THE career of a talented soprano from the Aberystwyth area has been given a major boost after a “sensational” performance at an international festival.
Cartrin Woodruff, of Llanrhystud, is £2,000 better off after reaching the final of the International Voice of the Future competition at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.
She and tenor Elgan Llyr Thomas narrowly lost out to another soprano, Sian Dicker, 26, from Trowbridge in Wiltshire, who received the Pendine Trophy.
Catrin was presented with the cheque by Mario Kreft MBE, proprietor of the arts loving sponsor of the competition, the Pendine Park care organisation.
No fewer than 18 hopefuls from around the globe took part in a preliminary competition earlier in the day.
According to eisteddfod organisers, the competition was “catapulted into a new league” and attracted a host of the world’s best young singers after Pendine Park contributed £5,000 to the total prize pot, with a further £3,000 coming from Sir Bryn Terfel’s Foundation and £2,000 from the Eisteddfod.
Catrin said: “Llangollen is such a respected festival and I have never competed here before. The preliminary round was really tough and I was just delighted to make the final.
“It’s been more like a concert than a competition. I know Elgan really well but had never met Sian before. We have all got on really well and Sian deserved to win. I have no complaints. It was a wonderful competition and I’m just happy to have been part of it.”
See this week’s south editions for the full story, in shops and online now