INTERNATIONALLY-renowned harpist Catrin Finch is to perform with her mum in Aberaeron this weekend.

Catrin, who is originally from Llanon, will be performing at the Holy Trinity church in Aberaeron on Sunday 11 December, alongside the Dyffryn Arth Community Choir.

The event will raise money towards Aber MusicFest, a charity festival that helps involve people in music by offering summer schools and bursaries for students.

The idea was made possible after it was discovered that one of the choir’s members was actually former royal harpist Catrin’s mum.

Annemarie Butlin, from the choir, said: “You can imagine how knocked over we were when we found out.

“We are all very proud to support Catrin. She will be artistic director of Aber MusicFest next year and the funds we raise will go to that cause.

“Needless to say, we are all practising like mad – we don’t want to let anyone down!

“We’re charging £10, and all the money will be going towards charity. But you won’t [usually] get to see Catrin Finch for £10. It’s a good thing all around, it’s a win-win.

“It’s a bit zero to hero, we only just started as a choir in 2019, doing a little Christmas show in the chapel in Pennant. But of course you know what happened in 2020.

“Despite the pandemic, the group continued to practise by meeting up on Zoom, however it was far from the ideal place to practice.”

Ms Butlin called it ‘chaotic’ but was happy to say that despite it, they managed to practise, and even managed to produce a sing along Christmas card, which each member of the group recorded on their own, and sent in to David… who put it all together.

She added: “We’re absolutely made up, we’re so proud, but so scared too, because we want to be good, and have been laid off with Covid for a long time. But I do think we could make everybody quite proud.

“The time in lockdown taught the group’s members how important their choir was to them. “For some of us, this was the only thing we had going on throughout the week

“I see how valuable it is for the community. It isn’t just about singing, it’s about socialising and getting outside of the house. It’s about having a common purpose and objective. You might arrive feeling a bit flat and down in the dumps, but you don’t leave like that, you leave feeling elated, and with a bit of a tune stuck in your head that you can’t stop singing.

“It’s good for the soul to sing. I think there’s something in everyone that wants to give voice.”

The Dyffryn Arth Community Choir meets at the Pennant Community Centre every Wednesday, between 7pm and 8.30pm.