Latest news with #eisteddfod
ABC News
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Join ABC Radio Brisbane's Dance Group for the Common People Dance Eisteddfod
Do you fancy yourself a bit of a groover and mover? Do you like to boot-scoot and shuffle around a dance floor? We need YOU for an exciting ABC exclusive performance. The Common People Dance Project Eisteddfod at the Brisbane Festival is a battle of the burbs! It's a glitter and sequined-covered extravaganza where all ages and all abilities can live out their dance eisteddfod dreams. This year we want YOU to help us be part of that dream! 612 ABC Radio Brisbane is creating our very own dance team to take part in a special support act performance of the Common People Dance Project Eisteddfod at Brisbane Festival. If you would like a chance to take part in the 612 ABC Brisbane Dance group, click here to register. Enter your details and confirm you are available for the 7th of September performance. Then, tell us in 100 words or less why you love to dance. Competition terms and conditions apply.
BBC News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Eisteddfod sees doctor's shock Osborne Roberts Memorial Prize win
A young doctor has won a prestigious prize for his singing at the eisteddfod - despite not bringing a suit with him and failing to ask for the day off work. Caleb Nicholas, 24, won the Osborne Roberts Memorial Prize at this year's Eisteddfod in Wrexham after picking up the hobby six years ago. The doctor, who works at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital in Rhondda Cynon Taf, said singing was an "escape" for was due to receive his induction session as a paediatric doctor on Friday, but said going through to the finals after winning his bass-baritone competition was "completely unexpected". Caleb receives lessons from Pembrokeshire teacher Eilyr Thomas, who won this year's Sir TH Parry-Williams Memorial Medal - presented every year to someone who has "contributed widely within their local community with a particular emphasis on working with young people".As the Osborne Roberts Memorial Prize winner, the doctor will be invited to perform at the North America Wales Festival in early September 2026 held in Springfield, Massachusetts. Caleb said his intention was to "do my best" in the bass-baritone competition, and that to go on to win was a there he was invited to compete for the Osborne Roberts scholarship."It was completely unexpected to have the opportunity to compete in the Osborne Roberts, which is such an honourable competition and a new opportunity to compete at a higher level," he said. Caleb said he had not booked time off, but after bumping into one of the consultants he worked with at the hospital last year he was able to take the rest of the week off work and compete to win the said winning the award was "a great honour". Caleb said he didn't even bring a suit with him to the eisteddfod because he did not think he would make it to the said: "My brother brought the suit to Llandysul from Efail Wen and then my sister brought it from Llandysul up to Wrexham by Thursday morning, so I had my suit in the end." But will Caleb trade the scrubs for the microphone as a job?He said: "It's something I really enjoy doing, I've invested a lot of time preparing for this competition, but it's a very nice contrast with day-to-day work."It's a great escape from the stress of work, working as a doctor and it's a nice escape from 9-5 work."Looking forward to the next step as a singer, Caleb said he hoped to "continue to compete" and aims to compete next year in the open competitions."We'll see how it goes, but I'm keen to keep developing my voice." Thanking his teacher Eilyr, he said: "Without her I think I would've stopped competing after my first time doing so at the Cardiff Urdd Eisteddfod 2018."She teaches in such a natural way that suits my character, which makes me more comfortable," he said he was able to celebrate with friends following the win after they came to meet him backstage, adding: "I hope they buy me a pint tonight!"
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
I just realised Australians are some of the only people in the world who use the word 'eisteddfod'
If you grew up in Australia and ever spent weekends in a scratchy leotard and hair slicked back into a bun so tight it could cut off circulation, there's one word you probably used without ever questioning it: eisteddfod. To Australians, it's used to describe a dance or band/music competition and is mentioned almost daily throughout the school week. It stems from Welsh culture and roughly translates to 'sitting together'. While most Aussies assume it's a universal term, those who utter the word in front of almost anyone overseas or expats are often met with instant confusion. Why? The answer lies in a history lesson that stretches back to 19th century Wales. An eisteddfod in its original form is a centuries‑old festival of poetry, music and performance, with roots that date back to at least the 12th century. In Wales, these events are still about celebrating the Welsh language, culture, and music - with competitions in singing, harp playing, and poetry recitation. When Welsh immigrants arrived in Australia in the 1800s, particularly in areas linked to mining and wool industries, they brought the tradition with them. At first, the Australian versions followed the Welsh format: singing competitions, a bit of poetry, and perhaps some instrumental music. But somewhere along the way, something changed. Someone slipped a dance routine into the programme, and before long, the word eisteddfod had been redefined here. What was once a cultural celebration became, in Australia, a catch‑all term for performing arts competitions - and eventually, almost exclusively for dance contests. 'They aren't just for dance,' one Reddit user explained. 'I've been in them for singing and drama also - they are competitions for the performing arts, which is why they are called an eisteddfod.' 'The eisteddfod in Wales is usually a singing competition, with maybe a bit of poetry. That started early in Australia. Dance eisteddfods were named after that,' another wrote. In linguistic terms, it's what's known as a 'semantic shift' - a change in meaning that can happen when a word migrates across cultures. The Welsh diaspora kept the name, but as the decades passed, the content of the competitions in Australia evolved. Now, for generations of Aussie kids - and their long‑suffering parents - eisteddfod is synonymous with weekend marathons of costume changes, side‑stage pep talks, and the sound of tap shoes clattering down a high‑school hall. It's an institution that's spawned an entire subculture of sequin‑studded competitiveness. Meanwhile, in Wales, the word still means what it always has - a festival celebrating language and music - which explains why international friends might appear baffled by the sentence 'we've got three eisteddfods this term'. So while the rest of the world may have never heard of the word, in Australia it's part of the fabric of growing up - as familiar as school assemblies, meat pies at the tuckshop, and the smell of hairspray in the change room.
North Wales Live
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- North Wales Live
A giant 150ft mural of Pavarotti has appeared on a North Wales hillside
The widow of the great Luciano Pavarotti has given her seal of approval to a massive 150ft mural of her late husband. The chalk profile was created in just 24 hours on a hillside in North Wales. The artwork was create to celebrate Pavarotti's first appearance 70 years ago at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, Denbighshire. To mark the anniversary, his widow Nicoletta Mantovani was a guest of honour at this year's festival. She attended the mural's unveiling alongside members of the Froncysyllte Male Voice Choir – the choir that first hosted Luciano and his father Fernando in 1955. She arrived in the town on board a vintage steam train from Corwen where the choir serenaded her with a Welsh song special to her late husband. Nicoletta said she shed a tear when she heard the world-famous choir perform. The 45-metre by 30-metre artwork is visible from the Eisteddfod Pavilion below and from Castell Dinas Brân above – a ruined medieval castle built by the Welsh Princes. It's hosted by Wern Isaf campsite on Donkey Hill overlooking the Eisteddfod grounds. Nicoletta was given a clear view of the stunning chalk sculpture, which depicts the Maestro in full voice. It was designed in partnership with record label Decca. She said it was 'really great', adding: 'It is good that it is there for people to see someone who was so closely connected to the festival.' David Hennigan, Eisteddfod board director, said the mural has become an instant tourism attraction in the town. 'The reaction from eisteddfod concertgoers has been overwhelming,' he said. 'People have been standing in the car park to view the sculture and the comments have been amazing. 'We thought it would be well received but the response has been even better than we expected. It's been a very worthwhile project.' Nicoletta, who was married to the singing legend until his death in 2007, journeyed from Italy to celebrate three major milestones at this week's International Eisteddfod. Pavarotti was just 19 and a trainee teacher when he came to the Llangollen in 1955 with his father, Fernando, as part of Chorus Rossini from their home city of Modena. He returned as a global star in 1995 to perform a sell-out concert. This year would have been his 90th birthday. Today (Saturday, July 12) she will be on the famous Pavilion stage to help present the Pavarotti Trophy, named in honour of her late husband, to the winners of the Choir of the World Competition. In another coup for the festival, on Sunday evening Nicoletta will hand over the coveted Pendine Trophy to the winner of the International Voice of the Future competition. She will sharing the presentation with sponsors Mario and Gill Kreft and another megastar of the opera world, Sir Bryn Terfel. Songs performed by Froncysyllte Male Voice Choir as Nicoletta arrived in Denbighshire included We'll Keep a Welcome in the Hillside, which Pavarotti loved. At Llangollen train station she was also entertained by Italian and Bulgarian groups competing at the festival, both in colourful national costumes. She said: 'My arrival was incredible. It was exactly the way Luciano told me how the people of Wales are so warm and friendly. And to hear the Fron Choir perform – especially the welcome song that was a favourite of his – I cried. 'Travelling on the train was also very special, seeing the countryside and when we arrived at Llangollen station, I enjoyed the choir and the dancers who greeted us. I knew one of the songs and mimed along to it. 'At the Eisteddfod it was fantastic to meet the volunteers. It is really important and so precious for people from all different countries to come together in the name of culture and music.'
Western Telegraph
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Western Telegraph
National Eisteddfod proclamation 2026 in Narberth: Pictures
The event began at the Queens Hall in Narberth at 10am and the colourful and patriotic procession made its way through the town before the proclamation ceremony took place on the Townsmoor at around 11am. Schools, community groups, local associations, and Gorsedd Cymru all made an appearance as the organisers extended a warm welcome to both large and small groups, creating a vibrant and inclusive procession. Narberth County Councillor Mark Tierney posted: 'One of the biggest parades through Narberth in a long time and we provided the warmest of welcomes to visitors from near and far for the @eisteddfod proclamation procession.' Cllr Marc Tierney (right) was in attendance. (Image: Gareth Davies Photography) The procession marks the preparations for the National Eisteddfod to take place in 2026 in north Pembrokeshire. Parking for the event was available at a primary school car park, allowing locals to experience the colourful and welcoming festival which was portrayed by the procession. The event was a celebration of Welsh culture. (Image: Gareth Davies Photography) During the proclamation, a list of the 2026 Eisteddfod competitions were announced and information was provided for prospective competitors. Children performed a dance based on patterns of collecting flowers. (Image: Gareth Davies Photography)The ceremony was led by the Archdruid, the head of the Gorsedd and the chair of the local executive committee presented the first copy of the list of competitions to the Archdruid. The ceremony passed through the centre of Narberth. (Image: Gareth Davies Photography) Following the presentation, competitions were publicly announced, and copies are available for purchase in shops across Wales and at the event itself. There were representatives from various organisations. (Image: Gareth Davies Photography) In keeping with tradition, the local procession also included representatives from a variety of local organisations and Gorsedd Cymru, to welcome the Eisteddfod to the area. Various schools attended the event. (Image: Gareth Davies Photography) Meanwhile, a group of local children participated in the ceremony by performing a dance based on patterns of collecting flowers from the meadows and fields. Welsh flags were proudly waved. (Image: Gareth Davies Photography) After all, Gorsedd ceremonies are part of the larger Eisteddfod festival, celebrating language and culture. The event was accompanied by gorgeous sunny weather. (Image: Gareth Davies Photography) Overall, the ceremony that took place today in Narberth was an enthralling celebration of Welsh culture, which saw locals fill the streets in the beautiful sunny weather, with many proudly waving their Welsh flags. It was a colourful and welcoming festival. (Image: Gareth Davies Photography) The procession was vibrant and inclusive. (Image: Gareth Davies Photography)
