Côr Meibion Llanelli annual concert review

By Ian Roberts

Côr Meibion Llanelli’s annual concert at the Selwyn Samuel Centre, Llanelli, with special guests Vancouver Welsh Men’s Choir and Wynne Evans.

 

A long-standing transatlantic relationship took another step forward when Côr Meibion Llanelli welcomed the Vancouver Welsh Men’s Choir as special guests for their ‘annual’ concert at the Selwyn Samuel Centre, Llanelli.

Links between Vancouver and Llanelli stretch back more than 30 years. Côr Meibion Llanelli have stopped off at Vancouver during North American tours and music director Eifion Thomas is virtually an annual visitor to the Canadian Gymanfa Ganu events.

If two juggernaut male voice choirs wasn’t enough, the concert also had a heavyweight special guest – leading Welsh tenor Wynne Evans.

The combination made for a wonderfully varied evening’s entertainment, with the audience getting involved in the Gymanfa Ganu sections to raise the roof of the Selwyn Samuel bowling centre.

The Vancouver Welsh Men’s Choir (normally 100-strong, but represented by 60 tourists) are currently enjoying a 16-day performance tour of Scotland, England and Wales, culminating in an appearance at the Wales Choir of the World event at the Royal Festival Hall on July 7.

The choir’s president Nis Schmidt said there had been a number of highlights on tour, but the choristers regarded the Llanelli appearance as a highspot.

“Vancouver is a very cosmopolitan place nowadays, but we still have many members of the choir with Welsh links and we take great pride in continuing the Welsh tradition of choral singing in Canada.”

The choir’s repertoire included Men of Harlech, Si Hei Lwli Mabi, The Ash Grove (featuring the choir’s touring soprano soloist Natasha Neufield), Loch Lomond (featuring a solo from the choir’s musical director Jonathan Quick), We Rise Again, Away from the roll of the sea, Royal Hudson, and the quirky Jabberwocky.

Tenor soloist Wynne Evans was at his dazzling best with a programme which included O Sole Mio and the show-stopping The Impossible Dream.

He also joined Côr Meibion Llanelli for an emotional medley from Les Miserables and both male voice choirs for a rousing Morte Criste.

Côr Meibion Llanelli played their part in a stirring evening with a programme which balanced old favourites such as Superstar, Myfanwy and Gwahoddiad with two items written Teeside composer Peter Canwell, who was in the audience to listen to the works.

Côr Meibion Llanelli’s accompanist was the accomplished Sarah Thomas. The Vancouver accompanist was David Buchan. The choirs were also supported by musicians from the QE High School in Carmarthen. The compere was Robert Lloyd.

Picture Tim Jones.