Llanrhaeadr farmer’s son crowned world’s best young singer

* Sponsor Mario Kreft MBE, owner of the Pendine Park care organisation,  presents the trophy to the winner Dafydd Jones. Pictures: Rick Matthews

A farmer’s son from Llanrhaeadr has been crowned the best young singer in the world.

Dafydd Jones, 27, was watched by his proud grandmother, Brenda Jones, who first taught him to sing, as he was named Pendine International Voice of the Future at Llangollen International Eisteddfod.

The rising star was presented with the £3,000 first prize and a gleaming silver salver by Mario Kreft MBE, owner of the Pendine Park care organisation which sponsored the competition via the Pendine Arts and Community Trust (PACT).

For Brenda watching her beloved grandson take the same Llangollen Pavilion stage once graced by the legendary Italian tenor, Luciano Pavarotti, was a dream come true.

She said: “For years we’ve all been telling him he should compete at the international eisteddfod and now for him to win the top prize is a wish fulfilled. What a wonderful night.”

Dafydd’s parents, Elfyn and Meinir Jones, grandfather John Henry Jones and other excited members of the family were all in the audience to see him presented with the winner’s trophy.

* Dafydd Jones highly impressed the judges.

He and fellow finalist, soprano Victoria Harley, from Hull, in Yorkshire, who won a £1,000 prize as runner up, emerged from almost 30 singers from around the world to reach this year's Pendine International Voice of the Future final.

The prestigious competition, one of the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod's flagship events, sees contestants face a demanding selection process and a series of preliminary rounds before the grand final on the festival's closing night, when the Choir of the World title is also decided.

Earlier this year, organisers announced PACT, which supports arts and community initiatives across Wales, had pledged to continue sponsoring the competition for a further five years.

Mario said: “My wife Gill and I have supported this competition since 2013 and we are always left in awe of the quality of young singers who take part.

“This Llangollen stage has been graced by the greats of opera like Pavarotti who came to Llangollen first as a child in a choir and later in adulthood as an operatic superstar.

“It is our duty to support the Pavarottis of tomorrow, to offer a pathway for promising young singers to also emerge into the international spotlight.

“The competition perfectly reflects Pendine Park’s ethos, where the arts in general - and music in particular – form a golden thread running through daily life at all our care home. 

“That feels particularly meaningful this year as we celebrate our 40^th anniversary which is why we have pledged to continue to support the competition for the next five years.” 

Mr Kreft added: “I am heartened to discover that Dafydd grew up on his family’s farm in Llanrhaeadr in the Vale of Clwyd where I was brought up.

* Dafydd Jones with his grandparents John Henry and Brenda Jones.

“And he is soon to embark on one of his first roles as a freelance opera singer, in Florence, Italy. Gill and I had our honeymoon in Florence. We love it there and it brings me joy to think that Dafydd is soon to begin a new chapter of his career in that wonderful city.”

Dafydd is scheduled to join the cast of the expressionist opera Wozzeck in Florence after  spending three years in Munich as a member of the Bayerische Staatsoper Opernstudio.

For the competition Dafydd performed three works – Vainement ma Bien Aimee by Eduard Lalo; Der Soldat, by Wolf, and Llanrwst by Gareth Glyn.

He said: “I am overjoyed to win, especially as Victoria’s performance was so strong. I knew the result would be close.

“I am so grateful to have reached the final and to now have the Pendine International Voice of the Future title on my CV is such a career boost.

“Now that I am starting out as a freelancer, I need to be able to pay for flights and transport to get to auditions so the £3,000 prize is a huge help.”

Dafydd credited his grandmother with introducing him to the joy of music through singing lessons and teaching him piano as a child.

He quickly became good enough to compete in local and eventually national eisteddfods.

Brenda said: “I could tell quite soon that he had a natural talent, and as he got older I was not equipped to give him all the training he needed so we asked Brian Hughes, the composer and vocal instructor to take him on. Once under Brian’s tuition, that’s when we began to realise his real potential.”

Dafydd went on to study at the Royal College of Music in London where, on graduating with a master’s degree, he was awarded the Queen Mother Rose Bowl.

Pendine International Voice of the Future competition judges Sarah Tynan and Njabulo said Dafydd has the potential to become one of the great stars of the operatic stage.

The Eisteddfod’s Artistic Director, Dave Danford, said the competition provided an unforgettable finale to the festival.

He thanked everyone involved in the eisteddfod for contributing to its continued success and paid tribute to the loyal audience for getting behind each event.

He added: “I’d also like to thank the wonderful support from Pendine Park for what is one of our flagship competitions, the Pendine International Voice of the Future, which has given us such a memorable closing night. Congratulations to both the winner and runner up on outstanding performances.”

Philippines' Advent Euphonic Chorale crowned Choir of the World

 

* Advent Euphonic Chorale from the Philippines celebrate their stunning Choir of the World victory.

The prestigious Choir of the World title has been awarded to Advent Euphonic Chorale from the Philippines following a spectacular finale at the 2026 Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.

 

In a remarkable day of competition, the internationally acclaimed choir completed a stunning hat-trick of victories. 

They were first crowned winners of the Mixed Choir Competition with an outstanding score of 95, before claiming the Open Choirs Competition with an incredible score of 96. 

They then returned to the stage later the same day to win the prestigious Choir of the World title, completing an extraordinary treble that ranks among the finest achievements in the festival's history.

 

The standard of competition at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod is widely recognised as being among the highest in the world. Each year, the festival attracts many of the finest amateur choirs from across the globe, making victory in any category a remarkable achievement. To win three major titles in a single day is an exceptionally rare accomplishment and underlines the outstanding quality of Advent Euphonic Chorale.

 

The Pinoy choir, composed of students and young professionals, and predominantly drawn from the Adventist University of the Philippines, has earned an international reputation for excellence, winning accolades at prestigious competitions across the globe. Their latest success in Llangollen adds the celebrated Choir of the World title to an already remarkable list of achievements.

 

The Choir of the World competition brings together the winners of the festival's principal choral competitions for a thrilling grand final on the iconic Llangollen stage and is widely regarded as one of the highest honours in international choral music.

 

Following their victory, the choir was presented with the famous Pavarotti Trophy by Artistic Director Dave Danford and Chair of the Eisteddfod John Gambles, to rapturous applause from the audience.

 

John Gambles, Chair of the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod said, "Congratulations to Advent Euphonic Chorale on becoming our 2026 Choir of the World. To win three major titles in a single day is an extraordinary achievement and reflects the exceptional standard of musicianship, artistry and dedication shown by every member of the choir.

 

"This competition represents the very best of international choral singing and tonight's final once again demonstrated why Llangollen continues to be recognised as one of the world's great stages for choral music. We are delighted to add Advent Euphonic Chorale to the distinguished list of Choir of the World winners."

* The prize trophy is handed over by Eisteddfod chair John Gambles (left) and artistic director Dave Danford. 

Artistic Director Dave Danford added, "The standard throughout this year's Choir of the World competition has been truly exceptional. Every finalist brought something unique to the stage, making the judges' task incredibly difficult.

 

"Advent Euphonic Chorale performed with outstanding precision, musicality and expression throughout the day. Winning the Mixed Choir, Open Choirs and Choir of the World titles in the space of a few hours is an extraordinary accomplishment and one that will long be remembered in Llangollen. We congratulate them, along with every choir that has helped make this year's festival such a memorable celebration of international music-making."

 

The Choir of the World competition brought the curtain down on an outstanding week at the 2026 Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod. Thousands of competitors from across the globe travelled to Llangollen to celebrate music, dance and international friendship, while audiences enjoyed a memorable programme of concerts and events. 

Highlights included Sir Karl Jenkins' powerful opening concert Uniting Nations: One World, the critically acclaimed performance by Emeli Sandé with the Absolute Orchestra, a spectacular evening with Michael Ball, the busiest Parade of Nations in a generation, and six unforgettable days of world-class competition. Once again, the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod demonstrated why it remains one of the world's most celebrated and prestigious international arts festivals.

 

* For more information about the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, visit www.llangollen.net.

* The choir's fans in the audience join in the adulation. 

Final daily update from the Eisteddfod field and town

llanblogger brings you the last of its daily Eisteddfod updates from in town and around the field yesterday (Sunday) ...

* The Off Pitch Choir entertain in Centenary Square. ALL PICTURES: KURLY MAWAHA

* The Young People's Choir of New York City went down a treat at Llangollen Station.

* Solo singer Parish Fouladi on the Unity Stage on the field. 

* Chantage Choir from London practice in St John's churchyard where it's shady. Later in the afternoon they went on to win the Male Voice Choirs competition.

Michael Ball wins hearts of adoring Eisteddfod audience

 * Michael Ball wows the Pavilion crowd at his concert last night.

Michael Ball’s opening number of his barnstorming Saturday concert at Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod was Best Night of Your Life and that’s exactly what he sweated to make it for a packed Pavilion audience on a sultry summer evening.

Warning them that it was so hot that he almost came in shorts, he followed up with the aptly-titled Some Guys Have All the Luck, which indeed he has had over a five-decade career which has seen him become one of Britain’s leading musical theatre stars, a Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum recording artist and a hugely popular radio and TV presenter.

He is also an accomplished songwriter, a talent which was displayed in Tennessee Dreams, a Country-inspired piece that wouldn’t have seemed out of place in Nashville. We stayed in the Deep South for The Gambler, nipping over to Memphis for Elvis’s I Just Can’t Help Believin’.

He clearly loves material by the guys with big voices and he skilfully applied his own to a shattering version of Tom Jones’s Fall in Love. By this time the audience had fallen deeply in love with him - if they hadn’t already done so years ago.

* ... and told them how happy he was to be in Llangollen.

Glow, the title track from his latest album, then got a spectacular airing as did the moving You which he also penned.

Favourites abounded and the next one up, The Rose, didn’t disappoint. Neither did He Lives in You, from Lion King, which saw another powerhouse of a delivery.

No Ball show would be complete without the tear-jerking Empty Chairs from Les Misérables, the musical in which he has had a few starring roles since the dawn of his long career. One of them was police officer Javert who sings the moving Stars and which he presented next.

Another biggie, the patriotic Anthem, he made a tribute to Wales, a country in which he has deep family roots.

It was then time to prove that he can also rock, which he did in style with Vintage from his 23^rd studio album, Let’s Just Dance and You Can’t Stop the Beat.

Another one he wouldn’t have been allowed to neglect was Loves Changes Everything, a breakthrough number of his from wayback when. 

There was a tribute to his own performing arts profession with On With the Show before he reached a parting crescendo with Elvis’s The Wonder of You winning a standing ovation in the process.

Before he left the stage he described the Eisteddfod as a “wonderful tradition” which made him proud to be part of. And in the adoring eyes of Pavilion audiences he will clearly always be that.

Special St Collen's service celebrates 2026 Eisteddfod

* German choir Mannerchor Germania Freiendiez sing at St Collen's Eisteddfod service.

St Collen's Church hosted its traditional service to mark the close of the 2026 Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod this morning (Sunday).

Officials and volunteers from this year's successful festival were in the congregation for the With One Voice gathering.

After the stirring opening hymn of the Old Hundredth to acknowledge the multi-national flavour of the Eisteddfod, there was a welcome from priest-in-charge Father Lee Taylor before the first reading was delivered by festival chairman John Gambles. A further reading came later from Gethin Davies, a former chairman.

The service was uplifted by contributions from two of the choirs appearing at the Eisteddfod this week.

First to sing was Haaslava Meeskoor from Estonia, one of the country's long-established community male voice choirs whose set included a rendition, in the Welsh language, of Calon Lan.

Following a further hymn, Let All the World in Every Corner Sing, again a nod to the Eisteddfod, there came a performance from Mannerchor Germania Freiendiez from Germany, one of the country's oldest continuously active male voice choirs.   

Between the two choral interludes was a piece from local poet Gareth Culshaw entitled New People Bring Us Light written specially for Eisteddfod week and featuring vivid imagery of Llangollen.

Intercessions were led by the newly-ordained Dyfan Parry.

The theme of Father Lee's address from the pulpit was how music connects people and communities.

* Haaslava Meeskoor from Estonia sang Calon Lan in Welsh.

* Father Lee Taylor gives his address during the service. 

* Intercessions are led by ordinant Dyfan Parry.

* Local poet Gareth Culshaw reads his New People Bring Us Light. 

* St Collen's currently has an urgent appeal to raise funds for the conservation of its internationally-renowned medieval hammerbeam roof.

Despite being acknowledged as a masterpiece of Welsh craftsmanship it faces critical decay and risks being lost without immediate action, say experts. Supporters can donate through Just Giving - see the St Collen's website under Genesis Project.