* NEW
Voices choir rehearsing with conductor Robert Guy.
A search has
been launched for singers from across North Wales to join a massed choir of 200
voices to call for world peace.
The performance
at Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod will pay tribute to the
thousands of men, women and children massacred in the 1990s war in Bosnia and
shine a light on the desperate plight of those currently suffering in war-torn
Ukraine.
The concert,
called The White Flower: Into the Light, will be held at 8pm on Wednesday, July
5, just a few days before Srebrenica Memorial Day on July 11 to remember the
8,372 Bosnian Muslims who were massacred in in 1995.
The White Flower
motif has been adopted as a symbol of remembrance in Srebrenica and the 11
petals of the flower represent the day the genocide began.
The theme of the concert was chosen to reflect the
founding purpose of the Eisteddfod, an iconic event which was established in
1947 to promote peace in the aftermath of the Second World War.
It will feature
extracts from the haunting mass for peace, The Armed Man, by renowned Welsh
composer Karl Jenkins as a centrepiece of the programme.
Volunteers are
needed to join the huge, specially formed choir, one of the biggest ever seen
in North Wales.
They will be
accompanied by the acclaimed NEW Sinfonia orchestra that will be making its
debut headline appearance at Llangollen Eisteddfod.
NEW Sinfonia
conductor Robert Guy has issued a call for singers of all ages to sign up
for the choir, with rehearsals due to get underway on May 13.
He said there
will be no barriers to taking part in this stirring occasion, adding: “It is
not restricted to those with previous concert singing experience. We are
opening it up to all comers, all they need is a love of singing.”
At the heart of
the choir will be a group of keen amateur singers who belong to the hugely
successful NEW Voices project already established by NEW Sinfonia.
Robert said: “It’s thanks to the huge success of our NEW Voices project that we already
have a core group of enthusiastic amateur singers ready to step up and sing at
Llangollen. But we need lots more singers, especially tenors and basses.
“We will need
200 voices in all so we are urging anyone with a passion for singing and a
desire to take part in this momentous event to sign up quickly now.”
NEW Voices
includes refugees who have settled in North Wales following conflicts or
persecution in their own countries. They have found solace in singing together
and made new friends through the common language of music.
Among them is a
young Ukrainian conductor Polina Horelova who with her young family was forced
to flee her home city of Mariupol after the Russians invaded and razed the
city.
It is hoped
Polina will conduct the traditional Ukrainian folk piece River Song during the
concert of remembrance.
Robert added:
“We are proud that NEW Voices comprises such a wide mix of musical abilities
and a range of nationalities. We encompass singers from Wales, Ukraine, Iraq,
Iran, Algeria and El Salvador, among other countries.
“For our White
Flower: Into the Light programme we need sopranos, altos, tenors, basses and
young voices too; we encourage everyone to come forward.
“There will be
regular rehearsals so people need not fear that they are not good enough or
lack confidence. We are here to guide them through the whole wonderful
process.”
Rehearsals will
be at two hubs, one in Tŷ Pawb community arts centre, Wrexham, and the other at
St Asaph Parish Church. They meet on Saturday mornings from 10am-12 noon. There
is also a facility for people to join rehearsals via Zoom video conferencing
technology.
Llangollen
Eisteddfod Executive Producer Camilla King said: “We have been thinking about
doing something on this theme and scale for some time but it is only this year
that the various strands have come together to create what promises to be a
magical evening.
“It is
heart-breaking to look back on the Bosnian war and realise that a whole
cultural identity was under attack.
“As well as the
relentless murdering of the population, its entire heritage was targeted,
artworks destroyed and cultural icons demolished. Now just two decades later
very similar monstrosities are happening in Ukraine right now.
“We wanted to
put on a concert to highlight that humanity at its heart is so much better than
this. We wanted to reflect the ethos of peace, friendship and cultural
diversity which is at the very roots of the International Eisteddfod and is the
reason why it was founded in the first place all those years ago in 1947.
“It will be a
thought-provoking, contemplative evening but it will also be uplifting as it
highlights important themes of hope, togetherness and overcoming division.”
Camilla added:
“I am expecting demand for tickets will be high as there is no doubt in my mind
that this will be a truly unforgettable evening. We invite everyone to come
along and enjoy.”
* For more details
about the concert at 8pm on Wednesday, July 5, visit: https://international-eisteddfod.co.uk/events/wednesday-evening/ and to sign up for the choir or get more information email at voices@newsinfonia.org.uk and robert@newsinfonia.org.uk or call Robert Guy on 07725 050510.
