This year’s Crickhowell Music Festival will close with a much-delayed 40th anniversary celebration, where two of the Choral Society’s original choral scholars will take centre stage.
The choral scholar scheme is funded by the Choral Society and its purpose is to encourage young local singers to pursue their musical ambitions.
Baritone Tomas Jones from Llangattock and soprano Maisie O’Shea from Brecon were two of the earliest scholars, joining in 2014 and 2016. Both went on to study at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (RWCMD) where they remain, Maisie under the tuition of Suzanne Murphy, and Tomos studying for his MMus in Composing and Performing.
They don’t just study - Maisie has built on her operatic experience from a beginning in Mid Wales Opera’s Noye’s Fludde where she played Mrs Ham to performing in HMS Pinafore as Josephine. She has also performed extensively in oratorio, most recently as soloist with the Cardiff Polyphonic Choir and in Rutter’s Gloria with the RWCMD’s Chamber choir.
Tomos has also found his feet in opera performing with both the Welsh National Youth Orchestra and the RWCMD and recently with Welsh National Opera in the chorus of Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking. And like Maisie he has an impressive portfolio of solo concert performances that include Vaughan-Williams’ Five Mystical Songs, Haydn’s Creation and Dvorak’s Stabat Mater.
Fast forward to St Catwg’s in Llangattock on May 2 and it’s easy to see how Maisie and Tom have been able to put together a glorious collection of music from across the ages.
From Purcell to Bernstein and from Mozart to Rodgers and Hammerstein we are reduced to using the cliche that says there will indeed be something for everyone.
There will also be tea and cakes for everyone, this being something of a celebration both of the choir’s 40th birthday and Tom and Maisie’s blossoming musical lives.
Tickets are a snip at £10 and can be found online at crickhowellchoral.org, by emailing [email protected] or by calling the CCS Secretary on 01873 810209.