Llangollen offers locals a chance to shine!

The formation of Llangollen Community Choir and its debut performance at Llangollen 2010

In preparation for this year's Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod the festival organisers have teamed up with local businesses to form a special Community Choir which is expected to forge a new and harmonious link between the festival and the surrounding communities. The Community Choir will make its inaugural appearance on Wednesday 7th July at the One World, One Stage Evening Concert and will play a major part in welcoming the world to Llangollen. In addition, local residents and businesses will be eligible for discounted ticket prices for this spectacular event.

Since its inauguration in 1947 the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod has welcomed singers, musicians and dancers from all over the world and audiences in the North Wales town have been thrilled and exhilarated by their vibrant performances. The joys of experiencing what it must be like to sing on the famed Llangollen stage is a privilege extended to very few but, this year, the Llangollen Eisteddfod is offering local people and businesses the opportunity to taste a little of this magic for themselves with the creation of the Llangollen Community Choir.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for people in Llangollen to be directly involved in welcoming the festival performers from all over the world and to have the chance (maybe of a lifetime!) to sing on the unique Llangollen stage” says Mervyn Cousins, Chief Executive of Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod: “It is really important the Eisteddfod and the town work together, and this is a new and exciting venture. Singing in a choir is such good fun and brings people together too, and I am sure they will really enjoy this new experience. I am really looking forward to hearing the choir!”

The Llangollen Community Choir will be under the expert supervision of Tim Jones, Musical Director of Yale College Choir- and himself a veteran of the Llangollen stage. “Performing on that famed Llangollen stage is such a thrill”, he says, “and I want the local people of Llangollen to taste it for themselves. I am absolutely convinced that Llangollen has Talent and that we can create something truly special here- something magical and unforgettable. What we need now is for one hundred local voices to come forward and to make themselves heard!”

Places for the choir are allocated on a first come, first served basis and they are offered to people living or working in the Llangollen area or to people who are connected to the Eisteddfod. The hotline number for anyone interested in joining is 01978 862000 and rehearsals will begin on Tuesday 25th May at St. John’s Church, Abbey Road, Llangollen and will continue on Tuesday evenings throughout June. The Rev Andrew Sully, who presides over the church, will also be singing in the choir.

“It will be great for local people to sample the true magic of participating in the Llangollen Eisteddfod” says Rachel Jones, Director, Arts & Business Cymru. “It is also, of course, a very effective way for local businesses to get involved in what is, after all, a truly global cultural event and to highlight the fact that businesses in the Llangollen area are very supportive of this unique and historical festival”.

“The formation of a Llangollen Community Choir is such an excellent idea”, says Ian Williams, Director North Wales Enterprise & International Business Wales. “Every year, choirs travel from all over the world to visit Llangollen and to perform on its world-famous stage and this is a golden opportunity for local people- and local business people too of course- to match their enthusiasm and to express their support for the Eisteddfod through the medium of music by singing together in the Llangollen Community Choir!”

The choir will give its inaugural performance on the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod stage on Wednesday 7th July at the One World, One Stage evening concert. This event is a well-established favourite with Llangollen audiences and- in addition to the celebrated Welcome Ceremony and Procession of Performers through the Pavilion- it will be an unforgettable evening of truly global music and, with performances from countries such as Tibet, USA and Wales it offers a marvellous taster of the week to come. Ticket prices for the concert range from £14 to £18 but there will be special £3 discounted seats for local residents and local businesses, and support their friends and colleagues taking part in the Community Choir.

“I really hope the people of the Llangollen area will join me in this marvellous choir”, says Eisteddfod Treasurer Simon Orton-Jones who has signed up as a member of the choir. “We all know that the Welsh have great singing voices and this is a superb opportunity for Llangollen to prove that it is, probably, the most musical town in the whole of Wales. We really are going to make such a glorious sound on that stage and I am thrilled at the prospect of being a part of it. So come on, people of Llangollen, let’s get singing!”