THE AYES HAVE IT FOR SENSATIONAL CHOIR
A CHOIR of Welsh schoolgirls gave a touching performance dedicated to their committed conductor on Britain’s Got Talent last night, winning four emphatic “yes” votes from the judges.
Singing Nessun Dorma, Angelicus Celtis, who are from Llanelli, left audience members stunned with their beautiful rendition of the classic, with Simon Cowell saying: “I’ve heard this song a lot.
“But this was, in my opinion, the most beautiful ever. It really touched me and I thought it was sensational.”
The 17-strong choir, who only practise together once a week for an hour, were formed a little over a year ago by husband and wife John Hywel Williams and his wife Jean.
Mr and Mrs Williams had been leading children’s choirs together as husband and wife for more than 50 years before coming up with the idea of developing Angelicus Celtis from the ranks of the Hywel Girls’ Choir & Hywel Boy Singers.
But shortly after the choir was put together, the couple performed at a VE Day Remembrance concert last year and on the way home were involved in a crash. The accident left Mr Williams badly injured and Mrs Williams died without getting to see Angelicus Celtis perform.
Their son Jeremy, who also coaches the girls, spoke to Wales On Sunday about the emotional audition. He said: “It’s been quite a surreal and inspirational thing, actually.
“We didn’t know what to expect and we were in among some other wonderful talent.
“We are very proud of what the girls have achieved, they are all normal, everyday schoolgirls – none of them auditioned to be in the choir, they simply came together for the love of singing.”
The Angelicus Celtis team watched the performance from a charity con- cert last night in Burry Port, where they had screen rigged up to see the ITV talent show.
With four yes votes from all the judging panel, Angelicus Celtis now go on to the next round of Britain’s Got Talent.
The praise had come thick and fast for the girls from the three other judges, too. Amanda Holden said: “You are the most lovely bunch of girls. The harmonies were gorgeous and you’ve done Wales proud.”
Also through to the semi-finals is magician Matt Edwards, who found two big fans in presenters Ant and Dec. The pair opted to push the coveted golden buzzer to offer a chance to the Tommy Cooper-esque entertainer to go straight through to the semis.
Edwards, from Suffolk, received a standing ovation from judges and the audience with his intriguing salt-related trick to the tune of The Champs’ classic track Tequila.
The 34-year-old’s routine was compared to famed comedian and magi- cian Cooper by judge Amanda Holden, who called him “old-school with a twist, which is perfect for Britain’s Got Talent”.
As the judges continued to offer praise, the presenting duo paced on to the stage, telling the panel to “excuse us a second”, before pushing the golden buzzer. Edwards sank to his knees in disbelief.
Dec said the pair had decided to back the magician-come-entertainer to offer him a hand-up.
He said: “He’s 34 years old and for some reason he hasn’t been given the break up until now and we just wanted to be there and do it.”
Offering praise to Edwards, Simon Cowell said: “I’ve got to be honest, when you started with that voice I thought it’s going to be really annoying but you are brilliant.
“I’m surprised you haven’t had a break yet, Matthew, because you’re really likeable, and nuts.
“You’ve just got something about you, an energy. This is what we look for in these shows, people who have got star quality, I’ve just got a feeling about you.”
The golden buzzer sends Edwards directly to the competition’s live semi-final, an honour so far earned by teen singer Sarah Ikumu, female dance troupe Just Us and Malawian comic Daliso Chaponda.
And dance group The Next Generation’s horror-filled routine to a medley of songs including Neyo’s Monster was described as “horrible” by Holden, while Cowell admitted “you really scared me” as they received another four yes votes.
Meanwhile, 74-year-old singercome-entertainer Mal Ford – who spent years managing artists and travelling the world – won over the crowd with his left-field performance.
Ford, from Blackpool, roped in Ant and Dec to help him with his second song as he ignored the four red buzzers and successfully convinced the judges to send him to the next round.
Britain’s Got Talent continues next weekend on ITV.