Young musicians treat Wrexham care home residents to concert “fit for a king”

A talented young harpist swapped Buckingham Palace for a concert “fit for a king” at a care organisation.

Bethan Conway was joined by flautist Charlotte Thomas for a series of performances at Pendine Park in Wrexham.

The pair are long-standing members of NEW Sinfonia, the flagship orchestra of North Wales which has struck up a new partnership with Pendine.

The concert was arranged as a token of thanks for the backing which NEW Sinfonia has received from the Pendine Arts and Community Trust (PACT) which supports a host of cultural and community activities in North Wales.

Among events PACT has sponsored is the inaugural Pendine Young Musician of Wales competition at this year’s North Wales International Music Festival at St Asaph Cathedral.

Charlotte Thomas, flute and Bethan Conway, harp entertain residents (Pictures: Rick Matthews)

They’re also supporting the world premiere of a new opera to mark the 90th anniversary of the Gresford Disaster which claimed the lives of 266 men and boys.

The music for the opera was composed Jonathan Guy, from Wrexham, who co-founded NEW Sinfonia with his brother, conductor Robert Guy, with the words being written by poet Grahame Davies, from Coedpoeth.

Pendine has a particularly poignant reason for sponsoring the premiere of the new work, Gresford: Up from Underground, on Thursday, September 12.

The opera was co-commissioned by the festival’s Artistic Director, the royal composer, Paul Mealor, from Connah’s Quay, and NEW Sinfonia, with support from the Arts Council of Wales.

They cared for the tragedy’s last survivor, Albert Rowlands, who passed away in 2020. He was a 15 year old lamp boy at the colliery at the time and his father, John, was among those who perished on that tragic day.

Lynn Kelly pictured through the strings of harpist Bethan Conway (Pictures: Rick Matthews)

The new opera will also be performed at St Giles’s Church, in Wrexham, between September 19 to 22 as part of the Remembering Gresford Festival.

Among the pieces Bethan and Charlotte performed at Pendine was Gresford. also known as the Miners’ Hymn which the residents sang along to.

It was written by Tyneside miner Robert Saint in 1936, two years after the September 1934 Gresford disaster.

As well as the performance at Bryn Bella, Bethan and Charlotte also delivered music sessions at Highfield home in Summerhill, and at Pendine Park’s two sister homes Hillbury and Gwen Alyn in Hillbury Road, Wrexham

Bryn Bella resident Carole Ball said the two instrumentalists were wonderful and she was not surprised Bethan had played for Royalty.

She said: “They play so harmoniously together it is a real pleasure to listen to them. When they played the Welsh Lullaby it sent me into my own little day dream. I hope they come back again very soon and perform some more.”

Charlotte Thomas, flute and Bethan Conway, harp entertain residents (Pictures: Rick Matthews)

Bethan can boast a Royal seal of approval for her beautiful playing style. A highlight of her career to date was performing for King Charles when he was then Prince Charles during his annual president’s visit to the Royal College of Music (RCM) in 2020.

Charlotte also has an impressive record, having played in the BBC Proms orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall, watched by millions of TV viewers around the globe. She has also worked with Welsh National Opera.

Bethan said: “It has been a great project for us. It’s always a pleasure engaging with the residents at Pendine, they have some fascinating stories to tell and are always keen to hear about our latest music projects.”

NEW Sinfonia conductor Robert said: “We really value our friendship with Pendine Park. Mario and Gill have done so much to champion musicians and the creative arts generally in North Wales over recent years through PACT.

Charlotte Thomas, flute and Bethan Conway, harp entertain residents (Pictures: Rick Matthews)

“We felt it was time we did something in return to show how much we appreciate their support. The best way to do that was by doing what we love – making music.

“I knew Bethan and Charlotte would be the perfect pairing to share our music with Pendine residents. They are amazing and have such a natural personable way of interacting with their audiences.

“I would also like to thank the Arts Council of Wales whose invaluable support has made the Remembering Gresford project happen, including the performances at the North Wales International Music Festival, Pendine and Gresford.”

Fellow resident Sandra Swift said: “We all thoroughly enjoyed meeting Bethan and Charlotte and hearing such lovely music. On behalf of all the residents I want to thank them for coming to visit us, it’s been a real pleasure.”

Tickets and further details about the festival programme are available online at www.nwimf.com. Tickets are also available from Cathedral Frames, St Asaph – 01745 582929 (Weds – Fri, 10 – 4) and Theatr Clwyd by phone – 01352 344101 (Mon – Sat, 10 – 6).