Elgan hits all the right notes

Aug 14 2008 by Judith Phillips, North Wales Weekly News

Elgan hits all the right notes

A TALENTED singer could emulate Michael Ball and become a Welsh-born star of the West End and Broadway after winning a major competition at the Cardiff National Eisteddfod.

Elgan Llyr Thomas, 18, from St Margaret’s Drive, Craig-y-Don, Llandudno, outsang 50 other competitors to take first place in the 19 years and under music theatre competition and win a £1,000 scholarship to help meet his singing tuition costs.

Last year Elgan, who gets his A-level results from Ysgol y Creuddyn today, was runner-up in the same competition and was thrilled to take the top prize this time.

“It came as a complete shock when they called out my name, but of course I was really happy,” he said.

Elgan’s light baritone voice wowed the judges with his performance of the emotional ballad She Was There from the musical The Scarlet Pimpernel.

“It wasn’t the best-known song in the competition and it was translated into Welsh for me by Gwenno Mair Davies who is a teacher at Ysgol y Creuddyn. I wanted to do something a bit different and luckily it paid off.”

It was not his only success at the Eisteddfod as he also emulated his performance last year in taking third place in the boys’ solo for the 16 to 29 years age group.

“That requires a more operatic style of singing which I also enjoy and to be truthful I haven’t yet decided whether I want to concentrate on opera or musical theatre,” he said.

Earlier this year he won a scholarship to the prestigious Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester to follow a four year Bachelor of Music course in vocal and opera studies and says his ultimate aim is to become a professional singer.

He has just returned home from a two-week stint in Cardiff appearing with the Welsh National Junior Opera Company in a new opera The Calling of Maisie Day.

“That was an amazing experience. I learned such a lot about how to produce my voice and performance.

judith.phillips