The International Eisteddfod is famous as the place where Llangollen meets the world. And last night its Pavilion home greeted and played perfect host to a Night at the Opera.
For one night only the marvellous North Wales Opera, under the consummate direction of Anne Williams-King, filled the famous auditorium with a colourful cavalcade of scintillating singing where we could drink in the very best from the immortal pens of Verdi, Mozart, Puccini and and Verdi.
As a bonus, towards the conclusion of a packed programme, came a tantalising taste of Rodgers and Hammerstein and Bernstein.
This feast was laid on in fine style by a hugely talented cast of professional and emerging singers from both near and far, all to the skilled accompaniment of musical director Andrew Charity.
Priscilla Fong from Singapore and Linus Lai from Hong Kong let us hear well-known arias from operas such as the Magic Flute and Marriage of Figaro while also duetting with North Wales Opera's two youngest and most promising singers, 17-year-old Grace Worrall and Llangollen’s own Rose Burgon, 16, fresh from her recent success of being crowned the Eisteddfod's 2026 Young Voice of Musical Theatre.
Adding the voices of rich experience were acclaimed baritone Robin Gruffudd Hughes, who has sung with leading companies including the Royal Opera, and classical tenor Lee J Cander. By them we were treated respectively to the Father's Aria from Hansel and Gretel by Humperdink and Puccini's La Bohème.
And it was Lee, from South Wales, who provided the evening's stunning grand finale with the timeless Nessum Dorma - once sung into legend from a stage just the other side of the Pavilion partition by Maestro Pavarotti himself.
Also swelling the North Wales Opera ranks for this special occasion were Yorkshire-based soprano Victoria Price and North Wales soprano Eve Marie who skilfully performed arias from Marriage of Figaro, La Bohème, and Carmen.
Leigh Mason, musical director of the Fron Male Voice Choir and ladies’ choir Lleisiau’r Afon, and Lizzie Clifford, a regular in local productions by the Llangollen Operatic and Twenty Club, entertained with songs from musicals such as Carousel and Cabaret.
Lizzie's Mr Snow was particularly sweet and fine and who can readily forget Leigh's clawsome Cat Duet with Katie Nilsbird.
Only minutes earlier Leigh had been on stage at the helm of her choir for a spectacularly atmospheric version of the witches' chorus from Verdi's Macbeth.
It was truly an occasion for exquisite solos - Rose Burgon's hauntingly touching O Mio Babbino Caro, for instance - dazzling duets and powerful chorus pieces.
All this combined to create an evening of entertainment not easily to be forgotten.
But perhaps it can be somewhat relived as next up from North Wales Opera at the Pavilion comes Madame Butterfly this December. Booking: llangollenpavilion.co.uk or call 01978 862001.
* Linus Lai journeyed from Hong Kong to perform.
* Priscilla Fong duets with Rose Burgon.
* Katie Nilsbird, left, sets to in the Cat Duet with Leigh Mason.
* Lizzie Clifford's sweet on Mr Snow.
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