Last weekend saw young performers from across Pembrokeshire take to the stage in a battle to be crowned this year’s winner of Abigail’s Arts Award.

The bursary which is available to aspiring artists between the ages of 16 and 25 is now in its third year – but for the first time, auditions were held in public.

The award, set up in 2022, is run by Theatr Gwaun and is funded by the Goswell family as a way to honour the legacy of Abigail Goswell who passed away from breast cancer.

Judges selected six finalists to perform in front of a live audience and of those finalists two were chosen as winners on the day!

The two winners were 16 year old trumpeter Carys Wood from Saundersfoot and 22 year old musician Lewis Harrison from Milford.

Carys impressed the judges with her skilled trumpet solos and proved why she is part of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain as well as being a regular performer with Goodwick Brass Band and several local choirs.

In stark contrast, Lewis wowed the audience and the judges with his musicality, his rapping and his passionate raw energy and edgy contemporary lyrics.

The judges were so bowled over by the talent on display that they awarded a runners up prize to the singer songwriter Tarish Matthews from Fishguard. The judges were especially impressed by her rendition of a song by Lizzo!

In addition to the auditions, the audience were treated to performances by last year’s winners of the award – the drummer Dylan Swales from Johnston and actress Storm Rose Knapp-Fisher from Goodwick.

Famous drummer and radio personality Owain Wyn Evans recorded a special good luck message for all the young performers and described  Abigails Auditions as “truly a fantastic event!”

Abigail’s sister, Emma MC’d the show and said “It was such a buzz being on that stage and surrounded by the future stars of Pembrokeshire. I’m so glad we took the leap of faith to make this into a live event because the young talent is out there and they deserve an audience. I’m really proud of all the young people who were finalists and I’m looking forward to seeing what our winners go on to achieve. I also can’t wait to see how we make next year’s show bigger and better. Watch this space!”

Applications for Abigails Arts Award 2025 will open soon. Keep an eye on Theatr Gwaun’s website for more information. https://theatrgwaun.com/abigails-arts-award/

or contact Patrick Thomas at Theatr Gwaun – patrick@theatrgwaun.com