Talented young schoolchildren and Cardiff Military Wives Choir will perform at Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s A Festival of Remembrance this year.
For the first time, the poignant and important event, held in partnership with the Royal British Legion, will take place at the Coliseum Theatre in Aberdare on Sunday, November 6.
People of all ages are invited to attend what is set to be an evening of military performance showing support for our Armed Forces personnel past and present.
Children from Y Pant school, Pontyclun, will be taking to the stage to showcase their passion for music and singing. The school has a rich tradition of performing arts and talented pupils representing the school at the event are excited to perform and help remember the fallen and the sacrifices they made for their futures.
Cardiff Military Wives Choir is part of a community of choirs, involving thousands of women across the UK, formed by the Military Wives Choirs charity, bringing women with military connections together to sing, share their experiences and support each other. They have performed at a huge range of events, including St David’s Day and the Wales National Service of Remembrance.
You may have seen the importance, talent and emotion of military wives choirs in the television series The Choir: Military Wives with Gareth Malone, which went on to inspire the film “Military Wives”, starring Kristen Scott-Thomas, which is based on the origins of the charity.
As well as these performances, there will be Royal British Legion Standard Bearers and The Regimental Band of the Royal Welsh.
There will also be a chance for the audience to get involved with a sing-a-long.
As well as being a spectacle of music, singing and military performance, the Festival of Remembrance is also beautiful visually, with the colours of the flags, the uniforms of the military and, of course, a spectacular and moving moment as poppies cascade form the rafters of the Coliseum Theatre.
Renowned choral conductor John Asquith will be compere for the evening. Rhondda’s John has performed as a choral conductor across the world and is also the Russian Coach at the Welsh National Opera. He has performed at Karl Jenkins’ The Bards of Wales in Budapest, Hungary, Romania and the USA, as well as being a key part of A Festival of Remembrance for many years.
Cllr Maureen Webber, Deputy Leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf Council and Armed Forces Champion, said: “This is the first year we will be holding A Festival of Remembrance at The Coliseum in Aberdare and we look forward to welcoming as many people as possible to the event on November 6.
“It is fantastic to see so much local and military talent coming together to put on A Festival of Remembrance that will appeal to all ages and interests. Parents will love to see the performance from talented school children, while I am sure the Cardiff Military Wives Choir will inspire many.
“Importantly, we have the support of the Armed Forces community with this event. The Royal British Legion Band and standard bearers will lead the event, with the involvement of many local cadets and the wider Armed Forces community.
“A Festival of Remembrance is a formal and poignant event to pay tribute to those who have, or are, serving our country. But we work to ensure it is also a musical and visual event that all can enjoy.”
A Festival of Remembrance takes place at the Coliseum Theatre in Aberdare on Sunday, November 6 from 6.30pm (doors open 6pm). Tickets are priced £7 and are available to purchase from the Coliseum in person, by calling the Box Office on 03000 040 444 or book online here.
Posted on 05/10/2022