Entries flood in for Llangollen music contest
A competition to find the world's best young singers has been flooded with entries after a care organisation teamed up with opera superstar Sir Bryn Terfel to increase the prize money to £10,000.
Organisers of the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary, say there's been a huge surge in entries as a result of a boost to its prize fund by Pendine Park and the Bryn Terfel Foundation.
The finalists will compete for the Pendine Prize and a cheque for £6,000, while the two runners up will each receive £2,000.
Arts-loving Pendine Park, which is a long-term supporter of the eisteddfod, has pledged to contribute £5,000 to the Voice of the Future competition, with £3,000 coming from Sir Bryn's foundation and £2,000 from the eisteddfod.
As a result, the total prize pot is more than six times the £1,500 awarded in previous years and the aim is to catapult the competition into a whole new league.
Eilir Owen Griffiths, the festival's musical director, said: "The generous boost from Pendine Park and the Bryn Terfel Foundation has certainly had an impact on entries this year – they are flooding in and the standard is exceptional."
Entries for the 2017 competition will close on March 3. For details, go to eisteddfodcompetitions.co.uk
