Not all music clubs seem keen to feature song recitals, but in Dolgellau they're always a firm favourite.

This year's proved as firm and as favourite as it gets, with an eager audience crowding the coleg hall on Friday, 1 November to hear soprano Erin Rossington and tenor Rhys Meilyr with Eirian Owen at the piano. There is a local following for Eirian of course, but one based on musical trust, with a guarantee of first-rate playing and unfailing support for her singers. Such confidence was amply repaid.

Erin was International Voice of the Future at Llangollen in 2019 and last year won the Towyn Roberts Scholarship at the National Eisteddfod, progressing this year to becoming an Associate Artist for 2024/25 at Welsh National Opera: she is currently performing the role of Cercatrice in Puccini's ‘Suor Angelica’, and will be performing the role of La Contessa in ‘Le Nozze di Figaro’ next year in Swansea.

Her heroine, she said in presenting an aria by Cilea, is Maria Callas, and her own strong soprano has indeed a touch in the best sense of Callas steel; she will surely go on to sing many great roles in the future.

The opening number, 'Porgi amor', gave a foretaste of her Contessa. In the famous Jewel Song from Gounod's Faust she conveyed vividly the young Marguerite's excitement as she looks at herself in the mirror, trying on the dazzling gems provided by Mephistopheles.

There was nuanced emotion as she became Dvořák's Rusalka, the water-nymph longing to be human, who sings to the moon begging it to tell the Prince just who is waiting for him, 'kdo tu nan ceka!'. (Also in fluent Czech, two of Dvořák's Gypsy Songs.) Songs in addition by Strauss, Meirion Williams and Ivor Novello made up a polished and varied contribution.

Rhys Meilyr is a graduate of the Only Boys Aloud Academy and the Royal Academy of Music, and has had a busy year with his most recent performance being in September in the new opera ‘Gresford: Up from the Underground’ by Jon Guy. He is currently one of '3 Tenors' attracting audiences in Warwick, Shrewsbury and Wrexham.

Like Erin, Rhys combined exhilarating tone with intense characterisation, not least in Lenski's Aria (in Russian) sung ahead of the latter's fatal duel with Onegin; and a moving rendering of 'Bring Him Home' from ‘Les Miserables’, Valjean's prayer for Marius at the barricades. Of Rhys's Welsh songs, 'Cilfan y Coed' was also deeply affecting; on a lighter note, 'Take a Pair of Sparkling Eyes' (a bit of a silly song really!) added good contrast. The two voices blended perfectly for Robat Arwyn's evergreen Benedictus, and a suitable high was reached at the end with the inevitable – but oh so enjoyable! – declaration of passionate love between Hywel and Blodwen. These two duets certainly hit the spot, as did the 16 solo items, all of which added up to a richly satisfying evening.