SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

The Welsh Singers' Competition 2008 : Soprano Natalya Romaniw takes the prize (MS)


Twenty one year old Natalya Romaniw given the key to the door of a sparkling opera career when she was named winner of the Welsh Singers Competition. Natalya from Swansea fought off stiff competition to take the £2,000 prize – and automatic entry to BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2009.

A student at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, Natalya is well know to opera lovers in Wales having sung Anne Trulove in Welsh National Youth Opera’s Rake’s Progress at Wales Millennium Centre.

With another year of college still to compete, she has already been signed up by WNO to sing Musetta in Puccini’s La Boheme next year.  Natalya follows in the footsteps of Bryn Terfel and Rebecca Evans by being selected winner of the competition.

The other finalists were John Pierce, 25, from Holywell, Claire Watkins, 27, from Haverfordwest and Laura Parfitt, 30, from Risca.

Singing with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the three sopranos and one tenor rose to the challenge of competing against each other not only for a £2,000 cash prize but automatic entry in BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2009.  In front of hundreds of opera fans and a distinguished panel of judges at St David’s Hall, Cardiff, the hopefuls controlled their nerves to give glorious performances.

Each of the other finalists received an extremely useful £750 and the rare experience of performing in their national concert hall.

Making the decision as to who will win a £2,000 cash prize, a Welsh Royal Crystal Trophy and go on to represent Wales in BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2009 the judges included Grammy Award winning soprano and past Welsh Singers Competition winner Rebecca Evans.

Rebecca was joined on the judging panel are international singers baritone Simon Keenlyside and tenor Philip Langridge, Elaine Padmore, Director of the Opera Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and Julian Smith Music Adviser to BBC Cardiff Singer of the World, freelance conductor and former Head of Music at Welsh National Opera.

Opera audiences will see two of the finalists in action again before next June’s BBC Cardiff Singer of the World. Natalya will sing Musetta in La Boheme next year with Welsh National Opera while Laura will be singing Rosina in Barber of Seville with the company. The four singers’ performances with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conducted by Nicholas Braithwaite will be broadcast by Radio Cymru on Sunday, June 22.

The 2006 competition winner Sarah-Jane Davies, who went on to represent Wales in BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2007, is now enjoying a successful career with highly-acclaimed performances at home and abroad.

This starts the countdown to BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2009 and the worldwide search for the other finalists starts this autumn with the call already gone out on the competition’s website:  www.bbc.co.uk/cardiffsinger

Mike Smith

For more information contact Mike Smith 07795 325161 or email mike@mediasmith.co.uk