They were discovered by a Warner Bros Records talent scout while working as decorators in a shop near Oxford Street, singing during their tea break.
Their debut album, Good Ol’ Fashioned Love entered the UK Albums Chart at No16 in November 2010. However, after the re-release of the album in March 2011, it propelled to No4. They have sold more than 500,000 copies of their first album.
The line-up is as follows -
Timothy Thomas ‘Timmy’ Matley is from Cork, Ireland. He was born on 16 February 1982. Timmy got into performing arts at the age of 14, and at 16 years old he came to London to audition for a performing arts school. Timmy left Ireland when he was 17, as he didn't enjoy college. He went travelling and then came back and decided to get involved with songwriting and singing. He is the lead singer of the band, and sometimes joins the middle harmonies of the band. He loves meerkats and knits in his spare time.
Mark Robert Franks comes from Sale, Greater Manchester, and was born on 9 May 1977. He attended the Royal Ballet School from age 11 to 16. He was a professional dancer for 10 years before joining The Overtones. Mark has a passion for remixing music, and has released some of his fabulous 1980s remixes under his "DJ Rescue Rangerz" name on Soundcloud. He is very keen on all things 1980s and is a big Back To The Future fan. His favourite shop is Topman. Mark enjoys mixing modern clothing with vintage to create his own style. He sings the middle harmony sections in their songs.
Lachlan Alexander ‘Lachie’ Chapman was born 7 February 1981, and comes from Manly, New South Wales, Australia. He left Australia on his 25th birthday, and came to England in the hope of becoming an actor. He is the bass singer. Lachie would love to perform at Carnegie Hall. Back in Australia he has a dog called Matilda. In early 2016, Lachie appeared in the Channel 4 comedy series Crashing.
Michael ‘Mike’ Crawshaw was born on 12 February 1980 and comes from Bristol. From an early age, Mike wanted to go into football and athletics, and enjoyed family holidays to Cornwall. He got into singing when at college and sings the middle harmonies of the groups. His favourite song is Superstition by Stevie Wonder.
Darren ‘Daz’ Everest is the Essex boy of the band. He was born on 30 May 1981. Originally, he wanted to go into football, but had to stop when getting ill with glandular fever, so went into singing, after he discovered his love for it. Darren is the falsetto voice of the band. He got his ears pierced when he was 18 years old and owns around 64 ties and bowties. He married his longtime girlfriend Bianka on 20 September 2014.
Côr Curiad is a ladies choir based in Llanelli. The aim of the choir is to promote the Welsh language and culture of choral singing. While the majority of our members are bilingual, they have an open door policy and Welsh learners and non-Welsh speakers are very welcome.
Since its beginings in 1995, the choir has raised tens of thousands of pounds for local and national charities.
The choir has performed in Bath, St. David’s and Wells Cathedrals, the Millennium Theatre in Cardiff and the new Welsh Assembly Government Building in Cardiff Bay.
Côr Curiad is led Alex Esney-Davies.
The choir’s biggest achievement to date was in 2012, when, with the support of Rhydian Roberts (TV’s X Factor), a sell-out concert raised £16,500 for the Teenage Cancer Trust.
There are currently around 30 members, with an age range from 14 – 80-plus. There are several sets of mothers and daughters, sisters and even a set of twins in the line-up.
The ladies rehearse between 6.45 pm and 9pm every Thursday evening.
The rehearsal venue is at the school room at Hall Street Church, West End, Llanelli.
The Overtones will be making their first visit to Wales and Llanelli.
Compere for the evening will be Swansea Sound DJ and local legend Mr Kevin Johns MBE.
Côr Curiad will also introduce to the stage Ellen Jones and Sarah Lewis Meredith, two very talented young ladies.
There will also be a pre-concert VIP ‘Meet and Greet’ for The Overtones.
You can book tickets through the box office on 0845 226 3510.
Meanwhile, Burry Port’s most famous son, John Owen Jones, will perform in concert in North America in September.
He will appear at the North American Festival of Wales in Rochester, New York, on September 2 and make his New York cabaret debut at legendary venue Feinstein’s 54 Below on September 6.
In October, John will appear as Emile de Becque in a concert version of the classic musical South Pacific.
The one night only concert will be at London’s Cadogan Hall on October 15 and will feature a cast of West End stars and a full orchestra.
In November, John will appear in the brand new musical Tiger Bay at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff.
In December, John has two concerts in Wales – December 7 at Ffwrnes and December 14 at St David’s Hall, Cardiff. His special guest star will be Beau Dermott, The £1m Voice and the star of Britain’s Got Talent 2016
The Lyric in October will feature baritone Rhydian Roberts in concert.
The concert, on October 5, is being billed as ‘Rhydian, Richard & Adam’, a magical evening of classical arias and contemporary songs.
Rhydian has carved out a successful career as a recording artist and in musical theatre. Richard and Adam are one of the most successful acts to emerge from Britain’s Got Talent.
Finally, Saturday, October 21, sees big concert at Ysgol Bro Dinefwr in Llandeilo, featuring Carmarthen-born tenor Wynne Evans.
It’s all in aid of Ty Cymorth, the Carmarthen-based hospice.
Wynne Evans is a patron of the Ty Cymorth hospice.
The concert is being billed as 'Voices for Hospices' and will also celebrate the Rotary International Foundation centenary and 100 years of Rotary International in Wales.
Rotary clubs and associated male voice choirs invited to be involved include Carmarthen, Carmarthen Tywi, Llandeilo, Llandovery, Lampeter, Aberwstwyth and Aberaeron.
The President for the event will be West Wales businessman Brian Jones, of Castell Howell Foods, who is a Rotary Paul Harris Fellow and trustee of Ty Cymorth.
Tickets, priced at £10, will be available shortly.
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
The wonderful ladies of Côr Curiad are just a slim fingernail away from having a sell-out concert in September.
At the start of this week, there were just three seats left for their September 2 concert with The Overtones at Ffwrnes Theatre, Llanelli.
The night will conclude Côr Curiad’s two-year fundraising efforts for Ty Bryngwyn Hospice in Llanelli.
The choristers set themselves a £20,000 target.
The target has already been met, so Côr Curiad’s members are looking forward to smashing the figure and handing the final cheque over on a special night!
The Overtones are a five-piece vocal harmony group - Darren, Mark, Timmy, Mike and Lachie.
They were discovered by a Warner Bros Records talent scout while working as decorators in a shop near Oxford Street, singing during their tea break.
Their debut album, Good Ol’ Fashioned Love entered the UK Albums Chart at No16 in November 2010. However, after the re-release of the album in March 2011, it propelled to No4. They have sold more than 500,000 copies of their first album.
The line-up is as follows -
Timothy Thomas ‘Timmy’ Matley is from Cork, Ireland. He was born on 16 February 1982. Timmy got into performing arts at the age of 14, and at 16 years old he came to London to audition for a performing arts school. Timmy left Ireland when he was 17, as he didn't enjoy college. He went travelling and then came back and decided to get involved with songwriting and singing. He is the lead singer of the band, and sometimes joins the middle harmonies of the band. He loves meerkats and knits in his spare time.
Mark Robert Franks comes from Sale, Greater Manchester, and was born on 9 May 1977. He attended the Royal Ballet School from age 11 to 16. He was a professional dancer for 10 years before joining The Overtones. Mark has a passion for remixing music, and has released some of his fabulous 1980s remixes under his "DJ Rescue Rangerz" name on Soundcloud. He is very keen on all things 1980s and is a big Back To The Future fan. His favourite shop is Topman. Mark enjoys mixing modern clothing with vintage to create his own style. He sings the middle harmony sections in their songs.
Lachlan Alexander ‘Lachie’ Chapman was born 7 February 1981, and comes from Manly, New South Wales, Australia. He left Australia on his 25th birthday, and came to England in the hope of becoming an actor. He is the bass singer. Lachie would love to perform at Carnegie Hall. Back in Australia he has a dog called Matilda. In early 2016, Lachie appeared in the Channel 4 comedy series Crashing.
Michael ‘Mike’ Crawshaw was born on 12 February 1980 and comes from Bristol. From an early age, Mike wanted to go into football and athletics, and enjoyed family holidays to Cornwall. He got into singing when at college and sings the middle harmonies of the groups. His favourite song is Superstition by Stevie Wonder.
Darren ‘Daz’ Everest is the Essex boy of the band. He was born on 30 May 1981. Originally, he wanted to go into football, but had to stop when getting ill with glandular fever, so went into singing, after he discovered his love for it. Darren is the falsetto voice of the band. He got his ears pierced when he was 18 years old and owns around 64 ties and bowties. He married his longtime girlfriend Bianka on 20 September 2014.
Côr Curiad is a ladies choir based in Llanelli. The aim of the choir is to promote the Welsh language and culture of choral singing. While the majority of our members are bilingual, they have an open door policy and Welsh learners and non-Welsh speakers are very welcome.
Since its beginings in 1995, the choir has raised tens of thousands of pounds for local and national charities.
The choir has performed in Bath, St. David’s and Wells Cathedrals, the Millennium Theatre in Cardiff and the new Welsh Assembly Government Building in Cardiff Bay.
Côr Curiad is led Alex Esney-Davies.
The choir’s biggest achievement to date was in 2012, when, with the support of Rhydian Roberts (TV’s X Factor), a sell-out concert raised £16,500 for the Teenage Cancer Trust.
There are currently around 30 members, with an age range from 14 – 80-plus. There are several sets of mothers and daughters, sisters and even a set of twins in the line-up.
The ladies rehearse between 6.45 pm and 9pm every Thursday evening.
The rehearsal venue is at the school room at Hall Street Church, West End, Llanelli.
The Overtones will be making their first visit to Wales and Llanelli.
Compere for the evening will be Swansea Sound DJ and local legend Mr Kevin Johns MBE.
Côr Curiad will also introduce to the stage Ellen Jones and Sarah Lewis Meredith, two very talented young ladies.
There will also be a pre-concert VIP ‘Meet and Greet’ for The Overtones.
You can book tickets through the box office on 0845 226 3510.
Meanwhile, Burry Port’s most famous son, John Owen Jones, will perform in concert in North America in September.
He will appear at the North American Festival of Wales in Rochester, New York, on September 2 and make his New York cabaret debut at legendary venue Feinstein’s 54 Below on September 6.
In October, John will appear as Emile de Becque in a concert version of the classic musical South Pacific.
The one night only concert will be at London’s Cadogan Hall on October 15 and will feature a cast of West End stars and a full orchestra.
In November, John will appear in the brand new musical Tiger Bay at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff.
In December, John has two concerts in Wales – December 7 at Ffwrnes and December 14 at St David’s Hall, Cardiff. His special guest star will be Beau Dermott, The £1m Voice and the star of Britain’s Got Talent 2016
The Lyric in October will feature baritone Rhydian Roberts in concert.
The concert, on October 5, is being billed as ‘Rhydian, Richard & Adam’, a magical evening of classical arias and contemporary songs.
Rhydian has carved out a successful career as a recording artist and in musical theatre. Richard and Adam are one of the most successful acts to emerge from Britain’s Got Talent.
Finally, Saturday, October 21, sees big concert at Ysgol Bro Dinefwr in Llandeilo, featuring Carmarthen-born tenor Wynne Evans.
It’s all in aid of Ty Cymorth, the Carmarthen-based hospice.
Wynne Evans is a patron of the Ty Cymorth hospice.
The concert is being billed as 'Voices for Hospices' and will also celebrate the Rotary International Foundation centenary and 100 years of Rotary International in Wales.
Rotary clubs and associated male voice choirs invited to be involved include Carmarthen, Carmarthen Tywi, Llandeilo, Llandovery, Lampeter, Aberwstwyth and Aberaeron.
The President for the event will be West Wales businessman Brian Jones, of Castell Howell Foods, who is a Rotary Paul Harris Fellow and trustee of Ty Cymorth.
Tickets, priced at £10, will be available shortly.
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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