THERE were standing ovations and plenty of festive cheer on show at the Llangollen Pavilion Hall as sold-out Christmas concerts were held.

NEW Sinfonia teamed up with Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod to put on the spectacle.

It culminated with the quintessential Christmas film 'The Snowman', played by a Live Orchestra which won plaudits from a hugely appreciative audience.

NEW Voices, a local community choir were led by conductor Robert Guy and they were joined by Ukrainian refugee Polina Horelova and the outstanding soprano Kryststyna Makar.

In a surprise twist, NEW Sinfonia was conducted at one point by Sion Corn - aka former Llangollen Mayor Austin "Chem" Cheminais - for Sleigh Ride.

The concerts were sold out weeks ago and raised money for Wrexham-based refugee charity UareUK and the Llangollen Eisteddfod charity.

UareUk also hosted a 'breakfast with Santa event' at the Pavilion for dozens of refugees, who enjoyed the dress rehearsal.

NEW Sinfonia also featured renowned percussionist and new Artistic Director of the Llangollen Eisteddfod Dave Danford.

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Robert Guy, co-founder and conductor of NEW Sinfonia said: "It was amazing to bring over 1,000 people to Llangollen - just days before Christmas. People came from across North Wales and the borders for our amazing family event.

"It was another great opportunity to bring our outstanding, professional orchestra together with our community choir who sang beautifully. It was also important to us that Polina and Kryststyna led us so well.

"We also raised a lot of money for Wrexham-based charity UareUK, who organised a packed breakfast of refugees and their families who loved the experience. It was the first time I have ever had my baton snatched from me mid-performance but Sion Corn got a huge cheer."

David Hennigan, a Board Trustee at the Llangollen Eisteddfod said, "Our partnership with NEW Sinfonia delivered such an amazing experience for families just 36 hours before Christmas day itself.

"The Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod was set up in 1947 to promote peace and reconciliation through song and these events delivered that ethos in spades.

"We'd like to thank everyone for their support in making this happen including all the volunteers from the Llangollen Eisteddfod and NEW Sinfonia for helping us put these brilliant events together."

NEW Sinfonia is now taking a well earned rest after a sell out Christmas Concert season but return for a New Year Gala Concert on Saturday, January 6 at St Giles' Church, Wrexham.