Sir Karl Jenkins to conduct Llangollen concert for UN's 80th anniversary

* Sir Karl Jenkins. Picture by Rhys Frampton.

Sir Karl Jenkins will be conducting a landmark concert at this year’s Llangollen International Eisteddfod to mark the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. 

The concert, Uniting Nations: One World, will bring together voices from across the globe, including WorldChoir, London’s Covent Garden Chorus, and some of the Eisteddfod’s visiting international choirs.

The centrepiece of the evening will be a performance of Karl Jenkins’ masterpiece One World, a large-scale choral work for soloists, choir and orchestra, which heralds a vision of a peaceful and egalitarian planet that treats nature and ecological issues with respect and where human rights are universal. 

It reflects his passion for bringing people together through the universal power of music, promoting a message of peace and understanding across cultures.

A stellar line-up of soloists will include two previous winners of the Eisteddfod’s Pendine International Voice of the Future competition, both of whom have continued into flourishing professional careers, the Singaporean soprano Shimona Rose and the Welsh mezzo-soprano Eirlys Myfanwy Davies.

The first half of the concert will feature the world premiere of a new version of the Peace Child story, ahead of subsequent performances at the Ljubljana Festival in Slovenia, and at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on UN Day.

Dave Danford, Artistic Director of the Llangollen International Eisteddfod, said: “We are delighted to be welcoming Sir Karl Jenkins back to Llangollen this summer to conduct this special performance of One World. 

"This is a concert that encapsulates the very ethos of both our Eisteddfod and the United Nations, bringing people from different nations and cultures together in an optimistic celebration of unity.”

Llangollen International Eisteddfod takes place from July 8-13 2025 and features headline concerts from The Who legend Roger Daltrey, KT Tunstall, Il Divo and Bryn Terfel with Fisherman's Friends. Tickets are available from llangollen.net