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Welsh National Opera’s chorus will be marking European Opera Days with a free performance on the steps of the Senedd.
The 39-strong group of singers will sing the rousing bridal march from Wagner’s opera Lohengrin on Saturday.
European Opera Days is a festival held over a weekend every May by opera companies from around the world to show that opera is not an elitist activity and is something that can be enjoyed by everyone.
More than 100 opera companies in 24 countries will also be taking part in events over the weekend.
WNO’s chief executive and artistic director David Pountney said: “The cultural community predates the political community by a couple of centuries at least. Italian music travelled to the court of Henry VIII and the 17th century English lutenist John Dowland was a European star three centuries before Madonna.
“Opera is one of the peaks of European cultural achievement – a synthesis of extraordinarily sophisticated ingredients that nonetheless gel to create an art form with huge popular appeal.
“WNO is proud to celebrate its link to this vast creative resource, both in its intimate communal work in the North Wales town of Wrexham and by making a potent display of choral power outside our very own parliament. Opera belongs to the community, but is never parochial. Opera is an expression of national identity, but reaches across all nations.”
The performance comes just weeks before WNO launches its latest season which will celebrate the music of Wagner.
The free performance by WNO Chorus takes place at the Senedd, Cardiff Bay, on Saturday at 10am. For details of the new season, call 029 2063 6464 or visit www.wno.org.uk
