HORIZONS SING – BBC CONCERT

HORIZONS SING!

Mike Peters and the National Orchestra of Wales will perform together with Acquire Choir to celebrate 30 years of Declaration and the fifth anniversary of BBC Radio Wales Music Day.

This amazing once in a lifetime event will take place at Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff on Friday evening April 11th 2014.

Admission is free although limited to 165 tickets which are available now @ www.thealarm.com

The Alarm’s frontman Mike Peters is joining forces with BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Acquire Choir and musician John Quirk to headline the fifth annual BBC Radio Wales Music Day.

It’s 30 years since The Alarm’s first album Declaration was released and Swansea-based conductor John Quirk is working with Mike Peters to orchestrate the Welsh band’s back catalogue for the first time.

In a celebratory concert on April 11th at the BBC Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff Bay, Mike Peters and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales will perform classic songs from Declaration as well as some of the internationally acclaimed band’s greatest hits, including A New South Wales, Rain in the Summertime and Spirit of 76. The intimate performance will also feature The Alarm’s charismatic Smiley on drums and percussion along with Acquire Choir from Rhuddlan, North Wales who also feature heavily on the new recordings of ‘Declaration 2014’.

The entire event will be recorded in front of an audience and free tickets are now available from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales Audience Line on 03700 101051 or online at www.thealarm.com

Orchestrator John Quirk says, “To be working with Mike Peters is a genuine privilege, as I regard him as one of our outstanding performers and song writers. He has made an immense contribution to both the Welsh and the international music scene, and I feel sure that there are many contemporary Welsh bands who have been influenced by his overwhelming talent and, above that, his musical integrity.”

Mike Peters says, “It’s a real honour to be a part of BBC Radio Wales Music Day. To be able to perform my music in such an environment is a thrilling, ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity. When you write music, you always hear possibilities beyond the capabilities or limitations of the normal rock and roll band format, and the sound of the imagination is usually so much more epic than what you normally hear on a record or in a traditional rock concert.

“I hope that this collaboration with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and BBC Radio Wales will allow listeners a chance to hear the full scale of the music that has been a part of the life of The Alarm since it was first ever dreamt up and released to such effect, 30 years ago.”

The concert will be broadcast at 9pm on BBC Radio Wales Music Day, April 25th. The day is an annual showcase of what BBC Radio Wales does throughout the year to support Welsh music and will feature live performances from a number of artists throughout the day.

Michael Garvey, Director of BBC National Orchestra of Wales, said: “We’re delighted to be involved once again in BBC Radio Wales Music Day, a day that celebrates the best of Welsh talent in all its forms. We’re always up for projects that are a little bit different and that help us show how an orchestra is relevant to all sorts of people and music – and we’re relishing the challenge of bringing to life The Alarm’s music with a full orchestral backing.”

Steve Austins, Editor of BBC Radio Wales says, ‘BBC Radio Wales Music Day is the shop window for the station’s commitment to music in Wales and we’re delighted that both Mike and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales have come on board to support that pursuit. Mike was part of the very first Radio Wales Music Day five years ago, so it’s great he’s back. And I’m so excited that we’re able to marry two of Wales’ greatest musical exports for this unique concert.”

Admission is free although limited to 165 tickets which are available now @ www.thealarm.com

NB: Tickets ordered through www.thealarm.com are subject to a £1 admin fee to cover postage.