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Designed as a showcase for the musical stars of the future in Llanelli and billed as a ‘summer soiree’, this was an evening with a touch of class. As an intimate and dramatic venue, a packed Great Hall at Stradey Castle takes some beating.

Add into the mix one of the finest ladies choirs in Wales, in the shape of Parti Llwchwr, and you have an event which doubled as a musical treat and one of the social events of the year in the Llanelli calendar. Who needs Glyndbourne when you can enjoy canapés, wine and refreshments on the terrace lawn of Stradey Castle?

The sense of ‘occasion’ was provided from the outset as guests at this Loud Applause Rising Stars event were greeted by a glorious solo performance from harpist Ffion Elin Williams. At just 16, Ffion displays a maturity far beyond her years and she set the tone for a wonderful evening’s entertainment.

The showcase soiree was all about nurturing young talent and giving youngsters the chance to perform on a public stage – very laudable ambitions held by Loud Applause director Cerith Owens.
Stephen Davies, 20, was making his very first solo performance in public. He picked the Frank Sinatra classic You Make Me Feel So Young – a choice which went down well with the appreciative and knowledgeable Stradey Castle audience.

It was debut time, too, for Cai Charles, the 16-year-old Ysgol y Strade guitarist who took the Llanelli Rotary Club Young Musician of the Year title earlier this year. He dazzled with a selection which included Sons de Carrilhoes by Jaoa Pernambco, Prelude No4 in E Minor by Heitor Villa-Lobes and Cavatina (The Deer Hunter theme made famous by the legendary John Williams).

It was very much a case of ‘playing at home’ for Johnny Mansel-Lewis, who (accompanied by his school pal Sam Wilson) performed the Ray Charles classic Georgia, No diggity (Blackstreet) and the Bob Marley classic No Woman, No Cry. The audience, of course, included Johnny’s mum and dad, Stradey Castle owners Patrick and Claire Mansel-Lewis.

Nia Rees, a 19-year-old student at City University/Guildhall School of Music in London, put some swing into the proceedings with Fly Me To The Moon and At Last. The ladies of Parti Llwchwr were appearing fresh from their success in the prestigious Côr Cymru (Choir of Wales) competition. The choir won the People’s Vote and musical director Janet Jones won the Best Conductor award.

They were at their very best for a programme which included the Ryan Davies classic Pan Fyddo’r Nos yn Hir, a special arrangement which saw the words of Calon Lan set to the tune of The Rose and As Long As I Have Music. Cwsg Osian, Gwin Beaujolais, Yfori, Noson ar y Danube and Anthem (from Chess) were also highlights.

And Parti Llwchwr even found time to encourage some audience participation with Unwaith Eto Yn Cymru Annwyl.

It was an evening which struck a excellent balance between up-and-coming talent and seasoned performers, with credit going to Mr Owens and his Loud Applause team for providing such an excellent platform for the youngsters to shine.

Parti Llwchwr’s accompanist was D Huw Rees, while Andrew Pike provided piano support for most of the Rising Stars.

The evening’s sponsor was Susan Roberts. The compere was Robert Lloyd.

As you’d expect from a concert in the wonderful surroundings of St Elli Parish Church, this was a ‘heavenly’ occasion. It was music to stir the soul; choral singing at its very best, blended with virtuoso musicianship.

The packed audience at Llanelli’s Parish Church can consider themselves well blessed in being allowed to sit in on such a musical masterclass. The Swansea Bach Choir has made its mark down the years in performing Baroque classics, the major works of Bach and, basically, most of the great choral works of the last five centuries.
There was no Bach on the programme, but no-one was complaining as conductor Greg Hallam carefully chose a repertoire designed to showcase the very best of the choir.

Britten’s Hymn to St Cecilia set the standard for the evening and was followed by Walton’s A Litany and two works by the American composer Whitacre, A Boy And A Girl and Lux Aurumque.
The second half included In Youth Is Pleasure (Howells), The Turtle Dove (Vaughan Williams) and I Love My Love (Holst).

The highlight, however was a dazzling Miserere (Allegri). Conductor Hallam’s clever distribution of voices between pulpit and altar helped weave a musical tapestry of sound. (As a point of interest, one of the members of the Swansea Bach Choir is Claire Mansel Lewis, of Stradey Castle, Llanelli.)

The ‘local heroes’ of the night were The Singhs, three outstanding violinists from the famous Singh family in Llandybie who feel a close connection with Llanelli through the old Llanelli Star Young Musician of the Year competition.

Rakhi, Davinder and Simran Singh are excellent musicians in their own right, but when they come together as a trio the imact isn’t so much ‘multipy by three’ as’multiply by a factor of 10. It sounds strange to say this of a classical music concert, but there were plenty of occasions when they ‘really rocked’ at Saturday’s concert.

Sospan Fach and The Sabre Dance were performed with such energy that many rock bands would be left panting in the wake of The Singhs. There was plenty of emotion along the way, too, as The Singhs included Claire de Lune, Y Bore Glas, Llongau Caernarfon, Hiraeth and Myfanwy in their repertoire.

Pianist Guillaume Mathias was not to be outshone and his performance of two Chopin Mazurkas in the first half of the evening announced his ‘arrival’ at St Elli Church.

After the interval, he left everyone spellbound with Schubert’s Hungarian Melody and Czardas Obstiné by Liszt. In the latter, close observers of Guillaume’s technique were able to confirm that his hands were a blur on the keyboard. There was a predictable (but thoroughly deserved) standing ovation for the artistes.

The reward was an ‘encore’ of Calon Lan as performed by all the artistes. It was stunning stuff. The evening had begun with ‘pre-concert’ entertainment featuring Loud Applause Rising Stars Samuel Morris (singer) and Cai Charles (guitarist) at Llanelly House.

The host for the evening was the splendid Rev Eldon Phillips.
Yes, the audience at St Elli was well blessed indeed!

The evening’s sponsor was Parker Plant Ltd.

Robert Lloyd

Compere Garry Owen had it right: We’re ahead of the game in Llanelli. Ymlaen (Forward) Llanelli and all that . . .

It takes a certain amount of swagger and style to stage a St David’s Day concert well ahead of the actual event. But, Llanelli is a place brimful with ‘hwyl’ and making this concert work was never going to be a problem.

It flowed like a river in full flood. Dramatic, inspiring and surprising.

It was something of a surprise to learn that this was only the second appearance in Llanelli by the famous Treorchy Male Voice.

A surprise also to see ‘debut day’ conductor Ryan Wood guiding the 50-plus choristers through a challenging programme which set a high performance benchmark for the evening.

There were old favourites such as Calon Lan, Ar Lan y Mor and Myfanwy. But there were also plenty of surprises – the Xhosa/Zulu South African folk song Senzenina, a cheerful You Make Me Feel So Young and Roses of Picardy, which featured a spoken rendition of the World War One poem In Flanders Fields.

The ‘guys’ on stage received plenty of competition from the ‘girls’.

The Amman Valley Côr Lleisiau’r Cwm have an edge over most female choirs – musical director Catrin Hughes is supremely talented and her arrangements fizz with passion, energy and enthusiasm.

The singers of Côr Lleisiau’r Cwm take a very obvious delight in their singing. The joy shines through in everything they do.

The choir’s programme included the Karl Jenkins favourite Songs of the Plains, Deuwch i’r dyfroedd, Arglwydd Ior fe’th glodforwn (from Sister Act), Y Meysydd Aur and a very topical (well, this is a Rugby World Cup year) Byd Yn Un (World In Union).

Rising tenor star Samuel Morris, already something of a local hero in Llanelli, broke off from his studies at the Guildford School of Acting to join the Ffwrnes bill.

Llanelli audiences are accustomed to Sam’s commanding stage presence, but it was plain from the off that his months away in college have given him an extra edge, an extra ‘wow’ factor.

His first-half Anthem (from Chess) blew the audience away.

And there was further evidence of Sam’s growing maturity as a singer in the second-half of the show when he balanced Bring Him Home (from Les Miserables) with Pan Fo’r Nos Yn Hir (the Ryan Davies classic).

Talk about testing your range from high notes to low notes. It was a challenge, but Sam met it head on, much to the delight of his ‘home fans’.

The evening closed with Sosban Fach, featuring both choirs and Sam. But this was no ‘same old’ arrangement. Under Ryan Wood and accompanist Helen Roberts, Sosban Fach was given some Russian polka folk dance dressing – a fitting touch of swagger and style to close the show.

As we have come to expect down the years, BBC Wales and BBC Cymru presenter and journalist Garry Owen was an excellent host for the evening.

The ‘tie’ change to ‘Armani’ in the interval added to the fun. Perhaps next time, Garry, will borrow Ryan Wood’s bright red shoes? Who knows? But we certainly look forward to the next time!

Robert Lloyd

The Greenfield Baptist Chapel was the welcoming and festive venue last Saturday evening for Loud Applause Production’s inaugural Christmas Concert.

In between the opening and closing congregational carols, this highly entertaining evening was a showcase for local talent and especially, but not solely, young performers from the area.

Hosted by the engaging Huw Tregelles Williams OBE, who regaled the audience with poetry, anecdotes and background to the performers, the concert provided a platform for several of Loud Applause’s rising stars as well as providing a debut for an exciting new youth choir from Llangennech. Cor Ieuenctid Llwyth Y Llan are already an impressive and accomplished choral group who captivated the audience with their performance. Formed just last September, accompanied by Awena Owen and under the musical direction of Lewis Richards, this 50 strong choir, consisting of past and present pupils of Llangennech Junior School, performed eight eclectic and multilingual pieces including a goosebumps inducing rendition of Suai’r Gwynt.

A lovely contrast to Llwyth Y Llan was the performance of a more, I think it’s fair to say, mature group of singers with the presence of a combined choir of over 40 made up from members Cor Meibion Porth Tywyn and Cor Meibion Mynydd Mawr. Under the baton of Ryan Lee and accompanied by John Evans, performed six pieces including a powerful and emotive rendition of Alwyn Humphreys’s arrangement American Trilogy.

Interspersed between choral performances the audience was treated to superb performances from The Rising Stars. These included four young singers and a musician who, between them performed a wide range of songs drawn from musicals, Christmas carols and hit parade and were more than ably accompanied by Andrew Pike. First on stage, or in the pulpit, was Angharad Elise Thomas, a young soprano from Swansea sang two pieces including a beautiful delivery that gave a modern twist to Silent Night.

Also in the first half we were entertained by Sophie Mailphant, currently studying Performing Arts at Gorseinon College, who gave a wonderful performance of the Sinatra classic The Stars Will Remember.

It is not often that the second half of a concert opens with a trombone solo but, due to a reshuffle caused by the unfortunate withdrawal of Jordan Williams through illness, the audience were enthralled by the undoubted ability of 16 year old Rhodri Thomas as he performed The Acrobat with great accomplishment.

The multitalented Keely Morgan, a student at Gowerton College, gave an impassioned and powerful rendition of Adolphe Adam’s Christmas hymn O Holy Night. The final Rising Star of the evening was Nia Rees, a former pupil of Ysgol Y Strade who is studying Music at City University London. Nia performed two songs including a passionate and soulful interpretation of Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You.

A well though out out and presented evening’s entertainment was rounded off with the Reverend David Jones’s evocative reading of ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas and had accomplished exactly what it had set out to do; highlight the talent of the district and get the audience in the festive spirit.

Review by
Gary Owen

Gala concert ‘A NIGHT WITH THE STARS’ – a Loud Applause Production

Review by Owain Llyr

A wet and windy Saturday evening, a trip to the Ffwrnes theatre, and a night that was not to have been missed.

A Night with The Rising Stars, the mighty Pendyrus Male Voice Choir and the choir of Llangennech School.

The evening opened with Loud Applause director Cerith Owens who gave the history so far of the Rising Stars. Then onto the stage came the host for the evening, West End and television star, Connie Fisher; an ideal choice of host, who endeared herself to both audience and performers.

As Cerith explained, Rising Stars is work in progress, but indeed, what a wealth of talent and musical diversity they provided; Puccini to Sondheim, Lloyd Webber to traditional Welsh music, alongside some jazz and blues singing. It would be unfair to single performances out, but some very fine singing, accomplished with such professionalism from young people. At the piano, accompanying with his usual style, the Loud Applause Rising Stars musical advisor, the well-known Andrew Pike who was ably supported by guest accompanist Bridget Radford.

The Pendyrus Male Voice after an excellent sell out concert earlier in the town this year, returned again. One of South Wales’ premier male choirs much in demand brought another musical dimension to the evening. A refreshing programme of favourites, sang in their inimitable style, especially a great choral arrangement of tunes from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, which brought the audience to its feet.

The Llangennech School choir really shone and what a splendid choir they really are. Ably led by their music teacher Lewis Richards they produced some excellent pieces for the evening. Their rendition of Karl Jenkins’ Adiemus had the audience on their feet yet again.

Risings Stars also has instrumentalists as well as singers and the virtuosic violin playing of Davinder Singh, enthralled and captivated everyone.

Young people, a wealth of talent, and again another fantastic evening’s music, which I’m well sure the audience that were there will remember for quite some time to come..!!!