* Baritone Emyr Lloyd Jones is presented with his prize for winning the Pendine International Voice of the Future competition by Mario Kreft MBE, proprietor of Pendine Park.
A global search has been launched to find a new international singing star.
The prestigious Pendine International Voice of the
Future competition will be one of the main highlights of the Llangollen
International Musical Eisteddfod which gets underway on Tuesday, July 4.
It will be the first full length festival since the
pandemic struck, with international competitors once again returning to the
picturesque town in the Dee Valley where Wales meets the world.
The aim of the Pendine International Voice of the
Future competition which started in 2013 is to advance the careers of the
world’s most gifted young singers.
Applications to take part are now being accepted
with a £3,000 cash prize for the winner as well as exciting career development
opportunities, while the runner up will receive a cheque for £1,000.
Last year's winner, baritone Emyr Lloyd Jones from
Bontnewydd near Caernarfon, Gwynedd put in a stirring performance to take the
title and was dubbed the new Bryn Terfel.
He was presented with the Pendine Trophy – a solid
silver salver - and the £3,000 prize by Mario Kreft MBE, proprietor of the
arts-loving care organisation, Pendine Park, who sponsor the competition.
Once again the prize this year will come from the
Pendine Arts and Community Trust (PACT) which supports cultural and community
initiatives across Wales.
The festival’s executive producer, Camilla King,
was excited by the changes being introduced to the competition for 2023.
She said: "Last year, we celebrated our 75th
anniversary, and for the first time staged the final of the Pendine
International Voice of the Future on our closing Saturday night, alongside the
prestigious Choir of the World competition, broadcast live on S4C, and it
proved to be a roof-raising climax to the Eisteddfod.
“Twenty competitors made it through to the live competition, with six in the
semi-finals and two artists competing for the winner’s title. This year, we’ve
added a third spot to the final stage.
“We’re also introducing an International
Accompanists prize, in recognition of outstanding achievement by a young
pianist. So many of our talented young singers form a creative partnership with
their accompanists who are of a similar age and we wish to recognise their
ability.”
She added aspiring young singers should be aged
between 20 and 32 on July 5, 2023 and prepare a contrasting programme of music
from oratorio, opera, lieder or song.
The International Accompanist competition carries a
prize of £1,000 and eligible accompanists will be aged 28 or under on July 5,
2023.
The competition winners also enjoy the opportunity
to perform at future Eisteddfod concerts and with other Welsh arts
organisations, and will receive a working session with one of the UK’s leading
opera companies.
Pendine Park proprietor Mario
Kreft MBE said: "My wife, Gill, and I are delighted to be sponsoring the
Pendine International Voice of the Future competition once again via PACT.
“The Pendine Trophy, which is
solid Edwardian silver bearing a Chester hallmark, was kindly donated by the
late Tony Kaye of Kaye’s Jewellers. It’s a stunning and beautiful trophy.
“Our
aim in supporting the competition is to provide a springboard for brilliant
young singers from around the world to achieve their dreams of establishing a
career on the global stage.
“The competition
chimes perfectly with our ethos at Pendine Park because the arts in general and
music in particular provide the golden thread running through everything we do
to enrich the lives of our residents and staff alike.
“Last year a star was
born when we were enthralled by the emerging talent of Emyr Lloyd Jones whose
bravura performance was rightly likened to that of a young Bryn Terfel.
“I am sure that this
year’s competition will also be a memorable musical treat.”
Looking forward to this year's Eisteddfod, which
runs until July 9, Camilla King said: "Audiences can expect six days of entertainment, with a new
improved Eisteddfod Maes, the annual Parade back, bigger and better than ever,
and some exciting changes for the closing Sunday, in the form of new
competitions.
“Music, dance,
culture, has the power to help us understand the world around us, and to lift
our spirits, bringing people together in the joy of performance. This is what
Llangollen was founded for, and what we strive to continue to do, 76 years
later.”
* Applications for the International Voice of the Year competition closes on March 24. Further details online at www.international-eisteddfod.co.uk
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