Advertisement
Rock Meets Harmony at the Priory� Watch this space for a springtime musical evening to remember at the St Mary's Parish & Priory Church, Chepstow.
We are honoured to be sharing the stage with two incredible Welsh stars who Ceri and I are so proud to call our friends.
Mal Pope a wonderful singer, songwriter, presenter and entertainer is based in Mumbles in Swansea. He began writing and performing his own music from an early age. At just 13, he sent some of his songs to John Peel and was invited to perform at the BBC. This led to him being signed by Sir Elton John’s Rocket Record Company.
Mal has performed with a number of artistes, including Bonnie Tyler, Aled Jones, Art Garfunkel and Belinda Carlisle.
Mal has had a long association with the BBC, initially as a researcher and then as a radio presenter.
We had the pleasure of singing with Mal at our sell-out concert at St Peter’s Church, St Pierre last Christmas. Those who attended are still listening to Mal’s lovely songs on loop to this day.
Steve Balsamo, the man with the most incredible voice covering three and a half octaves was originally dismissed from the school choir for being “unable to sing”!
Steve’s rise to fame came in 1996 when he played the title role in the revival of Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Jesus Christ Superstar”, a role he had undertaken whilst at Music College, and which showcases his three and a half octave vocal range and impressive vocal felxibility and colour. He won a Variety Club award for the role in 1997.
He returned to London’s West End in 2000, playing the role of Phoebus in “Notre Dame de Paris”.
Steve signed to Columbia Records and combined recording with songwriting and stage performances. His first album, “All I Am” was released in 2002. He is prolific songwriter who has written for the likes of MeatLoaf and Slash of Guns N’ Roses.
He has performed with his Band, The Storys, formed in 2004, and writes and records with folk singer Rosalie Deighton.
He is currently working on a second album for ChimpanA, a prog/electronica project, with Rob Reed of Magenta.
Lena and Ceri best friends and duettists from Chepstow both began singing as very young children and joined their school choirs.
Whilst Ceri went on to gain a Bachelor of Music degree at the University College of North Wales, Bangor, Lena chose a career in Medicine with music as a precious hobby when time allowed. Lena has been part of several choirs, including an impressive number of virtual choirs during the Covid pandemic.
It was during the pandemic that Ceri and Lena both joined Gareth Malone’s Great British Home Chorus, but they were not really aware of each other until they participated in musical projects for the Welsh Regional branch of GBHC. As Musical Director of this group, Ceri would record herself singing the vocal lines of the songs for the choristers to record their own track to. Whilst using one such track preparing her own submission in March 2022, Lena noticed how well their voices blended. She contacted Ceri to suggest that they sing a duet and a couple of days later a version of Craig McLeish’s arrangement of “Danny Boy” arrived in her inbox. This was swiftly followed by Ceri’s own arrangement of the Welsh lullaby, “Suo Gan”.
Following a period of recording for YouTube, Lena and Ceri began giving live performances and between June and December 2024 undertook 20 engagements, helping to raise well over £3000 for local Churches and charities.
We can’t wait to bring an ecclectic mix of music to you all at St Mary’s Church in Chepstow this spring.
All proceeds of the concert will be in aid of the beautiful Priory Church.
Tickets will be available soon �
Advertisement
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
St Mary's Priory Church, Upper Church Street, Chepstow, Priory Church Of St Mary, Usk, Church Street, Usk, NP15 1AG, United Kingdom,Usk, Pontypool
