Latest On Song column – November 06

 THERE’S a big date in the musical calendar coming up for youngsters in Carmarthenshire.

The annual Llanelli Rotary Club Young Musician Competition is on Saturday, November 16.

The competition is open to all young people up to the age of 17 on August 31, 2024.

There are two categories in the competition: solo instrumental and solo vocal.

Llanelli Rotary Club president Cerith Owens said the competition provided an annual platform for budding young musicians and singers.

He said: “Music is the international language and Great Britain and Ireland is home to some of the most talented young instrumentalists and vocalists in the world.

“We celebrate this talent with a sequence of competitions that offer many young people the chance to demonstrate their musical skills, whether classical or modern.

“Participants will get the chance to experience performing on a public stage and receive feedback from experienced adjudicators.

“The Rotary Young Musician competition is organised over different stages; club level, district (including preliminary area finals), regional heats and a national final.

“The competition is open to all young people up who meet the age requirement.

“They may be an individual, or from any group or community organisation, including schools and colleges, home educated, other young peoples’ community organisations, for example, community RotaKids, community Interact, Scout Groups, Girl Guides, etc.

“It should be noted that some entrants may be 18 at the time of some or all stages of the competition i.e. a competitor who is 17 on 31st August but turns 18 on 1st September is allowed to enter.

“The competition is for amateur musicians. An amateur is considered to be a person whose main source of income is not made from musical performances, although there may be occasions when the receipt of occasional out of pocket expenses or prizes may be received.

“This is a competition at which competitors are judged within the context of a live performance. Competitors perform a work or selection of works of their own choice within a time not exceeding 13 minutes.”

For application forms or further information please contact cerithowens@sky.com or 07854 303918.

Meanwhile, in Llanelli, the date has been announced for this year’s Festival of Light service in aid of Ty Bryngwyn Hospice in Llanelli.

The service will take place at 6pm on Monday, November 25, at Greenfield Chapel.

The congregation will be welcomed by the Salvation Army band, who will also accompany the community signing.

There will be performances by Cor Llesisiau’r Llan, Cor Meibion Mynydd Mawr and the pupils of Ysgol y Felin, Llanelli.

Forms will be available at the service for donations and from the secretary of the hospice appeal fund on 07548 220122, by emailing secretary@tybryngwyn. org.uk or by downloading one from www.tybryngwyn.org.uk

Tickets are available from the secretary, committee members, or Davies Craddock Estates, 18 Murray Street, Llanelli, with a limited number available at the door on the night.

This weekend, Llanelli’s Meibion Elli male choir are planning a fifth anniversary concert on Saturday, November 9.

It will be held at Greenfield Chapel and will feature Llanelli’s Samuel Wyn-Morris and the popular Llanelli-based Phil Harmonics ladies choir.

Meibion Elli will be under the baton of musical director Eifion Thomas, with Aled Maddock as the accompanist. The Phil Harmonics will be under leader Sara Richards and musical director Phil Thomas.

Tickets are £15 and can be purchased at Llanelly House with a percentage donation going to the Georgian tourist attraction for each sale.

Tickets can also be obtained through Davies Craddock Estate in Murray Street, Llanelli, with a percentage of their sales going towards the Ty Bryngwyn Hospice in Llanelli.

Tickets can also be purchased at Llanelli Docks Post Office and from choir chairman Mr Thomas on 01554 820644 or 07985136672.

In other news, the team at Scarlet Musical Theatre Productions are busy rehearsing for their next event – staging Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard.

Bridget Radford’s hard-working theatre group will be putting on four shows at the intimate Stiwdio Stepni at Ffwrnes Theatre, Llanelli, from November 14 to 16.

There will be four shows – 7pm on November 14 and 15, with a matinee and evening show scheduled in for 1.30pm and 5.30pm on Saturday, November 16.

The promotional material for Sunset Boulevard says, ‘Join us for the masterful adaptation of the 1950 film noir classic, weaving a captivating tale of faded stardom and unrequited ambition.

‘At its centre is the enigmatic and complex Norma Desmond, a once-glorious silent movie star who clings to her past glory as ‘the talkies’ revolutionised the industry.

‘Her crumbling facade is a testament to her unyielding determination to reclaim her spotlight, even as her glamour and charm begin to fade.

‘As Norma navigates her downward spiral, she becomes entangled with Joe Gillis, a struggling screenwriter torn between his own ambition and his growing feelings for Betty Schaefer, a talented script reader.

‘The resulting love triangle is fraught with tension and complexity, as the three characters navigate the cut-throat world of Hollywood.’

Lloyd Webber’s musical has lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton. 

The musical won Tony Awards in 1995 for Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book. In 2024, Sunset Boulevard won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival.

The Llanelli show is being directed by Carmarthen’s Steve Elias, whose CV includes a whole host of West End shows. The musical director is Bridget Radford.

Cast members included Ashton Williams, Cai Francis, Carys Gower, Emily Kelly, Ffion Moore, Gareth H Evans, Holly Bradford, Jac Owens, Jenna Barnard, Joel Trinder, Justine Davies, Kim Darkin, Lewis Francis, Matthew Tucker, Millie Tanner, Rebecca Lewis and Rebecca Timbrell.

Tickets are £14 and you can book online at www.theatrausirgar.co.uk or contact the Box Office on 0345 226 3510.