Posts Categorized: News

Multi-coloured giant gorillas make debut at Llangollen Eisteddfod

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A troop of giant multi-coloured gorillas will stand guard over this year’s Llangollen International Music festival.

The 10 sheet metal gorillas, standing 6ft tall and weighing nearly 16 stone, will go on show for the first time when the iconic festival of singing and dancing gets underway on Tuesday, July 7. The spectacular primates, each clutching a huge bunch of bananas, have been created at the British Ironwork Centre near Oswestry. After Llangollen, the gorillas will be taken on a tour of festivals across the UK.

Their creator is Clive Knowles, 53, chairman of the British Ironwork Centre, who are supporting this year’s Eisteddfod. (more…)

Llangollen Eisteddfod is a beacon of hope

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Royal composer Paul Mealor has hailed the Llangollen International Musical Festival as a beacon of hope and peace in an increasingly troubled world.

Professor Mealor, who was born in St Asaph, says the festival brings people from all over the world together through the international language of music. He shot to international fame after writing Ubi Caritas et Amor for the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton in 2011 and also composed Wherever You Are, which became the 2011 Christmas number one for the Military Wives under the baton of Gareth Malone.

Prof Mealor will be attending the Llangollen Eisteddfod as an adjudicator for the second time this year and for the first time as a vice president of the iconic event which starts on Tuesday, July 7. (more…)

Britain’s Got Talent singing sensation Jonathan is heading for Llangollen

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Britain’s Got Talent singing sensation Jonathan Antoine is looking forward to following in the footsteps of another larger than life tenor when he takes to the stage at this summer’s Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.

The down-to-earth 20-year-old, who split from singing partner Charlotte Jaconelli last year, can’t wait to step out onto the stage where the great Luciano Pavarotti performed. He said: “Performing at Llangollen is going to be so exciting. It’s a breeding ground for creativity and to be on the same stage that someone like Pavarotti performed on is just a wonderful thought. I’m really, really looking forward to it.” (more…)

Thousands of youngsters will flock to enjoy Children’s Day concert

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AROUND 4,000 schoolchildren will join in a day of music and fun to raise the curtain on this summer’s Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.

They will be heading for the International Pavilion to take part in a concert entitled Bongos, Brass and Plenty of Dance which is the centrepiece of Children’s Day, the traditional prelude to the annual cultural festival being staged from July 6-12. The 40-minute musical extravaganza will be staged twice, at 10.30am and again at 12 noon, on the opening day, Tuesday July 7.

The crowds of young visitors will later head out on to the Eisteddfod field to enjoy a packed programme of street theatre complete with clown, stilt walkers and Bollywood dancing. (more…)

Festival boosts Llangollen economy to tune of £1.5m

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The Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod will boost the local economy to the tune of £1.5 million.

That’s what the great annual event means to the south Denbighshire area and the town of Llangollen which has been hosting the festival since 1947 and which will again welcome the world this July.
The famous event that helped launch the career of opera superstars Luciano Pavarotti is again expected to attract nearly 40,000 visitors. The arrival of so many people from outside North East Wales means a cash injection that ripples out across businesses within a 20-mile radius of Llangollen.

Last year 36,000 people came to the Eisteddfod and with an average daily visitor spend of £42 that added up to a massive £1.5 million cash injection for the local economy. (more…)

Llangollen Eisteddfod visitor set to fly 6,000 miles to return as volunteer Chinese wine expert returns to enjoy intoxicating magic of festival

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A wine expert from Hong Kong who fell in love with the Llangollen International Eisteddfod is flying 6,000 miles to work as a volunteer at the festival.

Bill Kong, 54,was mesmerised by the intoxicating magic of the eisteddfod on his first visit as an audience member two years ago when he fulfilled a long-standing ambition to experience it for himself. He was so taken with the festival’s captivating atmosphere both then and in 2014 that he’s aiming to travel back to Llangollen this July to join the small army of dedicated volunteers who make the iconic cultural event such a big hit each year.

Bill’s links with Britain go back over 40 years to when he attended a prep school near Bewdley in Worcestershire then a public school near Uttoxeter in Staffordshire. (more…)

Rufus will be “absolutely fabulous” in Llangollen

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Singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright who collaborated with Robbie Williams on his latest album is bringing his unique talent to North Wales.

Wainwright has written an opera in French, partied with George W Bush’s daughter and appeared alongside Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley in Absolutely Fabulous and now he’s set to appear at this summer’s Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod. The son of folk music giants Loudoun Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle will headline the Friday night concert at this year’s 69th Eisteddfod which opens on Tuesday, July 7, and runs until Sunday, July 12.

The American-Canadian is promising the audience an eclectic mix of genres from pop to opera on his North Wales debut and he says he’s very excited about the prospect as Welsh audiences are, in his opinion, uniquely ‘different’. (more…)

World premiere of work to celebrate 150th anniversary of Patagonia

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A new work to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Welsh colony in Patagonia in South America will have its world premiere in North Wales.

The concert at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod on Wednesday, July 8, where the piece will be performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales will also star former royal harpist Catrin Finch.
The work has been written by composer Hector MacDonald, a fourth generation Welshman who comes from Chubut Province in Patagonia where descendants of the original settlers cling on to their Welsh identity.
The migration was masterminded by non-conformist minister Michael D Jones, from Llanuwchllyn, near Bala.
He also considered Vancouver Island, in Canada, but eventually settled on Patagonia before around 150 people set off from Liverpool on May 28, 1865. (more…)

Elite American choir opt for real Welsh welcome in Llangollen

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An internationally renowned American choir are looking forward to having a true taste of Welsh hospitality.

The Azusa Pacific University Chamber Singers from California are heading to Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in July and will be staying with local families rather than booking hotel and guest house accommodation. The 37-strong choir are among the world’s choral elite and their track record includes winning the International Competition for Choirs in Austria in 2013 as well as singing at a host of iconic venues including Sydney Opera House and the Vatican. (more…)

We’ll be even better than Status Quo, promises UB40 legend Ali Campbell

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The music legend who formed one of the world’s top reggae bands will provide a high energy climax to a top festival, it’s been revealed.

Ali Campbell, the voice of UB40 who sold 70 million records, has been snapped up by Llangollen International Musical Festival for their closing concert on Sunday, July 12.

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He’ll  be reunited on the eisteddfod stage with two other founding members of UB40 – percussionist, trumpet player and vocalist Astro and keyboard player Mickey.

The concert is being sponsored by the award-winning Village Bakery, the fastest growing manufacturer in Wales. (more…)