Welcome!
Ladies and gentlemen, a very happy 2013 to you all! I hope everyone had a festive Christmas and a successful new year!
Well 6 months ago this seemed a very long time away, but it has arrived: our final venue on the ‘Oliver! UK National Tour 2012/13′. Time has flown by and I can’t believe that we open in Bristol’s Hippodrome on Tuesday (January 22nd), for our final 5 weeks of the tour. I can safely say it has been a pleasure being a part of such a wonderful production. I’ve shared the pit with some extraordinary musician, most of whom have become close friends. My thanks must go to Cameron Mackintosh and everybody under his wing for putting on such a pleasurable and high standard tour. I’ll never forget it!
But there we are, the time has come to move on to something different that HOPEFULLY doesn’t involve playing ‘Consider Yourself’ or ‘Oom-Pah-Pah’!
Since we last spoke I’ve been juggling other gigs in the calendar, with a very successful production and TV recording of ‘Sneb Yn Becso Dam’ by the National Urdd Youth Theatre, performing with John Owen Jones and Wynne Evans at Llangollen International Eisteddfod, a lovely joint recital with my good friend, violinist Rakhi Singh, another recital with another great friend, pianist Jocelyn Freeman, and most recently the launch of my own big band: the ‘RT Big Band’, at Cardiff Music Festival 2012.
The reaction to the big band launch concert has been truly amazing and beyond anything I could’ve wished for! Plans are currently in the pipeline for a Welsh tour, a UK tour and some other concert dates around the country, so stay tuned…!
I’m also still keeping in touch with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, recording Stokowski’s Symphony with them.
There may be also a new classical album coming up in 2013, so let’s wait and see….!
I hope you’re all keeping well and cultured. Come and visit us on the ‘Oliver!’ tour if you can. Would be great to see you!
Rhys