A top American tenor is to make an emotional return to the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod to follow once again in the footsteps of his all-time hero.
After taking last year’s Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod by storm, Noah Stewart will be a Day President at this year’s festival.
He’ll also be starring in the concert on Wednesday, July 9, on the stage where his singing idol, opera superstar Luciano Pavarotti, launched his career.
Stewart will be taking part in Adiemus Colores as part of the 70th birthday celebrations of the acclaimed Welsh composer Karl Jenkins.
He’ll be performing with classical accordionist Ksenija Sidorova, trumpet player Pacho Flores, the Karl Jenkins Singers and the Llangollen International Eisteddfod Orchestra.
The Eisteddfod’s Musical Director, Eilir Owen Griffiths, was thrilled that Stewart was coming back to Llangollen.
He said: “Noah is a stellar talent and a worthy successor to the all-time Llangollen favourite Pavarotti and we’re absolutely thrilled he’s agreed to be a Day President as well as performing here.”
According to Stewart the 2013 Eisteddfod turned out to be a highlight of what was a busy year for the new York-born tenor although he admits he had no idea just what to expect before he arrived in Llangollen.
He said: “The festival was so, so special. I wasn’t prepared for the beauty of the region. It’s a kind of paradise with such a wonderful landscape but the festival itself seemed to me to be a great place of peace.
“I was enthralled by the canal that runs alongside the Eisteddfod site but what really struck me was the sheer number of choirs there are in the area and, of course, in Wales as a whole.
“This is a nation that knows and understands music. People really do find time for music and it plays an important role in their lives. It’s unusual to feel quite so much love for the art of music, you could really feel it.
“The Llangollen audience allowed me to be myself and express my emotions through my music. And, even though I have performed around the world, you don’t always experience that feeling of freedom.
“I was received so well and I was blessed to have the opportunity to perform for such a knowledgeable audience. It reminded me why I chose classical music, so I could forge a partnership between myself and my audience.”
The 2013 Eisteddfod audience awarded Stewart a standing ovation after he sang Calon Lan, in Welsh, accompanied by harpist Claire Jones.
He said: “There only is one real language, the language of music. That’s the beauty of the art, it’s a language of peace and there are no boundaries.
“Singing in Welsh was a challenge, of course it was. It’s so important to get the pronunciation absolutely right otherwise the audience becomes aware and that makes it false and simply wrong.”
The first black musician to top the British classical charts, Noah is delighted to once again perform on the stage graced by Pavarotti.
He said: “Llangollen was special to Pavarotti; I know he had such an affinity with the Eisteddfod. I am in awe of Pavarotti and appreciate what he did. He was one of the very best technicians of music and as I grew up I listening to him constantly.
“He was so inspiring and, in a way, we have had so much in common. Like Pavarotti I was in a choir and fell in love with classical music. And now, like him, I have fallen in love with Llangollen.
“Pavarotti is still a legend and he remains the gold standard, at least for me. Whatever I try and achieve in music in terms of technical efficiency he is always there looking over my shoulder.”
Noah, who was born to a single mum, Patricia, in Harlem, New York, says he is considering treating her to a trip to the Llangollen International Music Eisteddfod so she can experience the festival for herself.
He said: “I am hoping to be able to bring her to Llangollen. She’s now 70 and we will have to see what her health is like but I know she’d love the festival, its music, flowers and message of peace.
“We never had a great deal of money but mum used to say being poor had nothing to do with how much money you did or didn’t have because you could be rich in love and knowledge.
“I was thrilled when I was asked whether I’d consider being a Day President for the Eisteddfod and of course I didn’t have to think before accepting the invitation.
“It is such an incredible honour and I know my mum will be so proud and delighted should she be there to witness all that this wonderful festival has to offer.
“I really hope I have a long and enduring association with Llangollen and, rest assured, I tell everyone who’s prepared to listen all about the festival and the incredible rich culture that is so evident everywhere you look.”
The curtain raiser for this year’s Eisteddfod will mark the return of opera superstar Bryn Terfel to Llangollen.
The acclaimed bass baritone will be playing the lead in a special English-language production of Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street featuring an all-Welsh cast.
This year’s will also feature concerts by Dutch jazz sensation Caro Emerald and veteran British rockers Status Quo as well as a world premiere of a new work, Adiemus Colores, by top composer Karl Jenkins.
He will conduct his Latin American themed work with American tenor Stewart, Venezuelan trumpeter Pacho Flores and Latvian accordion player Ksenija Sidorova to the accompaniment of the Llangollen International Eisteddfod Orchestra.
The Friday night concert, Spirit of Unity, will feature the Cape Town Opera, Africa’s premiere opera company, famed for their “vibrant vocalism and high-octane stage performances”.
Appearing with them will be Wales’ representative in Cardiff Singer of the World, Gary Griffiths, the Wales Millennium Centre Only Kidz Aloud Chorus under the baton of celebrity conductor Tim Rhys Evans and British Sinfonietta, one of the UK’s leading independent professional orchestras.
The Choir of the World competition for the Pavarotti Trophy on the Saturday night is the blue riband event of the week-long festival which will close with a Sunday night concert by Status Quo.
To book tickets and for more details go to the website at www.international-eisteddfod.co.uk
