Four of the finest young classical singers in the country are joining forces for a charity concert at the National Botanic Garden of Wales.
Stella Voci is a group of five talented singers and best friends all studying at the Royal Northern College of Music and they will be in the Garden on Sunday September 11.
The five are soprano Rhiannon Herridge, from Porthyrhyd, near Carmarthen; Michaela Parry, mezzo-soprano, from Llandudno in north Wales; Graham McCusker, baritone, from Paisley, Scotland; Charlie Tarrant, tenor, from Portsmouth; and bass/baritone Oliver Sheffield from Leicester (who can’t make the Garden gig because he is performing in Germany).
The concert at the National Botanic Garden has been organised by local girl and fluent Welsh speaker Rhiannon (pictured).
She explained: “All five of us are organising concerts in our home towns, plus an extra one in Manchester where we all study. The Garden show is the first of these concerts.”
The young singing stars are raising money for the charity Concern Universal and will be performing their favourite music, including opera excerpts of Carmen, The Marriage of Figaro and The Pirates of Penzance.
Rhiannon is currently studying at the Royal Northern College of Music. She is about to start her third year of studies, which will be spent at the Conservatorio di Rossini, Italy.
During her time at college, Rhiannon has performed in the chorus of various operas, as well as taking the parts of Louise in Rogers and Hammerstein’s Carousel and Sylvia in Lehár’s The Merry Widow.
Earlier this year, Rhiannon was selected as one of the finalists in Decca Records’ search for a new ‘Voice for Wales’. She very recently performed at the brand new Dora Stoutzker Concert Hall in Cardiff, as part of an awareness evening for emerging young Welsh talent, to a panel including Bryn Terfel.
She says: “We are all really looking forward to this tour and can’t wait for the show at the Garden. I am very proud to be bringing Stella Voci to Carmarthenshire.”
Concern Universal is an international development organisation tackling poverty from the grassroots by creating opportunities for people around the world to improve their lives and shape their own futures. Existing programmes focus on such areas as public health, community development, welfare of children, building skills and connecting people at all levels in society, helping communities deliver practical solutions with long-term impact.
For more information about the concert, go to www.gardenofwales.org.uk call 01558 667149 or email [email protected]
