23rd June, 2022
5th April, 2022
19th November, 2021
27th October, 2021
Welsh National Opera celebrates the beauty of opera and the next generation of talent with a special performance of Introduzione and Intermezzo from Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana, featuring WNO Associate Artist Adam Gilbert and WNO Orchestra, conducted by WNO Conductor Laureate Carlo Rizzi.
4th June, 2021
3rd February, 2021
It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Peter Tansom.
Peter joined Harlequin back in 1992 as an administrator, specializing in databases and promotion. He married former company owner and Managing Director, Doreen O’Neill in 1999, and had dedicated 22 years to building Harlequin alongside her, before he retired in June 2014.
Following a short illness, Peter died suddenly on 2 February 2021.
Our thoughts are with Doreen and the family at this very sad and difficult time.
21st December, 2020
20th December, 2020
18th December, 2020
25th November, 2020
6th December, 2019
12th November, 2019
20th September, 2019
17th September, 2019
12th September, 2019
10th January, 2019
9th November, 2018
7th November, 2018
14th August, 2018
18th June, 2018
Sir Bryn Terfel is back with his new studio album ‘Dreams and Songs’.
2nd March, 2018
Angharad Lyddon competes for the opportunity to represent Wales in BBC Cardiff Singer of the World in 2019.
1st March, 2018
Between opera rehearsals and performances in France, concerts with Katherine Jenkins and playing the odd rugby match, Welsh Tenor, Trystan Griffiths has been busy recording his début album for Decca, since singing to them in December last year. The first track is released today, in celebration of St David's Day.
11th October, 2017
Proudly introducing Chanáe Curtis, Meinir Wyn Roberts, Angharad Lyddon, Sian Meinir, Kieron-Connor Valentine and Huw Ynyr.
9th October, 2017
'Taith Bryn Terfel: Gwlad y Gân' - Winner of the BAFTA Cymru Entertainment Programme Category.
6th October, 2017
6th September, 2017
'Taith Bryn Terfel: Gwlad y Gân' nominated for BAFTA Cymru Award,
6th September, 2017
Robert Lewis and Eugene Asti perform in a special Benefit Concert.
6th September, 2017
Shân Cothi presents a Gala Concert in aid of Amser Justin Time on Saturday 28 October, 2017.
31st July, 2017
Meilir Jones performs at the centenary commemoration of the Battle of Passchendaele.
10th May, 2017
Congratulations to Sir Bryn Terfel and Hannah Stone on the birth of their baby daughter. Mother and baby are doing well.
9th May, 2017
Harlequin will be holding auditions for general management on Wednesday the 24th of May,
26th April, 2017
Joanna MacGregor releases The Complete Chopin Mazurkas on Friday 26 May 2017.
13th April, 2017
Welsh cellist, Steffan Morris joins the Harlequin roster!
2nd February, 2017
Bryn Terfel will sing a recital at Dubai Opera on the 3rd December 2017.
24th January, 2017
Bryn Terfel returns to Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in July!
31st December, 2016
Congratulations from everyone at Harlequin Agency as Bryn Terfel has been made a knight for his services to music in the New Year Honours list.
Bryn told Classic FM: "A month ago a letter was sent to my agent in Cardiff and I thought it was tickets to the rugby. I was absolutely speechless when I opened it - ashen-white, my heart-rate had tripled, my mouth was completely dry. What an accolade. I was given the CBE in 2003, The Queen's Medal for Music in 2006 and now this is, without doubt, the icing on the cake. You have to step back and think how things have worked out for this farmer's son from North Wales."
30th November, 2016
Penderyn Distillery launched their fifth 'Icons of Wales' bottle.
17th November, 2016
Bryn Terfel returns to Cheltenham Music Festival in July 2017.
11th October, 2016
Alun Rhys-Jenkins joins the cast of Glyndebourne's first Madama Butterfly.
30th September, 2016
Andri Björn Róbertsson makes his company and role début with English National Opera this season.
19th September, 2016
Trystan Llŷr Griffiths makes his company début with Zurich Opera this season.
16th September, 2016
Elgan Llŷr Thomas makes his company and role début with Scottish Opera
20th July, 2016
12th July, 2016
28th June, 2016
23rd June, 2016
With over thirty years of memories, what are Doreen’s highlights?
22nd June, 2016
24th May, 2016
Doreen O'Neill will retire from her position as Managing Director of Harlequin Agency on 30 June.
7th April, 2016
Sioned Gwen Davies and Trystan Llŷr Griffiths go head to head.
1st December, 2015
Congratulations to Bryn Terfel on being awarded one of the most prestigious music prizes in Spain. Following his concert with the Sinfónica de Galicia, conducted by Gareth Jones in La Coruña last April, Campoamor Theater Foundation has named him as the best concert singer in Spain. He received his award on the 19th of March 2016.
2nd November, 2015
Bryn Terfel will reflect on his successful career on S4C this Saturday (7/11/15).
1st November, 2015
The Wales Millennium Centre and Welsh National Opera will honour Bryn Terfel's 50th birthday.
31st October, 2015
Bryn Terfel celebrated his 50th birthday with a big concert in the Royal Albert Hall.
4th September, 2015
Tenor Trystan Llŷr Griffiths makes his operatic debut.
3rd September, 2015
Hannah Stone and BBC NOW perform the world première of Gareth Glyn's 'Amaterasu' at the North Wales International Music Festival this month.
2nd September, 2015
Welsh tenor Elgan Llŷr Thomas won the Kerry-Keane Junior Prize at the coveted Les Azuriales Opera.
1st September, 2015
Shân Cothi performs outside the Wales Millennium Centre on Saturday the 12th of September at 7:30pm.
3rd August, 2015
Accompanist Eugene Asti will be attending the prestigious Franz-Schubert-Institut as guest teacher.
8th July, 2015
Welsh tenor Elgan Llŷr Thomas wins the prestigious International Voice Award.
30th June, 2015
Angharad Morgan and David Fortey will perform at this year's Welsh Proms.
31st May, 2015
Caryl Hughes will make her role debut as Cherubino with Diva Opera this season.
6th May, 2015
Ran Arthur Braun is in great demand for Aerial, Movement and Fight direction.
5th May, 2015
Harlequin is thrilled to welcome bass baritone Daniel Grice to its roster.
4th May, 2015
Andri Björn Róbertsson performs the role of Fedja Dawidowitsch Pronin in the Swiss première of the opera, Fälle.
3rd May, 2015
What got you started?
It was my grandfather that introduced me to music.
27th March, 2015
A first for Harlequin – our very own Mary-Jean O’Doherty competes in the Eurovision Song Contest!
26th March, 2015
Shân Cothi understudies Oscar-winning actress Emma Thompson in English National Opera’s Sweeney Todd.
25th March, 2015
Leah-Marian Jones returns to WNO to sing the role of Genevieve in Debussy's Pelleas et Melisande.
26th February, 2015
Welsh bass-baritone Bryn Terfel celebrates St David's Day in a special Gala Concert at St David's Hall, Cardiff.
25th February, 2015
As part of Bangor Music Festival,conductor Gareth Jones will lead a public conducting master class with Patrick Rimes and the North Wales Camerata.
24th February, 2015
Pianist Eugene Asti will accompany mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly for two recitals in March.
23rd February, 2015
Mezzo Soprano Anna Burford returns to the Royal Opera House to sing the role of Girl in John Fulljames' new production of Brecht and Weill's furiously impassioned operatic satire on consumerism, Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny.
21st February, 2015
Mae’r bâs-bariton Cymreig Bryn Terfel yn dathlu Gŵyl Dewi mewn Cyngerdd Gala arbennig yn Neuadd Dewi Sant, Caerdydd.
Mae yna ddigwyddiad arbennig iawn yn Nghaerdydd ar Ddydd Gŵyl Dewi eleni gyda Cherddorfa a Chorws Cenedlaethol Cymreig y BBC a Chôr Ieuenctid Cymru dan arweiniad Gareth Jones, yn cael cwmni’r bâs-bariton enwog Bryn Terfel am brynhawn o Ganeuon Cymreig.
29th January, 2015
This month Gwyn Hughes Jones will star as Walther Von Stolzing in Wagner's The Mastersingers of Nuremberg for English National Opera. It will be Gwyn's debut in this challenging role and his first important role in the German repertoire, signifying a milestone in his career.
Carys Davies, newsletter editor interviews Gwyn about his forthcoming appearance at the Coliseum, London.
28th January, 2015
Patrick was Music Director for S4C's Nadolig Bryn Terfel in December and arranged the tracks for Bryn and his guests for the one-off TV Christmas Special. Guests included ground breaking folk five-piece group Calan, of which Patrick is also a member, playing the fiddle and pipes and contributing to the vocals. At 22, this was Patrick's first solo project as arranger and Musical Director for TV. With so many strings to his bow, Patrick Rimes is a name to look out for.
27th January, 2015
Angharad Morgan will be making her role debut as Marguerite in Swansea City Opera's touring production of Gounod's Faust. Scottish Opera's Highlights Tour returns and this year their former Emerging Artist Sioned Gwen Davies joins the cast. Gareth Brynmor John and Jan Capinski join ETO for their Spring tour, which includes: The Siege of Calais, Il furioso all'isola di San Domingo, La Boheme and their new commission for primary schools and families, Shackleton's Cat.
26th January, 2015
Three of Harlequin’s artists will be recording for S4C’s flagship entertainment series, Noson Lawen, in Caernarfon this February. Mezzo Caryl Hughes, baritone Meilir Jones and Royal Harpist Hannah Stone’s performances will be broadcast on S4C from the end of November this year.
11th December, 2014
Tenor, Gwyn Hughes Jones won’t have much time for festive celebrations this year as he will be rehearsing Walther Von Stolzing in Wagner's The Mastersingers of Nuremberg. It will be Gwyn’s debut in this challenging role and his first significant role in the German repertoire.
3rd December, 2014
Congratulations to Icelandic bass-baritone Andri Björn Róbertsson, who has been named one of the HSBC Laureates of the Académie du Festival d’Aix for 2014!
1st September, 2014
Pianist & accompanist David Doidge joins the Music Staff at Welsh National Opera this season! Having recently completed his postgraduate studies at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama here in Cardiff specialising as a répétiteur in opera and vocal coaching, his feet have barely touched the ground as he’s already launched into rehearsals for Bizet’s Carmen, his first opera with the company, which stars Welsh tenor Gwyn Hughes Jones as Don José.
1st May, 2014
Congratulations to Caryl Hughes and cast and production of English Touring Opera on winning the 2014 Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera.The award was given for ETO’s ‘brave and challenging’ productions of Tippett’s King Priam and Britten’s Paul Bunyan, which are currently touring nationwide. Mezzo-soprano Caryl Hughes performs the roles of Young Paris in King Priam and Tiny in Paul Bunyan.
20th February, 2014
Ran Arthur Braun's "Cyberiada" for the Poznan Opera, was chosen in the Critics Top 10 Theatrical Productions of the year. This leads towards his Nomination as Best Director for the Jan Kiepura Music Theatre Awards. (The Polish Theatre Award - to be announced in the spring).
1st December, 2013
Soprano Catrin Aur competed in the finals of the Wagner Society Singing Competition on December 1st at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Singing to a judging panel of Sir John Tomlinson, Elaine Padmore and Keith Warner, in what was a close-fought final, Catrin was joint winner of the competition. As the Wagner Society's press release explains . . . .
23rd July, 2013
Song may be woven into the very fabric of the Welsh Valleys but the Voice of the Future officially belongs to Pontypridd. Soprano Menna Cazel Davies, 24, landed the title at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod collecting the International Trophy, £2,000 in prize money and an invitation to perform at one of Llangollen 2014’s evening concerts.
7th June, 2013
Shortly after giving a performance at Birmingham's Symphony Hall on Friday 07 June, Bryn Terfel unveiled a new portrait of him, painted by Norman Perryman.
15th January, 2013
Our congratulations go to Mary-Jean O’Doherty (pictured in red, above) who has won first prize in the Paris Opera Awards.
3rd January, 2013
Harlequin’s newly created Young Artists Division is headed by Sioned Jones and the seven young singers are already making the news.
31st December, 2012
Tenor Gwyn Hughes Jones has just enjoyed his debut in a leading role at the Metropolitan Opera in New York as Manrico in Il Trovatore.
31st October, 2012
This is our newly re-designed and revamped website with a clean, crisp look and a number of extra features.
12th April, 2012
Unmasked – John Owen-Jones’ second album reveals why his devoted fanbase keep growing – his remarkable voice. A collection of popular tracks which include ‘Music Of The Night’ from The Phantom Of The Opera and a stunning version of the Bond classic ‘Thunderball’.14th March, 2012
Movement Director Ran Arthur Braun's Royal Opera debut has won immediate praise as this review from Opera Today illustrates