On song
With
DON those daffodils with pride, pick your favourite comfy armchair, tune in and prepare for a musical treat!
Ffwrnes Theatre in Llanelli is staging a virtual concert to celebrate St David’s Day 2021.
The annual St David’s Day celebration from Carmarthenshire Theatres (Theatrau Sir Gar) is moving online with a concert filmed at Llanelli’s state- of-the-art Ffwrnes Theatre.
It will be streamed to audiences at home on Monday, March 1.
The bilingual concert will showcase a wealth of Welsh talent, including performances from Official Harpist to The Prince of Wales, Alys Huws, and a rising star in the world of musical theatre, Llanelli singer Samuel Wyn-morris, who has been performing in the West End production of Les Misérables prior to the latest lockdown.
Carmarthenshire-based actor Julian Lewis Jones, who has appeared in Hollywood film Invictus and is a regular face in the Sky TV series Stella, will be the guest reader.
The concert will also feature performances from young singers Osian Clarke and Lauren Fisher, both members of the Loud Applause Rising Stars (LARS) programme.
The compére for the evening will be renowned local broadcaster and writer Alun Gibbard.
This year’s concert will be the eighth year that Carmarthenshire Theatres have partnered with Loud Applause Productions to produce St David’s Day celebrations.
The annual event attracts audiences from across Carmarthenshire and further afield - and is always a sold-out event.
Due to the ongoing pandemic restrictions, changes have had to be made to the usual format, with the concert being streamed online for the first time.
In addition to making the concert available to audiences online, all care homes in Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire will receive a free link to the concert for their residents and staff to enjoy together.
This is the second time Carmarthenshire Theatres has arranged for care homes in the two counties to access a digital show, with every care home receiving a free copy of the Christmas concert, The West End at Christmas.
Tickets for the St David’s concert are on sale now on the Carmarthenshire Theatre’s www.theatrausirgar. co.uk website.
Those purchasing a ticket will receive a direct link to watch the show which will be streamed on the theatre’s website on Monday, March 1, at 7pm.
The concert will be available to view via the link for three weeks following the release.
Tickets are priced at £5 per household, with the option to add a donation to support future online productions.
This column put the spotlight on many of the contributing artists a couple of weeks ago – but space didn’t allow full profiles of Lauren Fisher and Osian Clarke.
Lauren Fisher is 18 and is currently studying for her A-levels in Ysgol Gyfun Y Strade, Llanelli.
Lauren has had considerable success in competition. In 2018 and 2020 she was the area competition winner of the Rotary Young Musician competition and progressed to the Southern Wales District Final held in Blackwood.
Following this success, Lauren was then invited to be the guest soloist in the Centenary Gala Concert of Llanelli Rotary Club. In 2018 she was also the winner of the Gethin Hughes Annual Bursary competition.
Lauren has also been a recipient of LARS bursaries and the Llanelli School Boys and Graig Former Pupils bursary.
Lauren, has been a member of LARS for four years and under its auspices has performed at Ffwrnes Theatre, Stradey Castle, Machynys Golf Club, Langland Bay Golf Club, Llanelly House, Margam Orangery and All Saint Church in Oystermouth.
She has also performed at the City of Swansea’s Silence in the Square Remembrance Service and at their Festival of Remembrance at the Brangwyn Hall.
In Carmarthenshire, she has performed at the switching on of the Christmas lights in Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford along with at civic events.
Lauren appeared on S4C’S Heno in the autumn of 2019, which included singing and being interviewed live. She is currently in the process of recording her very own first CD. Last year she was a recipient of the Carmarthenshire Celebration of Culture Award - Excellence in Music Category.
Osian Clarke is 20 and is a former pupil and head boy at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman.
He is in his second year at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he is studying a Bmus degree course in vocal performance and opera studies under the tuition of tenor Ryland Davies.
His ambition is to become a professional singer and his recent successes and experiences will certainly help him along the way.
Osian attended the Junior
Conservatoire
at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (RWCMD) in Cardiff, winning a major competition there – The Betty Richards prize.
As part of the Cardiff Singer of the World week Osian was selected for a masterclass by Dame Felicity Lott at the Dora Stoutzker Concert Hall at the RWCMD. His accompanist for the masterclass was none other than Llyr Williams.
As part of his studies in London Osian has had the chance to perform both as part of the first and second year’s ensemble concerts and as a soloist in Performance Platforms. These have taken place in Duke’s Hall, David Josefowitz Recital Hall, Angela Burgess Recital Hall and the Henry Wood Room.
Osian has appeared on S4C’S Heno and Noson Lawen programmes. He is also in demand as a soloist and has performed internationally.
He became a member of LARS four years ago and has appeared in a wide range of concerts and musical events. Osian has been the recipient of bursaries from Cronfa’r Utgorn Bursary, Elli Masonic Lodge Bursary and LARS.
Last year Osian was a recipient of the Carmarthenshire Celebration of Culture Award – Excellence in Music Category.
Cerith Owens of Loud Applause Productions said he was thrilled to be able to help stage the St David’s Day concert.
“It has been a difficult year for everyone, but hopefully this St David’s Day Concert will be a chance for everyone to come together in the virtual world and celebrate our Patron Saint’s Day,” he said.
“We can promise a very special evening’s entertainment.”
“Of course, we took all the possible precautions in terms of health and safety in recording the concert,” added Mr Owens.
“There were strict rules and social distancing in force for the recording of the concert and, thanks to the theatre staff, technical engineers and film and sound recordists it all seemed to work a treat.
“I am sure many who have been starved of live entertainment during the coronavirus pandemic will be eagerly anticipating the St David’s Day concert and will buy tickets to support what will be a memorable event.”
Previous Loud Applause/theatrau Sir Gar collaborations have been staged at Ffwrnes, The Lyric in Carmarthen and The Miners’ Theatre in Ammanford.
This year, it is the turn of Ffwrnes to take centre stage with recordings while the theatre also doubles-up as a mass coronavirus vaccination centre.
During the coronavirus crisis, this column will not be featuring ‘live’ events, but will be putting the spotlight on West Wales singers and choirs and any online internet recordings. Please email if you are already planning an event postlockdown in 2021. If you have news of cancelled and postponed events, email robert.lloyd01@ walesonline. co.uk