A Llangollen International Eisteddfod First: Karl Jenkins To Conduct A Mass Choir of 300

On the 26th of March Karl Jenkins OBE releases his brand new EMI Classics album “The Peacemakers” which will be performed live at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod on the 5th of July this year. He will conduct a choir of 300, the largest choir ever to be assembled on the Llangollen International Festival stage.

He will be joined by Cardiff Singer of the World 2011 winner Valentina Nafornita, Texaco Young Musician of Wales winner Steffan Morris and a spectacular 300 voice choir to perform his latest exciting work.

Choirs from all over Wales will perform his work including Côr Caerdydd, Sirenian Singers, Côr Ieuenctid Môn, and Côr y Cwm as well as the Fezeka Choir from South Africa and the Llangollen International Choir.

Karl Jenkins conducted his ‘Mass of Peace’ in 2010 on the pavilion stage. He was also Day President in 2005.

“It’s such a privilege to be invited back to perform at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod this year and I’m very excited my work will be performed on such a prestigious stage” says Karl Jenkins

The Peacemakers offers inspiration and solace for a time in need of both. It features texts from some of the greatest peacemakers throughout history, including His new work includes texts from Ghandi, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, Albert Schweitzer, Terry Waite as well as Shelley, as well as texts from the Bible, Quran, Hindusim and new text specially written by Terry Waite and many more… . The work extols the Llangollen message of peace.

“The Peacemakers is dedicated to the memory of all those who lost their lives during armed conflict and, in particular, innocent civilians,” Karl Jenkins said recently. “When I composed The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace for the millennium, it was with the hope of looking forward to a century of peace. Sadly, nothing much has changed.”

This year he joins an all star line up including stars like Wynne Evans, Alison Balsom, Nicolla Benedetti and Leslie Garret and West End stars including Alfie Boe and John Owen Jones, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Musical Director Eilir Owen Griffiths says “I’m really looking forward to hearing his new work performed live in Llangollen it will certainly be one of the highlights of the festival, it’s a great honour for our newly formed Llangollen International Choir to perform with a world famous composer.”

2012 Concert Schedule In Full

Tuesday 3 July 2012

Opening Ceremony: One World, One Stage, One Llangollen Welcome – Performances by some of the best and most colourful competitors of Llangollen 2012

Tickets - £15, £10

Wednesday 4 July 2012

Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Concert

Alison Balsom, Lesley Garrett and Nicola Benedetti with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Tickets - £35, £28, £15

Thursday 5 July 2012

Alfie Boe at Llangollen featuring All Singing, All Dancing Show Choirs competition

Tickets - £30, £20, £15

Friday 6 July 2012

Karl Jenkins’ The Peacemakers and Valentina Nafornita (Winner – Cardiff Singer of the World 2011) and Steffan Morris (Winner Texaco Young Musician of Wales)

Tickets - £25, £20, £15

Saturday 7 July 2012

Choir of the World – The Pavarotti Trophy

Tickets - £25, £20, £15

Sunday 8 July 2012

Grand Finale – Wynne Evans, John Owen Jones, Mark Evans, Fflur Wyn, Côr CF1 and many more

Tickets - £25, £20, £15

The Eisteddfod:

Six days of the best music and folk dance from all over the world in one place! More than 4,000 competitors, from over 50 countries will take part, including some rare visitors from South Korea, China, Moldova, Slovakia.

Full booking info:

Reserve your tickets now!  Online booking at www.international-eisteddfod.co.uk 

Box Office: 01978 862001 9.30am to 4.30pm weekdays.

Email tickets@international-eisteddfod.co.uk

By post: Llangollen Eisteddfod Box Office, Royal International Pavilion, Abbey Road, Llangollen, LL20 8SW.

Season Tickets: amazing offers!

Become a Season Ticket Holder or a Friend of the Festival to have access to priority seating arrangements and great offers;

Platinum Season Ticket – £185 (Days and evenings, except Tuesday day. Official Souvenir Programme included) 

Gold Season Ticket - £125 (Valid Tuesday to Sunday CONCERTS only) Official Souvenir Programme included

Silver (Day) Season - £70 (Valid Wednesday to Saturday Competitive Session only)

Weekend Ticket – £80 (Friday – Sunday evening concerts including Saturday day)

Faryl Smith and Adriano Graziani at Wrexham’s William Aston Hall - Stars Return To Their Eisteddfod Roots For Gala

Faryl Smith

A Britain’s Got Talent star and an international tenor will be among the performers at a special fundraising concert for Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod. Teenage soprano Faryl Smith, who shot to fame on the hit ITV talent show, joins Adriano Graziani at the gala event at Wrexham’s William Aston Hall.Tickets for the concert on Friday 2 March (7.30pm) are now on sale and can be purchased via the Eisteddfod Box Office on 01978 862001. 

Faryl Smith won the junior solo competition as a 10 year-old at Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod. The world famous platinum-selling classical singer also returned to sing alongside Russell Watson at a sell-out concert at last year’s 65th Eisteddfod. Neath-born Adriano Graziani is a protégé of renowned tenor Dennis O’Neil. He also performed at the Eisteddfod and is now receiving rave reviews for his powerful operatic performances throughout Europe.

Eilir Owen-Griffiths, the Eisteddfod’s Musical Director, said: “It’s great to have support from performers who, despite their success, still have such a special bond with the Eisteddfod. The money raised with this kind of event is a way to help ensure that Llangollen can continue to provide a platform for young and talented performers for many years to come.”

BBC Wales newsreader Sian Lloyd will host the evening which also includes performances from past Eisteddfod competitors Orlyk Ukrainian Dance Ensemble, Côr Rhuthun, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, and Côr Ysgol Morgan Llwyd. 

Tickets, which cost £15.00, are also available from Glyndwr University Box Office (01978 293293), Wrexham Tourist Information Office and Ysgol Morgan Llwyd.

The line-up for the 2012 Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod has already been announced with stars including Alfie Boe, Wynne Evans, Lesley Garrett, Karl Jenkins, Alison Balsolm and Nicola Bendetti all scheduled to perform at the summer event. Tickets for these concerts – held between 3 and 8 July 2012 – can also be purchased via the Llangollen website and Box Office. 

West End Star, John Owen Jones Is Latest Addition To Llangollen 2012 Lineup

John Owen Jones

Les Miserables and Phantom of the Opera star John Owen-Jones is the latest big name star to join the 2012 Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod concert series line-up.

Owen-Jones, who is originally from Burry Port, will feature in the Grand finale musical extravaganza on Sunday 8 July. The award-winning and record-breaking West End and Broadway performer joins classical singer and Go Compare advert star Wynne Evans, Evans’ brother Mark Llywelyn Evans, soprano Fflur Wyn and Côr CF1 on the iconic Llangollen Pavilion stage.

The announcement comes as concert and field tickets are officially released on general sale via the Box Office (01978 862001) and on the Eisteddfod website.

John Owen-Jones says, "I'm really looking forward to performing at the Llangollen Eisteddfod’s Grand Finale, so much so that I'll be flying in from Dublin especially to sing there. Everyone taking part are going to make sure the audience that night go home feeling the Eisteddfod kept the best show for last!"

Owen-Jones is currently reprising his role as The Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera having previously a successful stint between 2001 and 2005, and becoming the longest running Phantom.

Other names confirmed to appear at Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in 2012, between Tuesday 3 July and Sunday 8 July, include Alfie Boe, Karl Jenkins, Lesley Garrett, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and instrumentalists Alison Balsom and Nicola Benedetti.

John Owen Jones – Artist Biography 

John Owen-Jones, from Burry Port in South Wales, is an award winning and record-breaking West End and Broadway performer. He is best known for his performances as Jean Valjean in Les Miserables and as The Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera. 

After training at London’s Central School of Speech and Drama, John, at the age of twenty six became the youngest actor ever to play the role of Jean Valjean in the West End production of Les Miserables. He is one of only a handful of actors to have played the role of Valjean both in the West End and on Broadway following the revival of Les Miserables at the Broadhurst Theatre, New York in 2008. In a worldwide online poll, John was voted the “Best Ever Valjean” and “Best Ever Performer” in Les Miserables, by fans of the show.  

John returned to play the role of Jean Valjean in Les Miserables for its 25th anniversary tour and was recently awarded the Manchester Evening News Award for the Best Actor in a Visiting Production for his performance as Jean Valjean, on the tour.  The Manchester Evening News described his performance as “a truly astonishing achievement that must be one of the greatest stage performances of all time.” John was also part of the Valjean quartet featured in the finale of the Les Miserable 25^th Anniversary Concert at the O2 Arena, London.  

John is currently reprising his role as The Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera, at her Majesty’s Theatre, London. He initially played the role nearly 1500 times from 2001 to 2005, making him the West End’s longest running Phantom. The Daily Mail described John as being “better than all the talented actors who preceded him in the role.” 

Other roles include Ravenal in Raymond Gubbay’s production of Showboat at the Royal Albert Hall, Cleante in Moliere’s The Hypochondriac at the West Yorkshire Playhouse and Mr Elanson in A Little Night Music at the Royal National Theatre. 

John has performed as a soloist in concerts around the world from Bangkok to Bangor, North Wales! John has been a presenter for BBC Radio Wales and has made numerous appearances on television. John’s first solo recording ‘Hallelujah’, was released in 2006 on the Sain Label and his second album “John Owen Jones” was released in 2009. His third album will be released early next year, to coincide with a new UK tour of Phantom in January 2012.

2012 Llangollen International Eisteddfod

Tuesday 3 July – Sunday 8 July 

2012 concert schedule in full –

Tickets on general and online sale from Monday 5 December 2011 

Tuesday 3 July 2012

One World, One Stage, One Llangollen Welcome – Performances by some of the best and most colourful competitors of Llangollen 2012

Tickets - £15, £10 

Wednesday 4 July 2012

Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Concert

Alison Balsom, Lesley Garrett and Nicola Benedetti with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Tickets - £35, £28, £15 

Thursday 5 July 2012

Alfie Boe at Llangollen featuring All Singing, All Dancing Show Choirs competition

Tickets - £30, £20, £15 

Friday 6 July 2012

Karl Jenkins’  The Peacemakers and Valentina Nafornita (Winner – Cardiff Singer of the World 2011)

Tickets - £25, £20, £15 

Saturday 7 July 2012

Choir of the World – The Pavarotti Trophy

Tickets - £25, £20, £15 

Sunday 8 July 2012

Grand Finale – Wynne Evans, John Owen Jones, Mark Llywelyn Evans, Fflur Wyn, Côr CF1 and many more

Tickets - £25, £20, £15
 

The Eisteddfod

 

Six days of the best music and folk dance from all over the world in one place! More than 4,000 competitors, from over 50 countries will take part, including some rare visitors from South Korea, China, Moldova, Slovakia. 

Full booking info: 

Reserve your tickets from MONDAY 5 DECEMBER 2011!  Online booking at www.international-eisteddfod.co.uk  

Box Office: 01978 862001 9.30am to 4.30pm weekdays. 

Email tickets@international-eisteddfod.co.uk  

By post: Llangollen Eisteddfod Box Office, Royal International Pavilion, Abbey Road, Llangollen, LL20 8SW. 

Season Tickets: amazing offers!

Become a Season Ticket Holder or a Friend of the Festival to have access to priority seating arrangements and great offers; 

Platinum Season Ticket – £185 (Days and evenings, except Tuesday day. Official Souvenir Programme included) 

Gold Season Ticket - £125 (Valid Tuesday to Sunday CONCERTS only) Official Souvenir Programme included 

Silver (Day) Season - £70 (Valid Wednesday to Saturday Competitive Session only)

Weekend Ticket – £80 (Friday – Sunday evening concerts including Saturday day)