2009 Welsh Musical Theatre Young Singer Of The Year

At the Swansea Grand Theatre on Saturday February 21, the title of 2009 Principality Building Society Welsh Musical Theatre Young Singer Of The Year was awarded to Catherine Mort, a young singer from Swansea who is currently studying at the Guildford School of Acting. The result of the closely fought contest was announced by West End's The Sound Of Music star, Connie Fisher, who was herself the 2006 recipient of the award and who has generously given her time both this year and in 2008 to serve as one of the adjudicators for the contest. Also amongst the list of previous winners of the title are Craig Yates (now a member of BBC's Last Choir Standing winners Only Men Aloud), David Thaxton (the current Enjolras in London's Les Miserables) and Hayley Gallivan (who recently commenced playing the role of Martha in Spring Awakening at the Lyric, Hammersmith).

Catherine Mort, who had also been amongst the finalists of the competition for the previous two years, beat off some very stiff opposition from the night's three other highly talented finalists: Alyn Iorwerth Hawke, Katy Elizabeth Treharne and Amy Whittle. Catherine earned the nod from the adjudicators after a stellar set of performances in a varied programme: "My Brother Lived In San Francisco" (from Elegies For Angels, Punks and Raging Queens); the hilarious Heisler and Goldrich parody blockbuster, "The Alto's Lament"; "Maybe This Time" (From Cabaret); and Stephen Schwartz's iconic "Meadowlark" (from The Baker's Wife).

During the course of the evening the packed crowd at the Swansea Grand were treated to a number of stirring performances by the Dunvant Male Choir, whose management committee decided to launch this annual competition for aspiring young Welsh musical theatre singers in 2003. The evening's entertainment was rounded off by a set of vocal performances by the 2008 contest winner, Christopher Orton. Amongst his programme, Mr Orton - who is also an accomplished musician and composer/lyricist - delivered a premiere rendition of the song, "Make It Real", which he wrote for an about-to-be-released recording of songs by exciting new young singer, Charlie Parris. And, on a night dedicated primarily to the promotion of musical theatre, he aptly provided the audience with the opportunity of hearing the title song from his epic new musical, My Land's Shore (a musical set amidst the background of a cathartic event in the social history of Wales, the Merthyr Rising of 1831 - which is in the process of being recorded by a cast of leading West End stars and set for release during the summer of 2009).

All in all, on the evidence presented in Swansea on Saturday, musical theatre - both in the context of performers and in that of new writing and composing talent - is very much alive and well in the Land of Song.