A Bangor University music student has won the Bryn Terfel Scholarship, defeating six talented performers at the Urdd Gobaith Cymru Youth Competition broadcasted live on S4C.
Huw Ynyr Evans from Rhydymain near Dolgellau was presented the scholarship, worth £4,000, by Bryn Terfel. The music student said, “It was a bit scary knowing it was live and my mates at home were saying they were all watching, the pressure was on.”
Huw won his chance to perform in the final concert at Theatr y Stiwt, Rhosllanerchrugog, on Sunday 14th October by winning the Cerdd Dant and the Solo Under-25 competitions in June at the Urdd National Eisteddfod held in Glynllifon near Caernarfon.
The aim of the scholarship is to nurture some of Wales most talented young performers and enable them to develop their skills further. The standards set for the competition were high, and in order to prepare Huw spent months rehearsing the programme that he put together with the help of his music teacher at Bangor University. Each contestant’s performance had to be 12 minutes long.
Coming from a farm in Rhydymain, Huw wishes to continue to work at the farm whilst working as a soloist: “I’m only 20 years old, the voice is young and far from the finished article. I am hoping to combine music with agriculture.”
He continued: “If I go down the performance route it will be seasonal work which will allow me to work on the farm and now and again going away to perform. That would be the dream.”
Huw was not the only Bangor student to perform in the concert. Lois Eifion Jones, a music Master student, also competed for the scholarship after winning two competitions in the Urdd National Eisteddfod. Huw said: “It made Bangor look awesome.”
Mared Jones, UMCB president at Bangor University Student Union said: “This really puts UMCB and Bangor University on the map, and shows all the hard work and natural talent that we cultivate here in Bangor. We are very proud of Huw and of Lois Eifion Jones, who also did exceptionally well in the competition. Congratulations to them both.”
