Local roadworks alerts from one.network

Latest local roadworks alerts from one.network are:

Berwyn Street, Llangollen, Denbighshire 11 July - 13 July   Delays likely - Diversion route   Name: Clockwise Diversion   Location: Berwyn Street   Description: Streetworks / License - Streetworks   Responsibility for event: Denbighshire County Council   Current status: Planned   Chapel Street, Llangollen, Denbighshire 11 July - 13 July   Delays likely - Road closure   Name: Chapel Street, Llangollen   Location: Chapel Street   Description: Streetworks / License - Streetworks   Responsibility for event: Denbighshire County Council   Current status: Planned   Oak Street, Llangollen, Denbighshire 11 July - 13 July   Delays likely - Diversion route   Name: Anticlockwise Diversion   Location: Oak Street   Description: Streetworks / License - Streetworks   Responsibility for event: Denbighshire County Council   Current status: Planned

Talking point Lexus is a good bet for company drivers

Lexus UX 250h drive by Steve Rogers

Pubs are a good place to chew the fat over cars.

My Lexus was on the table and I was asked what the brand was all about. Put simply it is a posh Toyota, launched here by the Japanese giant in 1990 to challenge Mercedes-Benz.  Think Bond Street chic rather than High Street chain.

With that friends joined us and commented on the smart looking Lexus in the car park. They have a BMW X1, but thought the UX more stylish, which it is, lots of slashes and creases, and a huge zig-zag grille that shouts ‘look at me’.

Yet looks alone don’t sell cars and Lexus has never threatened the German premium trio and certainly not enjoyed the meteoric rise of Audi which was making its mark around the same time.

UX is the smallest of the Lexus crossover range and has the familiar hybrid set up of a 2-litre petrol engine and self charging electric motor. Parent company Toyota is the king of hybrid so this is a highly efficient unit with low emissions and strong economy. It is not a plug-in so electric only power is limited to low speed short stints around town.

UX is, however, a good bet for company drivers and business users - low emissions have their advantages when it comes to tax breaks.

So what’s on offer once past the rakish body? If anything the cabin is even better. While German rivals tend to be conservative, particularly with dashboard design, the Lexus stylists have been braver with lots of shapes and contours, and a variety of shades.

The layout is easy on the eye and a far cry from the UX I drove after its launch in 2019. The centre piece was the infotainment system, a rather ropey affair, with a touch screen that could also be operated from a keypad with a cursor that danced around, landing in all the wrong places and was a nightmare to use while driving.

Thankfully it is no more. The whole system has been ripped out, the keypad gone, replaced by a larger, more efficient 12.3in touchscreen, (8in for lower models). Voice control has also been upgraded and now does what it is asked, adjusting the heating if you don’t want to use the clear and tactile row of buttons.

Last week I got all grumpy over the lack of a digital speedo in the Toyota Yaris Cross, well no such worries with UX which has a bold digital readout in the driver’s binnacle and can be changed to a red sporty layout if in the mood for speed.

On the subject of speed UX is a bit fruity with foot flat to the floor, nothing to bother those German rivals, but a reminder that hybrid provides enough clout when needed while exceeding the mark on economy. Officially UX is good for 51mpg and you can trust that because I nailed it.

And I liked the way it handled, holding its line when pushed through the twists while the suspension did a fine job soaking up bumps and potholes.

With prices that go way past 40 grand for the top models we expect decent quality and UX does not fall short. Materials are high grade and the only noise intrusion comes from the chunky tyres and that is not much of an issue.

If UX has a small failing it is space. Rear legroom is only so-so with the front seats set for average height people, and then there is the boot. It has a double floor but is still small, smaller even than the little Yaris Cross. The underfloor hybrid battery pack has made an impact and as there is no room under the bonnet for the car’s main battery it takes up a chunk of space in the boot.

Be careful you do not forget something stored in one of seven little compartments under the boot floor which goes to show how they have tried to use every inch of available space.

UX is the best seller in the Lexus range and it is easy to see why. This is a solid all round package with top notch hybrid technology.

 I particularly like the Yaris Cross GR reviewed last week but there is a marked difference in quality, and price of course, but you can get a UX for £35k, around £5000 more than the Yaris which is worth the money.

As a footnote I asked my friends if they would be tempted to swap their BMW for the UX. The answer: No chance. Says it all, doesn’t it.

Fast facts

UX 250h Premium Plus

£40,660 (starts £34,770)

2-litre; 288bhp with electric motor

0-62mph 8.5secs; 110mph

51.3mpg combined

125g/km, 1st tax £210

Insurance group 12

Boot 320 litres

 

Final competitions round-up from the Eisteddfod

* Choir of the World: Kammerchor Manila Choir from the Philippines.

* Dance winners: Labschool Kabayoran Senior Highschool dancers from Indonesia.

* Highly commended: Soul Oasis Cultural Ambassadors from Trinidad and Tobago.

A choir from the Philippines struck gold at the Eisteddfod.

The Kammerchor Manila clinched the prestigious Pavarotti Trophy in the Choir of the World competition.

The winners saw off challenges from the “hugely impressive” runners-up, the Cantilon Chamber Choir from Edmonton in Canada, the Delaware Choral Scholars from the USA and the Le Voci choir from Hereford.

According to the judging panel, which included Robert Guy, the co-founder and conductor of the Wrexham based NEW Sinfonia orchestra which headlined at the eisteddfod earlier in the week, the victorious choir put in a superb performance.

In Robert Guy’s view. the  Kammerchor, under the baton of Conductor Anthony Villanueve, were the "stand-out" performers in a tough competition for the global choral crown, named in honour of the legendary tenor Luciano Pavarotti.

Pavarotti, who passed away in 2006, was a member of the Chorus Rossini from Modena in Italy who won the  Male Voice Choir competition at Llangollen Eisteddfod in 1955.

Exactly four decades later he returned to Llangollen in 1995 to perform once again on the famous pavilion stage, but this time as an international superstar.

According to Llangollen Eisteddfod’s Executive Producer, Camilla King, Kammerchor,  from Quezon City, were worthy winners of the blue riband prize in memory of the great man.

Kammerchor is one of the premier church choirs in the Philippines and was founded in 1992 as a non-profit organisation.

The choir has a track record of success at international choral competitions.

In 2021 they were the Grand Prix winner at the Queen of the Adriatic Sea International Choral Festival in Rimini in Italy where they also won the category for sacred music.

Meanwhile, the International Conductor’s Prize went to Heather Johnson of the Cantilon Chamber Choir  from Canada.

Serial winners the Loughgiel Folk Dancers from Northern Ireland were pipped to the first prize in the Dance Champions competition by Labschool Kebayoran Senior Highschool from Indonesia. 

The Soul Oasis Cultural Ambassadors  troupe from Trinidad and  Tobago were also highly commended in the dance competition. 

All the evening’s competitions took place against a background of thundery rain lashing down on the pavilion’s canvas roof but it was the music and dancing which prevailed

Camilla King said: “The judges declared that it was the most exciting Choir of the World that Llangollen has seen for many years. All competitions were very tightly fought and it was a challenge to choose the eventual winners.

“Overall, we’ve had a brilliant week and it was great to be able to stage the first full length Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod since before the Covid pandemic.

“We introduced a host of entertaining new features on the Maes which proved very popular with the tens of thousands of visitors who came to the festival.

“Among the many highlights was the reading of the famous Dylan Thomas radio broadcast about Llangollen Eisteddfod, which was brilliantly delivered by the acclaimed actor, Celyn Jones, to mark the 70^th anniversary of the landmark masterpiece.

“It was also an absolute delight to see the return of the Parade of Nations which saw competitors from 19 nations on five continents around the world transform the streets of Llangollen into a sea of colour and joy.”

Double Eisteddfod delight for young entertainer Shea

 

* Eisteddfod executive producer Camilla King, left, presented Shea Ferron and Makenna Malkin with their prizes for being respectively runner-up and winner of the Voice of Musical Theatre.

* Shea Ferron during his performance.

* Winner Makenna Malkin from the USA. 

* Finalist Fflur Davies from Wales.

* Finalist Sophie Kaloustian from the USA.

* Finalist Seth Velez from the USA.

* Labschool Indonesian folk dancers open the show.

* Soul Oasis from Trinidad and Tobago closed the show. 

* Loughgiel Irish folk dancers.

There was double delight for the young local entertainer who sang on the main Eisteddfod stage with Alfie Boe last week.

At the festival’s closing concert last night (Sunday) 20-year-old Shea Ferron from Ruabon won himself a £1,000 prize when he was runner-up for the coveted title of Voice of Musical Theatre after beating off a bevy of stiff international competition.

The contest, the preliminary round of which had been held earlier in the day, is an audience favourite and is aimed at the future stars of contemporary popular music.

After having the once-in-a-lifetime chance of sharing a song with his hero Alfie Boe during last week’s opening Eisteddfod concert, Shea sailed through the prelim with a heady score from adjudicators of 87 marks.

He faced four other finalists – three from the USA and one from Wales – in the big decider on the Pavilion stage last night.

After a nail-biting contest, which adjudicators said was one of the closest they’d seen, an overwhelmed Shea, a Manchester performing arts student who is  already a star of the singing and acting circuit locally and regionally, took a highly creditable second spot to young American performer Makenna Malkin to the delight of his many supporters in the audience.

His winning repertoire was Hard to Speak My Heart from the musical Parade, Who I’d Be from Skrek the Musical and You’ll Be Back from the West End hit Hamilton.

The concert opened with a dazzling display by Indonesian folk dance group Labschool who had landed the Eisteddfod’s dancing championship earlier in the day.

There was also an appearance by the Loughgiel folk dancers from Northern Ireland and Soul Oasis of Trinidad and Tobago closed the show. Compere for the evening was Sian Thomas.

Final day action round-up from the Eisteddfod

 llanblogger has been capturing the action during today's final day of the Eisteddfod.

* Soul Oasis Cultural Ambassadors from Trinidad & Tobago celebrate their victory in the first-ever Eisteddfod dance-off, held in the Pavilion. Judged on the volume of applause and cheers, they were the audience's favourite and beat off competition from around the world.

  * England-based Indian dancers GEJJE were also in the dance-off, along with ...

* ... Karen's Dance Classes from Denbighshire -

* The Loughgiel Folk Dancers from Northern Ireland -

* A Kurdish folk dance group based in England -

* The Mother Touch Group of Schools dancers from Zimbabwe.

 * Hip & Harmony ukelele band perform on the Globe stage during the afternoon.

* Kuohu Choir from Finland performed at the Eisteddfod closing service held in St Collen's Church in the morning.

* Also performing at the service were the Musical Origins Singers from Jersey. 

* ... and the Azusa Pacific University Chamber Singers from the USA.

* Llangollen-based actor Dyfed Thomas gives a reading during the service.

* The service was led by priest-in-charge Fr Lee Taylor.

Chinese tenor Zihua crowned world’s best young singer

 

* Winner Zihua Zhang from China (centre) pictured with Pendine Park's Musician in Residence Nia Davies Williams, finalist Charlotte Kelso from Australia, second place  Owain Rowlands from Wales and Pendine Park artist in residence Sarah Edwards.

A tenor from China who quit playing clarinet to focus on his voice has been crowned the world’s best young singer.

Zihua Zhang, 28, outshone competitors from all around the globe to win this year’s Pendine International Voice of the Future title at Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.

Following a thrilling competition, he was presented with the Pendine Trophy - a solid silver salver - and a £3,000 cheque  jointly by musician in residence Nia Davies Williams and artist in residence Sarah Edwards from the arts-loving care organisation, Pendine Park, who sponsor the competition.

The prize came from the Pendine Arts and Community Trust  which was founded by Pendine Park owners Mario and Gill Kreft, to support cultural and community initiatives across Wales.

The runner’s up prize of £1,000 went to Welsh baritone Owain Rowlands, of Llandeilo in  Carmarthenshire.

Owain was already a familiar face to many in the audience from his frequent performances on Welsh language TV channel S4C.

Australian soprano Charlotte Kelso, from Adelaide, was third.

Unbelievably, Zihua only took up singing in his late teens, having started his music career playing clarinet for 15 years.

He said: “I always played clarinet but then one day I suddenly thought I’d have a go at singing for a bit and I discovered it was a lot of fun. Then I just knew it was what I wanted to do the rest of my life.”

The dynamic talent remained cool headed despite a humid and stormy Saturday night final.

Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod Executive Producer Camilla King said it had been a tough decision as all three finalists are potential stars of the future, but Zihua put in a truly show-stopping performance.

He impressed the judges with his stirring renditions of ‘What a Cold Hand’ from Puccini’s La Boheme, and ‘Ah Rise the Sun’ from the operatic version of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

Zihua. originally from Xiamen, a port city on China’s south eastern coast, dreams of becoming a professional opera singer performing at some of the great opera houses around the world

In the meantime, he is about to complete an advanced post graduate diploma at university in Birmingham. He previously gained a master’s degree from the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester.

He said: “I can’t even take it in myself really. My fellow competitors were so talented that I never expected to win. It is such a great honour.

“The Pendine International Voice of the Future prize will be a big help in furthering my musical ambitions.

“It means I won’t have to survive on meal deals anymore! But seriously, it is so good to have that extra financial boost behind me.

“It’s certainly been an honour and a fantastic experience to compete in Wales at Llangollen. The International Eisteddfod is well known and respected in China, and it’s been unforgettable for me just to be here, never mind win.”

Pendine Park musician in residence Nia Davies Williams praised the exceptionally high standard of all three finalists.

She said: “The quality of the singing, and music in general, as always with the eisteddfod, has been amazing. And what was so nice is how the audience reacted with rousing applause for all the competitors. You could tell what a great time they were having listening to the rising stars of the future.”

Sarah Edwards added: “I think we have tonight heard some of the future famous names of the global operatic stage. We are proud that the Pendine Arts and Community Trust has sponsored such an outstanding competition and one which has seen entries come in from singers right across the world.

“It is a shame there can only be one winner but I am sure that in Zihua Zhang we have found a huge new talent. We send him our good wishes in furthering his musical career and achieving his dreams.”

On the judging panel for the evening was Robert Guy, co-founder and conductor of the Wrexham based NEW Sinfonia orchestra which headlined at the eisteddfod earlier in the week..

He said: “Overall it has been a magnificent night with some stunning performances which will stay in our minds for a long time to come.”

Latest county council roadworks alerts

 

Latest roadworks alerts from Denbighshire County Council are:

OUTSIDE NUMBER 12 CHAPEL STREET 11/07/2023 13/07/2023 Gwaith Dwr / Water Works SEVERN TRENT WATER (DCC) LLANGOLLEN Ffordd ar Gau/Road Closure

Full Extent TRACK FROM VALLEY ROAD TO TYN CELYN WOOD 08/07/2023 09/07/2023 Digwyddiad ar y Priffordd/ Event on the Highway GRAVITY EVENTS UK LLANGOLLEN Ffordd ar Gau/Road Closure

O/S BUILDING KNOWN AS BRYN MYNACH ABBEY ROAD 10/07/2023 11/07/2023 Gwaith Dwr / Water Works HAFREN DYFRDWY (DANIEL) LLANGOLLEN

A539 Ponsonby Arms MILL STREET 10/07/2023 11/07/2023 NMWTRA (Trunk Road Agency) LLANGOLLEN.

Westbound Approx 41m East of entrance to Health Centre Car Park A539 LLANGOLLEN ROAD 14/07/2023 14/07/2023 Gwaith Marcio Ffordd / Road Marking Works DCC TRAFFIC LLANGOLLEN Confoi 10 mya/10 mph Convoy

A539 Abbey Road ABBEY ROAD 19/06/2023 30/09/2023 Ailwynebu/ Resurfacing DCC WORKS UNIT Confoi 10 mya/10 mph Convoy