Royal Albert Hall - London Welsh Festival of Male Voice Choirs

 I had my first experience of performing classical music at the age of 11 when I sang at the Royal Albert Hall in a massed county choirs performance of Carmina Burana. I couldn't really read music at that stage so had the whole thing drummed into me by my fantastic school choir director, Ian Hooker. I remember the soprano soloist walking out on stage and totally falling in love with everything she did; I think her massive, sparkly, Cinderella-esque ballgown was also an excellent selling point. For me there was no definitive moment when I decided to pursue singing as a career, but this sticks out in my mind as a pretty monumental occasion for an 11 year old.

On Saturday night, I was incredibly fortunate to take up the soprano soloist/massive ballgown slot my self as part of the London Welsh Festival of Male Voice Choirs. As wonderful as singing my solos and duets with Trystan Llyr Griffiths was, the highlight, for me, has to have been when all 6,000 audience members rose to their feet and belted out Mae hen wlad fy nhadau.

The concert will be broadcast several times in the next few years on television and a CD and DVD will be released later this year. I'll be posting details of how to buy a copy in the next few months.

Rhiannon Llewellyn with fellow soloist Trystan Llyr Griffiths