TWO accomplished performing arts students are preparing to go head to head for a prestigious scholarship.

Celyn Cartwright, from Denbigh, and Glain Rhys of Bala, and a group of four other performers from across Wales competing in the final for the Urdd Gobaith Cymru Bryn Terfel Scholarship 2018 - and £4,000 to develop their career.

The university students, both 19, will perform for judges Rhian Roberts, Iwan Llewelyn Jones, Lowri Walton, Owain Sion and Gwawr Edwards at a concert at the Pavillion Llandrindod Wells, near Builth Wells on Friday, October 12.

Celyn said: "I’m very nervous, as a performer each performance has to count, and you never know who is watching.

“It’s a completely different experience to performing at Carnegie Hall, which was as part of a choir – but it’s equally as exciting being able to perform solo and display a range of different genres in my final performance.”

Celyn, who attended Twm o’r Nant primary and Ysgol Glan Clwyd in St Asaph, currently studies performance at the University of Wales Trinity St David’s.

An experienced performer in a variety of disciplines at competition, including musical theatre, folk, Cerdd Dant and reciting at the Urdd Eisteddfod, National Eisteddfod and the Cerdd Dant Festival, Celyn has been honing her final performance with her singing teacher, Leah Owen of Denbigh and Glanaethwy choir founder Kevin Roberts.

She has also received help from composer Steffan Rhys Williams in working on a song for the 12-minute performance, which remains a secret until the competition and has even earned the honour of performing with the Glanaethwy Choir at Carnegie Hall, New York to celebrate Sir Karl Jenkins’ 70th birthday.

The aim of the prize, established in 1999, is to nurture some of Wales’s best young performing talent and the six competitors have been working with a musical director and a choreographer since June to develop and tailor their individual 12 minute programmes - which remain under wraps until the competition. Celyn and Glain will compete Epsie Thompson, from Llanelli, Elwyn Sion Williams form Cardiff, Jodi Bird from Penarth and Emyr Lloyd Jones of Caernarfon.

Celyn added: “Twelve minutes is also quite a long time when you’re on stage to give your best possible performance but it’s a huge honour to be competing, and especially with such amazing performers, and I’m going to take it as another opportunity to gain more experience in the career I hope to develop.

Also set to take to the stage in front of the judges is fellow University of Wales Trinity St David’s student Glain, who graduated with a first class degree in the same subject and launched her first album in July.

Glain, from the Penllyn area of Meirionnydd and a former pupil Ysgol y Berwyn, is currently due to start an MA in musical theatre at the Royal College of Music and Drama in Cardiff, and regularly gigs across Wales, with the ambition of reaching the West End stage.

Sir Bryn Terfel, the Welsh bass-baritone opera and concert singer, said: "This is a golden opportunity for some of the best young Welsh performing talents to shine on a national stage. As one who strongly believes in the value of developing new talent, I am overjoyed to see the scholarship going from strength to strength with the standard of performers consistently high.

“If I could give one word of advice to the competitors this year, I would encourage them to enjoy the experience as much as they possibly can. I very much look forward to seeing the feast which is ahead of us this year, and best of luck to everybody, go for it!"

The competition will be broadcast on S4C on Saturday, October 13.

For information on the scholarship and competition visit urdd.cymru/en/eisteddfod/competitions/bry.