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

St David’s Celebration Concert at Ffwrnes Theatre, Llanelli, featuring soprano Elin Manahan Thomas, tenor Osian Wyn Bowen, massed male choir from Côr Meibion Mynydd Mawr, Côr Meibion Dyffryn Aman, Côr Meibion Dyffryn Tywi, Côr Meibion Porth Tywyn, conducted by Dr Alwyn Humphreys MBE. This was an evening celebrating the very best of Welsh singing - and a real ‘coming of age’ for West Wales tenor Osian Wyn Bowen. The 20-year-old from Burry Port has been quietly refining his craft for a number of years - and his performance before a packed house at Ffwrnes marked him out as a soloist to watch and follow for years to come. Confident, assured and controlled (with plenty of cheeky stagecraft thrown in for good measure), Osian showed that his time as a student at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama has paid dividends. A duet with top-of-the-bill soprano Elin Manahan Thomas will live long in the memory. The couple’s performance of the Joseph Parry classic ‘Hywel a Blodwen’ (comp...

A Night with the Stars A Loud Applause Production Saturday November 7th 7.00pm Ffwrnes, Llanelli Tickets from £16.00 Loud Applause Productions Annual Showcase Gala Concert promises once again to be a wonderful evening of entertainment. Featuring talented up and coming singers and instrumentalists from South West Wales ‘the Loud Applause Rising Stars’ along with seasoned and professional performers. The ‘Rising Stars’ are now becoming familar names and include vocalists Samuel Morris, Jordan Williams, Daniella Difede, Keely Morgan, Sophie Maliphant, Angharad Elise Thomas and Nia Rees accompanied by Andrew J. Pike and Rhiannon Williams Hale. A new feature to the Rising Stars are instrumentalists who will be represented by Cai Charles (guitar), Ffion Elin Williams (harp) and Rhodri Thomas (trombone). Appearing with the Rising Stars will be the highly talented jazz singer from Birmingham Anthony Marsden and, back by popular demand, the world famous Morriston Orpheus C...

The choristers of Cor Meibion Dyffryn Tywi will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of the choir this summer. A special anniversary concert has been arranged for Saturday, July 18, at the Princess Gwenllian Centre, Kidwelly (7pm). The choir's guests include celebrated Welsh tenor Rhys Meirion, mezzo-soprano Eirlys Myfanwy Davies and a folk group from Karelia, The evening will be hosted by the popular BBC Cymru and Radio Cymru presenter Garry Owen. The evening is sponsored by Kidwelly's Gravells garage. Tickets are £10 and available by ringing - 01269 860996 01554 890956 Website - http://www.cormeibiondyffryntywi.co.uk/

St David’s Day Concert at Ffwrnes. A Loud Applause production featuring The Three Welsh Tenors, the combined Côr Meibion Llanelli (Llanelli Male Choir) and Bridgend Male Choir, Parti Llwchwr, compere Garry Owen. It may be that the TV company next door to Llanelli’s swish new Ffwrnes Theatre missed a trick by not televising this St David’s Day concert. Tickets were like hot cakes and those lucky enough to get a seat were rewarded with a dazzling evening full of Welsh passion and hwyl. This was an evening worthy of recording for posterity and a great showcase for Wales as the land of song. The Three Welsh Tenors - Aled Hall, Alun Rhys-Jenkins and Rhys Meirion – never disappoint, but they were never going to be able to steal the show in the face of stiff competition from the combined choirs of Côr Meibion Llanelli (Llanelli Male Choir) and Bridgend Male Choir. They teamed up with the choirs for the finale of Tydi a Roddaist – ‘Amens’ which provided a spine-tingling climax to a great eve...

Big concert this Saturday at Pontarddulais Leisure Centre. Pontarddulais Town Band with Cor Meibion Llanelli. Garry Owen the compere.