1000 Voices hit the right note with children and young people across South Wales
A thousand children from 36 schools across South Wales have volunteered to sing in a musical extravaganza at the Motorpoint Arena Cardiff, supported by a host of celebrity acts and professional musicians.
The Beyond Words concert, now in its sixth year, will take place on 15th July 2019 and will feature local school children and young people aged between 8 and 23, with a team of young people aged 16 to 23 organising the event.
The theme of the concert will be based on the smash hit song A Million Dreams from the hugely popular musical The Greatest Showman but adapted to create a story about charity and young people’s dreams.
Welsh-born Matthew Brind, an international composer, arranger and conductor, has been appointed Musical Director of the concert.
Brind has worked with various orchestras including, BBC Concert Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and has also worked for hit TV shows X Factor, Britain’s Got Talent and America’s Got Talent.
The orchestra will consist of music students from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Cardiff University and Swansea University.
The young team organising the concert have been trained as part of Hybu’s Pobl Ifanc Programme (Promoting Young People in Welsh) which offers an “exciting and unique” volunteer programme for 16 to 18-year olds to work alongside children in after school and holiday clubs across Wales.
Gill James, Managing Director of Beyond Words, says,
“Our events feature people from all kinds of backgrounds and work closely with local schools, colleges and universities.
“We ensure high levels of professionalism. Our choirs and orchestras have in previous years performed alongside household name artists such as Lee Mead and other stars of Casualty, Holby City, and the West End. America’s Got Talent winner, ventriloquist Paul Zerdin has signed on for 2019.”
Paul Zerdin, a British comedian and ventriloquist, was the winner of America’s Got Talent in 2015, along with his ‘dysfunctional’ puppet family including popular ‘teenager’ Sam.
Paul is a patron of Beyond Words and will himself be performing at the concert in Cardiff. Paul says of his role in the project, “It’s terrific being involved with a project that can really reach out and have such a positive effect on young people. Also being a ventriloquist, I have more than one voice which does help make up the thousand voices!”
Britain’s Got Talent semi-finalist and ‘Mystery Artist’ Marc Spellman will also be performing during the concert.
Spellman, a mind-reader and magician, impressed Britain’s Got Talent judges in 2018 with his emotional performances, which earned him the elusive Golden Buzzer.
The concert is set to be a showcase of different talents with the children learning new skills as a result of performing alongside world-renowned artists.
Gill James says,
“All our participants enjoy a huge boost in confidence. Their talents are nurtured, and they learn useful skills that will help them start out on their career paths.
“We want to provide young people with life-changing opportunities and experiences. They discover new things about themselves, and we support them to become the best version of themselves possible.
“It is our vision to enable young people to discover new things about themselves by providing the opportunity to take part in amazing events. We want to encourage every young person to dream big and achieve much.”
Tickets are now on sale for the concert in the Motorpoint arena on 15th July and can be purchased at https://www.thousandvoices.co.uk/buy-tickets/ or https://motorpointarenacardiff.co.uk/whats-on/beyond-words-hit-right-note