The best choir of Wales will offer two concerts in Torrevieja

The musical repertoire is wide and varied, reflecting Wales’s rich cultural and Christian traditions.

Considered to be amongst the best mixed voice choirs in the ‘Land of Song’, the ‘Carmarthen Choir’ (Côr  Caerfyrddin) has chosen the ‘music and salt’ town of Torrevieja for its first overseas tour. Formed in September 2004, Côr Caerfyrddin is a choir based in the ancient and historic town of Carmarthen, West Wales, under the baton of Musical Director, John S. Davies. The accompanist for the visit to Torrevieja is Caradog Williams.
The Carmarthen Choir will perform as follows:

Saturday 3rd May, 2008 at 20.30h in Torrevieja’s principal parrish church ‘Inmaculada Concepción’. Admission free.

Sunday 4th May, 2008 at 19.00h in the ‘Palacio de la Música’ located in Torrevieja. Admission 3 euros in aid of the Alzheimer’s Association ‘AFA’.

Tickets on sale from: Bargain Books, Alheimer’s Charity Shop or the AFA (Alzheimer’s Assoc. Day Centre, all in Torrevieja, or at the ticket office of the venue, before the concert.

The musical repertoire is wide and varied, reflecting Wales’s rich cultural and Christian traditions. Since its inception, the choir has performed major concerts of sacred and classical music in celebration of the Christmas and Easter periods. The performances have enthralled large audiences and congregations, the most recent being the April 2007 performance of Vivaldi’s “Magnificat” and Haydn’s “Saint Theresa Mass.”

In the relatively short time this choir has been in existence, Côr Caerfyrddin has become recognised as being at the heart of choral music making in West Wales, and this success is in no small measure due to the high musical standards set by the conductor himself. The choir has also been invited to perform on radio and television, and they enlist the talent of leading accompanists and organists, instrumentalists and soloists for every concert.
The conductor’s expertise in formulating a programme of music, that appeals to the listener, will no doubt be very attractive and enjoyable to audiences and congregations alike on this, the choir’s first overseas tour.

Musical Director John S. Davies MBE., M.Mus., F.R.W.C.M.D

Jonh S. Davies was born in Pembrokeshire, Wales and studied at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama Cardiff, where he formed his first choir and where he holds an Honorary Fellowship. In the late 60’s, as Head of Music at Fishguard High School with the developments in music the area, John founded his first large choir, the North Pembrokeshire Choral Union, renamed the Dyfed Choir, which he conducted until 1985. New choirs followed, including the Fishguard Philharmonic, the Pembrokeshire Youth Choir, Côr Dewi Sant and, as director, Côr Caerfyrddin.

John is closely associated with the National Youth Choir of Wales, and he has conducted at the Royal National Eisteddfod on four occasions. He has also conducted the Victoria Male Voice Choir in Australia.

Radio and TV broadcasts continue and John is a much sought after adjudicator and conductor.
In 1970 he founded the Fishguard Music Festival, and as its Artistic Director continued until standing down in 2006. In 1997 John was awarded an MBE for his services to the festival. He holds other awards recognising his work in music, particularly in Wales. During this time he also conducted several major orchestras and was responsible for the commissioning of works, dedicated mainly to him, for his choirs and visiting musicians.

Caradog Williams – Pianist.

CARADOG WILLIAMS is 24 years old and a native of Burry Port, near Llanelli. Whilst a pupil at Strade Welsh Comprehensive School, Llanelli, Caradog was taught piano by D.Hugh Jones, FRCO, gaining his L.T.C.L. at the age of 17.

After graduating in Music from Oxford University, he obtained a full scholarship to study Piano Accompaniment at the Royal College of Music, where he gained a Postgraduate Diploma in 2005.
Caradog has since been in high demand as an accompanist, working with many choirs and winning the Accompanist Prize at the 2006 Royal National Eisteddfod, Swansea. He has also worked with the Cardiff International Academy of Voice organized by the internationally renowned tenor, Denis O’Neill, alongside the prestigious accompanists, Brian Davies and Ingrid Surgenor.

Caradog gained his first experience of choral conducting in 2006 with Mynydd Mawr Male Voice Choir on their tour to Ireland. His tutors in choral conducting were Marios Papadopoulos at Oxford University, Neil Thompson at the RCM and Peter Stark.

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