SIR Bryn Terfel, long feted as one of the greatest singers ever to grace the classical stage, has invited stunning young Welsh multi-instrumentalists Calan to breathe extraordinary new life into favourites such as ‘In The Bleak Midwinter’ and the beautiful ‘Ar Hyd Y Nos’... often sung in English as ‘All Through The Night’.

The recital is part of the Met Stars Live In Concert series, a groundbreaking initiative by the world’s premier opera house, allowing music lovers starved of the theatre experience to enjoy live online performances by the greatest artists. Sir Bryn’s concert with Calan and other musical friends will be broadcast live on December 12th 2020 from awe-inspiring Brecon Cathedral, a 13th Century gem that has hosted great music-making for eight centuries.

To access the recital online via computer, smartphone or tablet visit metopera.org, scroll down to Met Stars Live In Concert and choose Sir Bryn’s performance. It costs just $20 - that’s about £15, a fraction of the price of a physical concert - to watch live on December 12th or to access on demand until Boxing Day. The 75-minute show starts at 6:00pm GMT (1:00pm in New York).

For Calan, whose latest album ‘Kistvaen’ is already a Spotify favourite, it is also an opportunity to reintroduce themselves to an American audience. Their planned 2020 Stateside tour fell victim to Covid-19 and the band scrambled to get the last seats on one of the last flights back to the UK. A jaw-dropping combination of baggage and hand-luggage included a harp, fiddles, accordion, Welsh bagpipes, dancing clogs plus a bag of whistles.

The group, who have previously shared the stage with Sting at the Royal Albert Hall and performed with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, are delighted to be part of one of the year’s great online concerts.

“We feel privileged,“ says Calan’s fiddle maestro Patrick Rimes. “We come from a tradition very different from Sir Bryn’s, but his artistry and that glorious voice – and The Met’s huge tradition of excellence - demand that we’re at our very best.”

World-famous bass-baritone Sir Bryn has graced opera and concert stages around the globe for over 30 years, including towering performances at The Met and Covent Garden and a Gala Concert with Andrea Bocelli in New York’s Central Park. A multi-Grammy and Classical Brit Award winner, he was knighted for his services to music in 2017.