Robert Lloyd - a Sir Gar Blog of random news . . . and some Clecs!

  YES, folks, it’s that time of year again – Pantomime season! One of the most eagerly-anticipated pantomimes in west Wales is the show staged by Theatrau Sir Gâr / Carmarthenshire Theatres at The Lyric in Carmarthen. This year, it is the turn of Beauty and the Beast, which will run from December 12-29. The festive favourite promises to be a spectacular show filled with magical moments, plenty of laughs, and all the panto fun that families have come to love. Following on from the success of last year’s pantomime (seen by nearly 8,000 local people), Beauty and the Beast will be produced in-house again by the Theatrau Sir Gâr team, in arrangement with the renowned pantomime producing company, Imagine Theatre.  This year’s Beauty and the Beast cast includes three Carmarthenshire-born cast members. The line-up includes Steve Elias as the hilarious and larger-than-life Dame Sylvia Scrub-it, Carwyn Glyn as the lovable sidekick Sammy Scrub-it and Ceri-Anne Thomas as the beautiful and...

  SINGER Aled Jones will be making a welcome visit to Carmarthen to perform at The Lyric Theatre on Thursday (November 14). The show is billed as Aled Jones - Full Circle. Aled Jones was the boy treble who captivated the world with his angelic voice. Selling more than seven million albums, Aled was the original, classical crossover star. His recording of Walking in the Air, from the animated film The Snowman, firmly established him as a household name and he has become an integral part of the nation’s festivities. Equally at home on the classical stage, or starring in musical theatre productions in London West End, his credits include lead roles in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Irving Berlin’s White Christmas. As a singer, Aled is in demand globally and has performed in the world’s most iconic venues, from London’s Royal Albert Hall to the Sydney Opera House.  A favourite with the Royal Family, he even gave a private performance to ...

IT may be 80 years on, but the people of a Dutch city show no signs of ever forgetting the role Welsh soldiers played in their liberation during World War Two. Back in 2011, I was privileged to join the old Côr Meibion Llanelli Male Voice Choir at anniversary liberation celebrations in s’Hertogenbosch in the North Brabant Province, Netherlands. At the time, veterans of 53rd Welsh Division were still able to attend a weekend of liberation commemorations. This year, there will not be any veterans, but the actions of Welsh soldiers will still be remembered by people who call their homes city Den Bosch. Thanks for hard-working folk, both here in west Wales and in the Netherlands, the link between Wales and Den Bosch will still be remembered on the last full weekend in October. One of the key figures in continuing the relationship with Den Bosch is Lieutenant Colonel David Mathias, Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Dyfed. In recent years, he has been instrumental in securing the services of Welsh c...

The latest 'On Song' column from the Carmarthen Journal and Llanelli Star - Carmarthen Male Voice Choir Côr Meibion Caerfyrddin will be holding their annual concert this weekend, 7.30pm on Saturday, November 18. Priody Chapel in Priory Street, Carmarthen, is the venue. The choir’s special guests include tenor Osian Wyn Bowen, Côr Merched Hyn Ysgol Bro Myrddin and organist Meirion Wynn Jones. On Sunday, November 19, there’s the annual Grand Concert at Myddfai Community Hall (7pm start). The concert will feature three combined choirs – Cwmann, Dinefwr and Llandovery. Soloists will be Tristan Lewis Deganwy (Llandudno), Ioan Wyn Parry (Dolgellau) and Mariwyn and Cadi Fflur. Proceeds from the event (tickets £10) go towards Llandovery Hospital League of Friends and Myddfai Community Hall. Côr Merched Curiad y Cwm ladies choir will be celebrating their 30th anniversary with a special concert at Tumble Hall at 7pm on Friday, November 24. The choir’s special guests will be the Tywi Vall...

The latest 'On Song' column from the Carmarthen Journal and Llanelli Star - It’s a big Saturday night for West Wales concert-goers. They have to make a choice between the Royal British Legion Charity Gala Concert at The Lyric in Carmarthen and a 'Voices for Hospices' charity concert in Llandeilo, featuring Wynne Evans. The Tywi Valley concert, is in aid of Ty Cymorth, the Carmarthen-based hospice. The concert starts at 7m on Saturday, October 21, at the new Ysgol Bro Dinefwr in Llandeilo. Carmarthen-born tenor and radio and TV personalityWynne Evans is a patron of 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 invited to be involved include Carmarthen, Carmarthen Tywi, Llandeilo, Llandovery, Lampeter, Aberwstwyth and Aberaeron. The choral line-up includes Côr Meibion Cwmann a’r Cylch, Côr Meibion Dinefwr, Cô...

The latest 'On Song' column from the Carmarthen Journal and Llanelli Star - There’s a very exciting Royal British Legion Charity Gala Concert being planned for West Wales in October. The headline acts are the famous Thee Three Welsh Tenors – Rhys Meirion, Aled Hall and Aled Wyn Davies - and soprano Gwawr Edwards. Rarely do the Three Welsh Tenors get the opportunity to perform together as each is a professional tenor with a demanding solo career in his own right. Also appearing will be one of Wales’s famous male voice choirs, the mighty Morriston RFC Male Voice Choir, the bagpipes of the City and County of Swansea Pipe Band and the Corps of Drums of the 215 RAF Squadron. The fundraising concert is at The Lyric Theatre in Carmarthen on Saturday, October 21. Soloist Gwawr Edwards has a new recording out - 'Blue Jay and Red Cardinal' written by Marta Bellido and Mosi Dorbayani. Gwawr is widely regarded as one of the most talented soprano soloists inWales. She was born into...

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-...

The latest On Song column from the Carmarthen Journal and the Llanelli Star, by Robert Lloyd. The Russians are coming! To Carmarthen, in fact! The internationally-acclaimed LYRA Russian Vocal Ensemble will be performing at St Peter’s Church, Carmarthen, on Friday, May 12 (7pm). Tickets are £10 on the door and there are interval refreshments available at £2.50. LYRA are from St. Petersburg, Russia. The singing group consists of four members that have been educated either as opera singers or choir conductors in St. Petersburg Conservatory. The four are - ANDREI SYSOEV – TENOR AND LEADER Born in St Petersburg. Graduated from the St. Petersburg conservatory. Won International competition of Sacred Music in Roma, Italy in 1995 as the conductor of a chamber choir "SingerBridge". Works as a choir master in St. Peter’s Cathedral in St. Petersburg. Act as an active composer too. ALEKSEI GOLOVIZNIN – BASS Born in the Karelian ASSR Byelomorsk. Graduated from the State Conser...

The latest 'On Song' column from the Carmarthen Journal and the Llanelli Star, by Robert Lloyd. Excitement is building for a special concert featuring the wonderful ladies of Côr Curiad. The Llanelli-based choir have a September 2 concert at Ffwrnes Theatre, Llanelli, with their special guests, The Overtones. The night will conclude Côr Curiad’s two-year fundraising efforts for Ty Bryngwyn Hospice in Llanelli. The choristers have 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-releas...

The latest On Song column from the Carmarthen Journal and the Llanelli Star, by Robert Lloyd Tickets for Loud Applause Production’s Night with the Stars concert in Llanelli in November are selling fast. The concert, at Ffwrnes Theatre, is at 7pm on Saturday, November 4 and will feature popular Welsh tenor Trystan Llŷr Griffiths, who hails from Pembrokeshire. Trystan was 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 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; Br...

The latest On Song column (about the choral and music scene in West Wales) from the Carmarthen Journal and Llanelli Star - There’s a special concert coming up in Burry Port next weekend as the town’s brass band and male voice choir join forces. The occasion will be a concert called ‘You Must Remember This’, an evening which will follow a World War Two theme. Supported by Pembrey and Burry Port Town council, you are guaranteed to hear ‘music to raise the morale’. Funds raised from the concert (7pm on Saturday, April 8) will go to the Pembrey Gunnery Dome Project. Tickets are £10 and are available from Pembrey Post Office, The Ticket Hut at Burry Port station and from Patricia Neil, 01554 835575, email secretary@pembreymountaintrust.org . The compere for the evening will be the ever-popular Gwendraeth actor and personality Ioan Hefin. The Pembrey Gunnery Dome project is run by the Pembrey Mountain Trust. It is known that there were some 44 dome trainers of the same design built durin...