News

Premiere of a New Opera

Cei Llawn Cyffro

By Bil Efans

Director Marian Bryfdir

Bilingual musical entertainment with a 1920s nautical flavour by local composer Bil Efans.

Sunday  20/07/08  

The story is based in a sea side town in the 1920s where a visiting ship is met by the mayor and councillors of the town, together with a crowd of townspeople.  The cast will include singers of our resident opera group,  Pobl yr Opera, together with young singers from the 3-day opera course preceding the performance. Details of this course below – a fantastic opportunity for young singers between 10 and 18 years old to take part in the premier of this brand new opera.

 Come and start the evening (weather permitting) by meeting the boat at Caernarfon Ferry Slip (Marina) approx. 7.15pm and follow the colourful procession to Galeri’s theatre, and experience the entertainment out on the quay and at the Doc bar, before the performance itself in the Theatre at 8pm.

We invite anyone who can, to join us in wearing 1920s style dress for the occasion! We are also looking for voluntary extras to march with us in the procession, or even take part in the Opera crowd scene! Find your own 1920s character...  Who do you most see yourself as: Chapel Minister, Slate Quarry Owner, Butcher’s boy on bicycle, Flower lady, Group of Temperance Society ladies – complete with banner!, or Grand ladies – passengers just off the HMS Galeri ...

We are also still searching for men and womens’ 1920s clothing and accessories – do you have anything that might be suitable?  Old fashioned suitcases, hatboxes and tin trunks for passengers of the HMS Galeri. Contact us if you have anything you’d be happy for us to borrow.

Tickets for the Theatre performance and fringe entertainment £10 (Children £5) available from Galeri's Box Office

Tickets are also available from our office for an extra pre-performance boat-ride with some of the cast from Caernarfon Pier at 6.30pm, landing at around 7.15pm to start the procession. These tickets are also £10 and £5.

SUMMER  OPERA  COURSE

For young people aged 10 – 18

JULY 18-20, 2008

(and, if possible, one evening during the week before to learn the music before the course itself)

You are invited to take part in an exciting opera course at Galeri, Caernarfon

The course will include:

This year’s opera summer school will focus on young voices (aged 10-18) offering you the opportunity of participating (alongside the Centre’s resident opera group, Pobl yr Opera) in the premiere of a new work by welsh composer Bil Efans. Cei Llawn Cyffro is a multilingual comic opera with a nautical flavour based in the 1920’s. The course will be 10am – 5pm on the Friday and  Saturday, and 12 until the end of the performance on the Sunday (around 9pm).

THE TUTORS

Highly  experienced professionals  from an international operatic background with considerable experience in running courses in various centres in the UK and abroad.

MARIAN BRYFDIR – Voice tutor, “repetiteur,” and opera singer

MARY LLOYD DAVIES -Internationally-renowned opera singer and voice tutor

JENNY PEARSON – Voice tutor and experienced solo and choral singer

LLIO EVANS – Voice student at Cardiff’s College of Music and Drama

COST  :  £40 for the 3 days (including 1 free ticket for one adult to come to the performance on the Sunday evening at Galeri’s Theatre and on the Quay)

Closing date for registrations, 28th June. WE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTING REGISTRATIONS AFTER THIS DATE, as Bil will be writing their parts according to the number that will have registered by 28th June.

Application Form

Name _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Address _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

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Post code  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _        Phone  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Age  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   E-mail _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Standard / Singing experience  _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Print and return by 28th June, enclosing a cheque for £40 payable to CGWM, to:

Canolfan Gerdd William Mathias, Galeri, Doc Victoria, Caernarfon, Gwynedd. LL55 1SQ

First Steps in Music - Come and enjoy music!

For young children 18 months - 3 years old and parent / guardian.

with

Marie-Claire Howorth

A chance for tiny tots to discover the world of music entailing the use of a variety of musical instruments; games; songs and nursery rhymes. The perfect opportunity to develop pitch; rhythm and motor skills.

Come and join in the fun! The classes will be bilingual.

5 sessions MONDAY : June the 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd and 30th
9.30 – 10.30am most suitable for those who attended last term
10.45 – 11.45am most suitable for new members

Cost : £20 for the 5 sessions

There are only a limited number of spaces on the course therefore early booking is advised.

I wish to come to First Steps in Music.

CHILD'S NAME ……………......………….........……………………..………………. AGE …........………….

NAME OF PARENT .......…………….........……………………………………………………….……………………

ADDRESS…………………...…...........……………………………….……………………………………………………

…………………………...………………........…………………………………………..Post Code………..……….

E-MAIL……………………......……..…………………………….. PHONE……….…………………………………

I would like to attend the 9.30–10.30am ..................or 10.45–11.45am ................... session

I enclose a cheque for £20 payable to CGWM. Please print and return as soon as possible to:
Canolfan Gerdd William Mathias, Galeri, Doc Victoria, Caernarfon. LL55 1SQ

Phone (01286) 685230

CREATIVE MUSIC FROM THE HEART!

Jochen Eisentraut, the well-known composer, jazz pianist and saxophonist, will direct  groups of  young – and older – musicians in the art of improvisation at Canolfan Gerdd William Mathias this year.

• Applications are invited from children and adults who wish to learn how to improvise on their instrument, including voice.

• The sessions  will enable students to enhance their musicality and creativity, and express themselves more fully and freely.

• Membership of the groups will be open to children and  people of all ages. Every effort will be made to place participants  in groups that reflect similar musical achievement. 

Biographical note

Dr Jochen Eisentraut was born in Kassel, Germany, and gained an Honours Degree in Psychology at the University of Wales, Bangor in 1982. He  has been composing music for television since 1983 : music for Deryn, We are Seven, Talcen Caled, Rownd a Rownd and many others. He completed his PhD in Accessibility of Music in 2006. He is the pianist in the group Acoustique with Lleuwen Steffan. They released the album Cyfnos in 2003, and performed at Genting Jazz Festival, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in June 2007.

Contact us for further details.

A new Community Orchestra in Gwynedd!

Conductor : Bill Connor

Next Orchestra Practice will be Saturday, June 14th

10am - 1pm at Canolfan Felinwnda, Llanwnda.

(E-mail us if you need directions.)

New members welcome!

Canolfan Gerdd William Mathias is trying to contact would-be musicians  to become involved in an exciting new  community orchestra!

Elinor Bennett, Artistic Director of Canolfan Gerdd William Mathias (Music Centre) said :

 “ I am certain that there are many people out there in the community who used to have instrumental lessons whilst in school and might even have been members of a band or orchestra, but have not had an opportunity of playing alongside other instrumentalists for some time. We, in Canolfan Gerdd William Mathias, would like to contact those people and invite them to participate in this new orchestra!

The questions that we would like to ask are:

• Did you use to have instrumental lessons in school
•  Did you used to play  in an orchestra some time ago, but do not have the possibility  of doing so anymore?
• Would you like to have another chance?

The session will be open to everyone who would like to bring their instruments to create music ranging from classical to film music, particularly those who received music tuition in school, but have not had the chance of playing in an orchestra for some time! “

Conductor : Bill Connor

Bill Connor has made his living as a composer since the 1970’s working across many genres and media from rock and jazz to the symphony orchestra. He has written music for over 300 film and television projects and spent 6 years as composer-in-residence for Granada Television in Manchester UK.

He has written many music theatre pieces including commissions from Royal Exchange Theatre Manchester/Manchester Camerata, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra/South Australian Opera Company, and has devised music/drama projects for the BBC Philharmonic in the community and Strangeways prison including a community opera for the 75th anniversary of the BBC.

He is well known for his work in the community, especially with young people, bringing together traditional performance practices with communal composition and group improvisation. He has worked as composer and conductor with many orchestras across the world including the Halle, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, BBC national Orchestra of Wales, Goldberg Ensemble, Manchester Camerata, BBC Singers, Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and was Composer-in-Residence (1996-99) with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra in Australia with a particular focus on music/drama in the community.

His concert music includes Operas, Symphonic music, music-theatre, Concerti and many theatrical pieces bringing together the Symphony Orchestra, actors, children and audience as he has done on three occasions for the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

He has written much chamber music and his love of language and words is evident in the many choral pieces.

As a conductor he has a wide range of music from the classical repertoire to contemporary British and American orchestral and chamber music.

Since 2000, at the behest of the British Council he has been working with the Sibenik International Children’s Festival in Croatia with schools and community groups to create new music/theatre work based on the childrens’ own ideas.

He is artistic director of the Llandudno Festival, conductor of the Gwynedd/Mon Youth Orchestra and lives on the island of Anglesey (N.Wales)

Fee : £5 for each practice