Providing the afternoon entertainment in Centenary Square this afternoon was the lively Cor DAW choir of ladies who sang and danced their way through a selection of well-known numbers to delight a large crowd.
Friday, July 5, 2019
Cor DAW to the fore in Centenary Square
Providing the afternoon entertainment in Centenary Square this afternoon was the lively Cor DAW choir of ladies who sang and danced their way through a selection of well-known numbers to delight a large crowd.
Gales uncorks a new daytime eatery
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* The inside of the new Wine Shop in an old building on Bridge Street. |
llanblogger review
A smart, new daytime eatery has just been uncorked in the heart of Llangollen by the oldest winebar in Wales.
Gales, which has been in business in the town for the past 40-odd years, has opened a new venture called the Wine Shop, located at 16 Bridge Street, which is open during the day until the main winebar takes over in the evening.
They’ve spent months doing up what was previously the first bit of their wine accessory shop adjacent to the winebar and fitted it out in the most modern style of decor, which contrasts
perfectly with the the oak beamy and Victorian shop-windowy orginal building a good deal of which thankfully remains.
It’s now all white walls, narrow tables and sit-up benches within shallow alcoves done in toning greys and yellows, giving a pleasantly light and airy feel to the place.
There’s even a couple of Parisian-style bistro tables on the pavement outside.
And all this is perfect for the sort of middle-of-the-day food and drink they’re offering from a menu based on deli board items.
There’s also a pretty short but well-thought-out selection of wines on offer which benefits from the Gale family’s decades of fine wine familiarity.
You can pick ‘n’ mix your own from the quite extensive menu but my wife and I went for a sharing platter of six items, which is the optimum number they recommend to
split between two people.
We opted for three tasty continental meats, including prosciutto, salami and chorizo, along with three cheeses - a couple of tangy blues and a runny brie. You’ll need bread, which
was tomatoy and came with some nice mini-crackers on the side.
Not over-facing but perfectly adequate, I reckon.
I chose a nice big glass of fruity sauvingon blanc to accompany my lunch while my wife, with a pressing appointment later, ordered a small cafetiere of Gales’ good coffee.
The whole thing came in at a respectable £25.70 and that’s not bad for a nice treat on a busy and very sunny eisteddfod afternoon.
Seattle choir thrills care home residents
* The Colombian Children’s Choir of Seattle’s sing at Bryn Bella.
* Resident Mirrie Hodson joins in with the music.
A couple of hours after thrilling the audience at an international festival youngsters from two American award-winning choirs wowed a group of care home residents with a “spellbinding” performance.
The junior and youth sections of the Colombian Children's Choirs from Seattle visited the Pendine Park Care Organisation in Wrexham as part of a reciprocal agreement with Llangollen's International Musical Eisteddfod
Among the events supported at Llangollen by the Pendine Arts and Community Trust (PACT) this year were inter-generational dementia music workshops attended by 1,100 children, the Pendine International Voice of the Future competition, and the concert by renowned tenor Rolando Villazón, who was making his first UK appearance of the year.
PACT was set up by Pendine Park proprietors Mario Kreft MBE and his wife, Gill, proprietors of the Pendine Park which supports numerous arts and community-based activities across Wales.
It has now become a tradition for one of the choirs competing at Llangollen to visit the park, but this was the first time for a youth choir to do so.
The Colombian Children's Choirs were established 35 years ago by Steve Stevens, who is still the artistic director as well as being involved with other choirs in Seattle.
"I first came to Llangollen in 1979 and have been here about six times in total, four or five times with the Colombian Choirs," he said.
"We always have a wonderful tour and I look forward to coming," he said.
The choristers range in age from 11 to 18, and this year's party comprises 47 members.
Though it was their first visit to Pendine Park the youngsters often perform in similar care homes in the Seattle area.
"We do enjoy doing this kind of thing and it's nice knowing our singing is appreciated," said 15-year-old Camille Brennan, who has been singing for 10 years.
Addison Hollomon, 17, a chorister for four years, last visited North Wales four years ago, and was equally happy appearing before the relatively small audience of about 25 Pendine residents.
"We do this quite a lot at home and the feedback is always good," she said.
The choir's tour co-ordinator, Lars Myren, 28, who will shortly take over as president of the choir's Board of Trustees, feels a particularly close link with the International Eisteddfod.
"I first came here 16 years ago when the youth choir came second, so I have very happy memories," he said.
Among the residents who appreciated the crystal-clear unaccompanied voices of the youngsters was 75-year-old Christine Jones, who has been at Pendine for 18 years.
"I loved it, and although I have heard lots of choirs I haven't heard anything as good as that before," she said.
"I enjoy singing, but only to myself," she added.
Tony Ithel, 61, who is originally from Ellesmere Port and has been at Pendine for a couple of years, has visited the International Eisteddfod in the past and found the Colombian choirs spellbinding.
"It was really lovely," he said.
Sarah Edwards, Pendine's artist-in-residence, said music played a part in the organisation's as it had been proved to be therapeutic as well as enjoyable.
"We have always got something musical going on including the 11-year project with the Halle Orchestra and Live Music Now, through which professional artistes come in to perform," she said.
“This is the first time for a youth choir to come from Llangollen and it was clear how much they were appreciated.
“The arts in general and music in particular provide the golden thread that runs through everything we do at Pendine Park to enrich the lives of residents and staff across the generations.”
Varied programme of entertainment on and off the field
* Hong Kong Welsh Male Voice Choir at the St Collen's lunchtime concert.
* The Linkoping Male Voice Choir sing in St Collen's Church.
* Indonesian dancers go through their stylish routine in Centenary Square.
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* The choir from Ysgol Maes Hyfryd Specialist School sing in the Ampitheatre. |
Yesterday there was a double-bill, with first the Hong Kong Welsh Male Voice Choir singing - the first time they have performed in Wales after being formed 40 years ago by ex-pats of Welsh origin in the former British colony.
They were followed by the Linkoping University Male Voice Choir who showed off their broad repertoire from classical choral music to new works and what they describe as "high-spirited escapades".
The Hong Kong choristers left their Swedish counterparts with the perfect link by belting out their version of Abba's Take a Chance on Me.
The concerts continue today (Friday) with appearances by guitarist Achille Jones and the Coro Serpeddi choir from Sinnai in Italy (pictured below).
Out on Centenary Square yesterday there was another packed programme of free entertainment which included an Indian bhangra dance troupe and dancers from Indonesia.
Up on the field an attraction in the Ampitheatre just before lunchtime was a spirited performance by the choir from Ysgol Maes Hyfryd Specialist School in Flint.
Eisteddfod shows off its colourful international appeal
* The Procession of Nations featured in last night's concert.
* Jamie Smith's Mabon take the main stage.
The Pavilion was alive with intoxicating melodies thanks to an energetic repertoire of Welsh folk music from Jamie Smith’s Mabon at last night's eisteddfod concert.
The band headlined the festival’s International Celebration evening which showcased a vibrant carnival of cultures.
The Procession of Nations saw international performers weaving spectacularly through the audience, waving their national flags as they celebrated the eisteddfod’s key values of international unity and friendship.
Mabon dazzled with an outstanding original mix of upbeat folk which offered the audience a swirling blend of upbeat Celtic jigs and cheerful lyrics.
Before their performance Mabon hosted The Gathering, an impromptu festival dance event when their blending of distinctive Welsh melodies with a contemporary twist got the festival field dancing in a twmpath which is similar to a ceilidh.
* More information on this year’s festival and online ticket purchases can be found at www.llangollen.net or via the box office on 01978 862001.
Shaolin Monks dazzle on the field
* The Shaolin Monks in action at the eisteddfod.
One of the most eye-catching performances yesterday at the eisteddfod came from The Southern Temple Shaolin Monks who travelled from China to perform.
They said they had been inspired to return to Llangollen following a visit last March thanks to the “peacefulness and beauty” of Wales and the “warmth of the people”.
The performance group, whose members are a young as nine years old, train six hours a day, six days a week at the monastery in Putian.
The eisteddfod has welcomed 4,000 performers this week, with groups travelling from as far away as Ghana, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Ivory Coast.
This afternoon's traditional parade will see thousands of performers dancing through the streets of Llangollen.
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