Police carry out underwater search for missing man

North Wales Police has posted on Facebook this afternoon (Monday) that a search is being carried out in the Chirk area to locate a missing man.

The post says: "Following the discovery of some property near the canal yesterday (Sunday, July 7th), the Underwater Search Team will be present along the Shropshire Union Canal in Chirk, near to the marina.

"Acting Inspector Rhodri Ifans said: 'I am asking people to please avoid Chirk Marina today, and the footpath leading up to, and through the tunnel leading to Chirk Aqueduct to allow the specialist underwater search team to carry out their enquiries.

'I would like to thank the public for their continued patience and understanding and ask anyone with information to contact us via the website, or by calling 101.'”

Kurdish dancers play generation game at the Eisteddfod

* Leader of the Kurdish Folk Dancers Huseyin Cicek. His son Burak is in the line-up just behind him to his right.

A group of competitors were playing the generation game at this year’s Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.

The London-based Kurdish Folk Dancers have been coming to the world-famous north Wales festival, which aims to promote peace through music and dance, to showcase their traditional skills and take part in its competitions, since 1990.

Their leader is 65-year Huseyin Cicek who accompanies the group’s 16 male and female dancers on a highly-decorated drum.

In the past he has brought with him to perform his two older sons but this year it was the turn of his youngest son, 21-year-old Burak, to join the line-up as a dancer.

Dad Huseyin, who had the distinction of heading up the group in the Eisteddfod’s famous Parade of Nations which traditionally kicks off the week-long festival, said: “With a couple of years’ exception during the pandemic, we have been coming to the Llangollen Eisteddfod every year since 1990.

“The reason we keep coming back is that, as Kurds, we are not recognised as a national group anywhere else in the country apart from Llangollen and that is a very good feeling.

“We also love to come to the Eisteddfod because of the fantastic location and international atmosphere.”

He added: “I’ve been living in the UK since 1985 and brought my two eldest boys to Llangollen as part of our group.

“This year I am delighted that I’ve been able to bring my youngest son so he can see for himself why we all love the Eisteddfod so much and keep on coming back.”

Burak, who along with the rest of the group all have day jobs and only dance for the sheer fun of it, said: “I’ve really enjoyed myself at Llangollen and it was something special for me to be part of the group at last.

“The people you meet in the town and on the Eisteddfod field are lovely and friendly and it’s amazing to be in a place surrounded by such beautiful countryside.

“I’m definitely hoping to come back again next year because I’ve enjoyed myself so much and it’s been fantastic to keep up the family tradition of performing in Llangollen.”

The Eisteddfod’s Artistic Director Dave Danford said: “We were delighted to have the Kurdish group with us once again this year.

“I think it’s marvellous to see that their long association with our festival has now continued into another generation, with Burak joining his dad Huseyin, who is such a familiar face to us, and the other dancers in one of our competitions and the Parade of Nations.

“The fostering of friendship between so many international groups has always been  a key part of the ethos of the festival since it began in 1947.”  

Pengwern Community Hub's July programme

Pengwern Community Hub has published its programme for July which is:

 

Gifted Singapore soprano takes top Eisteddfod voice prize

* Winner Shimona Rose receives the Pendine Trophy from Mario Kreft. Pictures by Rick Matthews.

* Runner-up Manon Ogwen Parry.

A gifted soprano from Singapore has been crowned the world’s best young opera singer at Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.

Shimona Rose, 29, outshone competitors from all around the globe to win the prestigious Pendine International Voice of the Future title in a thrilling sing-off against talented Welsh soprano Manon Ogwen Parry.

A delighted Shimona was presented with the Pendine Trophy – a solid silver salver – and a £3,000 cheque by Mario Kreft MBE, proprietor of 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 Mario and his wife, Gill, to support cultural and community initiatives across Wales.

Manon, from Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan, received a runner’s up prize of £1,000.

Shimona was overwhelmed by her success especially as this was her first ever visit to Llangollen Eisteddfod.

She delivered dazzling performances to make it through initial rounds of the competition which attracted some of the best young singers from all around the globe.

An original 16 entrants in earlier heats were whittled down to six semi-finalists before Shimona and Manon were chosen to sing off in the final.

It is a flagship contest of the Eisteddfod and attracted a packed crowd into the main pavilion, cheering on the contestants in the finale night of competitions.

Shimona said: “It has been an absolute whirlwind.The other competitors were all immensely talented so it is an incredible honour to be awarded this title. More than that, it is a personal affirmation for me that this is absolutely what I am meant to do.”

The competition was judged by Martin Fitzgerald, head of music at the English National Opera, and operatic soprano Sarah Tynan, a voice professor at the Royal College of Music.

Presenting the Pendine International Voice for the Future prize, Mario Kreft said the performances of both finalists were “remarkable”.

He said: “The calibre of singing was outstanding. These are two such promising talents of the future. It is heartening to know that through our involvement in sponsoring this competition we are helping nurture the promising young stars of the future.

“This is exactly why Pendine Arts and Community Trust got involved in the Llangollen Eisteddfod, to champion the new generation of talents in music and the arts, to help them prosper and progress.

“The competition chimes perfectly with our ethos at Pendine Park because the arts in

general and music in particular provide the golden thread running through everything

we do to enrich the lives of our residents and staff alike and can play an incredibly important role in social care more widely.”

Born in Singapore, where her parents still live, Shimona started playing the piano aged five before eventually taking up singing and discovering her love of opera.

She also has experience with choral music and formed her own jazz band in 2014.

She has been living in London for the last six years where she is studying at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama

Having heard about the Llangollen International Eisteddfod from a friend and housemate, she said: “He told me how brilliant it is and he urged me to enter the Pendine International Voice of the Future contest, so I decided to give it a go.

“When I got here I realised how right he was. The atmosphere is so friendly and the level of talent from all over the world is amazing. Everyone supports each other and that takes a lot of the stress out of competing.

“I’ve been here four days and every minute it’s been wonderful. I am thinking of coming back next year just to enjoy the whole experience as a spectator.”

Shimona is no stranger to competitions. She has already scooped several other top prizes including the Robert Salzer Vocal Championship Award at the Boroondara Eisteddfod in Australia in 2017.

She graduated with a Master of Performance with Distinction at the Royal College of Music where she studied with Amanda Roocroft and became 2018 Opera Scholar of the Year.

She also was the 37th Annual Australian National Liederfest winner.

She has secured roles in operas in Britain, Australia and Singapore and she was asked to perform for the Opening of the Legal Year 2019 Judiciary Dinner at the President’s Palace in Singapore with the President and Chief Justice in attendance.

Runner up Manon said the second prize of £1,000 will also help her as she embarks on an opera study course at the Guildhall from September.

She said: “It will be a big help in furthering my musical ambitions.”

She congratulated Shimona on her win saying: “She is such a wonderful talent, with a warm and friendly personality. It’s been a pleasure to be in the final sing-off with her.”

Performing is in Manon’s blood having been taught to sing by her mother Angela Morris-Parry, an acclaimed music teacher, while her father is actor Erfyl Ogwen Parry.

Eisteddfod stages its big night of winners

                           * Choir of the World winners Côr Glanaethwy.

A talented performing arts group who have competed at Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod for the past 32 years are celebrating after landing the coveted title of 2024 Choir of the World during the festival’s grand finale Core Week concert on Saturday evening.

Winners Côr Glanaethwy was established by joint owners Rhian and Kevin Douglas in Bangor over 30 years ago.

After their stunning victory, a jubilant Rhian said: “The group has been performing and competing at Llangollen since 1992 and, with different line-ups, has taken part in over 100 competitions over the years.

“We’re excited, thrilled and surprised to have won the title. We think Llangollen is the best place of all to compete and we just love coming here.”

This year’s packed programme of competitions at the Eisteddfod, which has been celebrating peace and international understanding through the medium of music and dance since 1947, reached its thrilling climax at the finale concert which also saw the final of the Pendine International Voice of the Future competition and the crowning of the Dance Champions contest winners.

Since its introduction in 1987 Choir of the World has become established as the pinnacle of the Eisteddfod’s competitive sessions, attracting singers from across the globe to compete for the Pavarotti Trophy.

The trophy was donated to the Eisteddfod in 2005 by the great Pavarotti in memory of his late father Fernando Pavarotti who first sang at Llangollen with his choir from Modena in Italy in 1955. His son, who went on to bestride the world of opera, was also part of that choir.

Along with the prize money of £3,000, taking the glittering trophy back to Ysgol Glanaethwy in Bangor where they have been based since the early 1990s, were the Côr Glanaethwy choir who, kitted out in their striking woodland costumes, sang a hauntingly beautiful selection of four Welsh folk songs taken from the Mabinogion, the ancient book of Celtic mythology.

The outright winners of the Choir of the World title were chosen from the winners of the Eisteddfod’s five chief choral categories of Chamber, Mixed, Female, Male and Open.

Coming through from the Open category, Côr Glanaethwy fought off formidable competition from Cantamus Camerata from Oklahoma State University in the USA (Chamber), Tegalaw from Bala in Gwynedd, north Wales (Female). Meantime Chorus from London (Male) and GC Ensemble from the Phillippines (Mixed).  

Also during Saturday’s concert the Most Outstanding Conductor, chosen from choirs in the final, was awarded the Jane Davies Conductor’s Prize, a trophy donated in memory of Jayne Davies the former Vice President of the Eisteddfod, who won three international trophies with her own Hafren Ladies’ Choir in the 1970s. It was presented by her daughter, Dr Rhian Davies to the conductor of Cantamus Camerata, Dr Christopher Haygood.

On the night, young opera singers also competed in the Pendine International Voice of the Future competition, which has become a stepping stone to a professional career for numerous winners in the past.

The solid silver salver plus a cheque for £3,000 was donated by its sponsor Mario Kreft, proprietor of the evening’s arts-loving sponsor, the Pendine Park care organisation, through the Pendine Arts and Community Trust (PACT), founded by Mario and his wife Gill. Runner-up, who received £1,000, was soprano Manon Ogwen Parry from Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan.  

Winner this year was superb soprano Shimona Rose from Singapore who has a dual career as an opera singer and music therapist.

The finale concert also saw the crowning the 2024 Dance Champions, with the winners of the festival’s various folk dancing categories, providing a dazzling spectacle on the Pavilion stage.

The Soul Oasis Cultural Ambassadors from Trinidad and Tobago captured the top prize with a dazzling routine, including a limbo sequence, to take the Lucille Armstrong Trophy and a cheque for £1,000 supported by the Society for International Folk Dancing in memory of Lucille Armstrong. Making the presentation to them was the Eisteddfod’s Deputy Chair John Gambles.

The concert opened with a performance from The Kaleidoscope Project  - formally known as the Inclusion Project - which showcases the many under-represented and non-competitive groups whose talented members contribute a great deal to their communities, as well as to the world of the performing arts.

The Eisteddfod’s Artistic Director Dave Danford said: “The concert, which came as the perfect conclusion to a highly successful Core Week for our festival, showcased and rewarded the stunning range of talent, across a number of disciplines, which we have been privileged to host during the 2024 Eisteddfod.

“We send our heartiest congratulations to everyone - not just these very worthy winners - who has travelled, some great distances - to take part in our competitions and wish them the very best in the future. We also hope to welcome them back to Llangollen in the very near future.”     

* Soul Oasis Cultural Ambassadors were crowned Dance Champions.

* Pendine International Voice of the Future winners, from left, sponsor Mario Kreft, winner Shimona Rose, runner-up Manon Ogwen Parry and finale concert presenter Sian Thomas.

Gregory Porter brings some red-hot jazz to Pavilion stage

* Gregory Porter on the Pavilion stage.

It was another incredible night at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod as two-time GRAMMY Award winner Gregory Porter triumphantly returned to the Pavilion stage, supported by celebrated UK singer-songwriter JP Cooper. 

Jazz great Gregory delighted his adoring fans with a spellbinding set that included a clutch of his most treasured hits including Hey Laura and On My Way to Harlem which was accompanied by a red-hot sax routine.

The honey-voiced US jazzman slowed things down with Love is Overrated and took flight with a number called Concorde.

There was a deeply soulful Water Under Bridges and some full-throated jazz from the magnificent seven-piece band on Musical Genocide before he rounded things off with a mellow There Will Be No Love That's Dying Here and departed the stage with a standing ovation.

Speaking about his return to the Llangollen Pavilion, he told the audience: “Thank you so much for joining us this evening I’m so honoured to be on this stage again. 

"The first thing I remember about being here the last time is you lot, and the next thing I remember is these gorgeous flowers. It’s so wonderful to be back here in Llangollen. I worked all day on that (pronunciation).”

Manchester-born JP Cooper brilliantly opened the show with hits including the beautiful September Song, Perfect Strangers and Passport. 

The headline shows are part of a new partnership between Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod and Live Nation promoters Cuffe and Taylor.

The series continues tomorrow (Sunday July 7) with Katherine Jenkins closing the iconic Core Week of the Eisteddfod with a classical gala concert.

* JP Cooper opened the show.

Eisteddfod audience thrills to Direct From The West End concert

* Kerry Ellis and John Owen-Jones duet.

* Kerry Ellis and John Owen-Jones with the International Chorus choir.

* Shea Ferron, left, receives the Voice of Musical Theatre prize from Eisteddfod Artistic Director Dave Danford.

Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod transported the very best from the London stage to the heart of north Wales with its Direct From The West End concert last night (Thursday).

Musical theatre greats Kerry Ellis and John Owen-Jones, both with a string of major hits to their credit, backed by a tremendous young choir and a fabulous orchestra, brought their formidable vocal talents to bear on a packed programme of big-show favourites, from Les Miserables to Funny Girl and from Cats to Cabaret.

Singing solo they were with sizzling, as in his This is the Moment from Jeckyll and Hyde and Some Enchanted Evening from South Pacific and she in the title song from Cabaret and Wicked’s Defying Gravity. 

As a duet they were simply dazzling, as in their joint opening number Beauty and the Beast from the show of the name and, later, The Last Night of the World from Miss Saigon, which had the large Pavilion audience on the edge of their seats.

The duo also had some great fun with a couple of their best-loved pieces. Kerry clearly relishes every moment of belting out the title song from Anything Goes as does John with his deeply poignant presentation of Bring Him Home from Les Miserables, a show with he is rather familiar with after playing the lead role of Jean Valjean twice on Broadway.

When they were not holding the audience spellbound, onto the stage came a choir comprising talented young singers from the Hammond School and the Seattle Girls Prima Voce, which had been brought together specially for the 2024 Eisteddfod under the banner of the International Chorus. Making an initial impact with the breezy You Can’t Stop the Beat from Hairspray, they followed up with plenty more stylish numbers.  

The choir joined the two stars and, backed by the powerful Llangollen International Orchestra, they provided a memorably moving finale piece in You’ll Never Walk Alone from Carousel, which brought a fitting standing ovation.

Musical Director for the evening was the accomplished Iestyn Griffiths.

Earlier in the evening 21-year-old Llangollen singer Shea Ferron was announced as the winner of the Eisteddfod’s coveted Voice of Musical Theatre award.

Eisteddfod Artistic Director Dave Danford presented him with a trophy and £2,000 prize money supported by Mrs Joan P Astley in memory of Bill and Evelyn Appleby, supporters of the festival for many years.