Weekend of choral competitions suits all musical tastes
THE North Wales Choral Festival will take place at Venue Cymru, Llandudno from Friday, November 8 to Sunday, November 10, with a wide range of categories, to suit everyone across the weekend.
Organised by Conwy County Borough Council, the choral competition has grown over the years. The festival began as a one-day competition back in 1988, and as the festival grew it extended into two days of competitions.
In 2012, the festival then evolved into a three-day celebration of music incorporating school workshops, competitions, concerts, community performances and more.
You are guaranteed a weekend of musical talent and fun whether you are in the audience or part of a choir competing!
Traditionally held in November, the festival has always taken place in Venue Cymru, a wonderful venue situated on Llandudno promenade with a stunning view of the seaside resort.
The festival opens on the Friday, with an opening concert at 7.30pm (£17, concessions £8.50), with competitions on the Saturday and Sunday.
The North Wales Choral Festival, renowned for its friendly atmosphere, is considered one of the largest choral competitions in Wales and is an important event for any choral calendar.
The festival has welcomed choirs from all over the world, and offers a variety of categories, which include Male Voice, Youth, Just For Fun, Ladies, Barbershop Style and Musicals, and on the Saturday evening, November 9, at 8pm is the Festival Celebration Concert.
The Celebration Concert was introduced as a celebration of the Festival’s 25th anniversary, but it seemed a shame to do it only once, so it has returned every year since. It offers the choirs the opportunity to relax and enjoy themselves without the eyes of the adjudicators on them, and is always guaranteed to be a night of variety, including male voice choirs, ladies, mixed, youth and barbershop. Last year there was a special performance from WNO artiste Samantha Hay.
You can get a taster of what you can expect at the competitions, from the gallery and video wall on the Festival website, showing some of the contestants and their performances from past years.
To order your tickets and find out the times of the categories check the website: http://www. northwaleschoralfestival.com. Note that the final timings of each category will be confirmed on October 25, so check again on that date.
Tickets to watch the competitions cost £8 (£4 concessions), but day passes are available at £15 (£7.50 concessions). Day passes can be bought only by phone (01492 872000) or from the Venue Cymru box office.
Visitors may need information on the accommodation available, how to get to the venue and things to do while staying in the seaside resort of Llandudno. The festival website also has links directing guests to information on these matters.