Finalists Announced for 2014 Welsh Musical Theatre Young Singer Of The Year

The Welsh Musical Theatre Young Singer Of The Year competition was launched in 2003 by the Dunvant Male Choir (Wales's longest continuously running male voice choir) in partnership with the Principality Building Society. Now in its 12th year, the competition continues to attract a high standard of vocal competitors participating in an event which links the great Welsh heritage of choral singing with the nurturing and promotion of musical theatre performance in Wales and beyond.

Following the preliminary round of vocal performances for the 12th annual Principality Buiding Society Welsh Musical Theatre Young Singer Of The Year held on Saturday February 22 at Gowerton School, Swansea, a quartet of finalists have been announced to compete for the 2014 title at the Taliesin Arts Centre, Swansea on Saturday April 12: Jodie Alexandra Bird, Emily Louise Langford, Michael Lowe and Luke McCall.

The evening will feature not only the vocal contest between the four finalists but also songs performed by the Dunvant Male Choir and by 2013 Welsh Musical Theatre Young Singer Of The Year Holly-Anna Lloyd (who was seen on a London stage in 2013 alongside John Owen Jones, Paul Nicholas and Celia Graham in the concert performance of the brand new musical "Berlin".)

Previous winners of the prestigious title who have since gone on to play principal roles in the West End include Olivier Award winner David Thaxton (Candide, Passion, Love Never Dies, Les Miserables), BBC's How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria winner Connie Fisher (Wonderful Town, They're Playing Our Song, The Sound Of Music), Hayley Gallivan (Wicked, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Grease, Spring Awakening) and Kit Orton (Dickens Abridged, Spamalot, The Hired Man), who will soon be seen playing the role of Welsh pop legend Tom Jones in the new musical "Tom".

No doubt the 2014 finalists will be aiming to emulate their predecessors and continue the great Welsh tradition of providing leading men and leading ladies for musical theatre in the West End.