Katherine Jenkins – 32 Year Old Welsh Songbird 2012
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Katherine Jenkins – 32 Year Old Welsh Songbird 2012 KATHERINE: THE FORCE THAT THROUGH THE MELODIOUS CADENCE DRIVES THE MUSIC 1 – A SONNET PROLOGUE “I am made up of so many different types of music myself. My classical roots are still there. Then there’s my upbringing, learning to sing in church. And I have developed a love of folk songs.” KATHERINE JENKINS 1 With suitable apologies to the late Dylan Thomas (1914-1953), the great Welsh Poet and Playwright, for ‘borrowing’ the title form of his beautifully evocative Poem, “The Force That Through The Green Fuse Drives The Flower.” Welsh Poets, writing in English, include George Herbert (1593-1633) a Poet, Orator, Parliamentarian and Anglican Priest; Henry Vaughan (1622-1695) an Author, Physician and Metaphysical Poet who influenced the work of William Wordsworth and Alfred Lord Tennyson; John Dyer (1699-1757) a Poet, Itinerant Painter, Farmer and Anglican Priest; Edward Thomas (1878-1917) a Writer of Prose and Poetry who enlisted in the British Army in 1915 and was killed in action at the Battle of Arras in 1917; Gwyneth Lewis (1959-) Wales’ National Poet between 2005 and 2006, who studied at Cambridge, Harvard and Columbia Universities, a recipient of a D. Phil from Balliol College, Oxford University; in 2011 was a Visiting Fellow at her Undergraduate College, Girton College, Cambridge University; and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature; and Stephen Knight (1960-) a Poet and Writer who won the National Poetry Competition in 1992, whose works deal with themes of disappointment and decay. Page 1 of 7 Katherine Jenkins – 32 Year Old Welsh Songbird 2012 Page 2 of 7 Katherine Jenkins – 32 Year Old Welsh Songbird 2012 Born in Neath, Glamorgan in June 1980 and losing her Father, Selwyn, at just fifteen At seventeen, a Scholar, studying Italian, German, French and Russian at the Royal Academy of Music A paternal loss no human agency could circumvene Hers, a beautiful lyric mezzo- soprano voice, perfectly suited for any acoustic Page 3 of 7 Katherine Jenkins – 32 Year Old Welsh Songbird 2012 Between 2004 and 2008, she enjoyed remarkable popularity and sales of her studio recordings Six out of seven reaching UK number one, engendering sales of four million The people recognizing her thrilling talent with such outstanding rewardings As she displays her deep love of Wales by wearing dresses of the purest vermilion2 2 As is well known, a bright sharp red is the national colour of Wales and the Welsh Patron Saint is Saint David. The Red Dragon, part of the Welsh national flag design, is a popular Welsh symbol. The oldest recorded use of the Dragon to symbolize Wales is from the ’Historia Brittonum’, written around 820AD but is popularly believed to be the battle standard of King Arthur and other ancient Celtic leaders. Saint David (c 500- 589AD) was a renowned teacher and preacher, founding monastic settlements and churches in Wales. Rising to the office of Bishop, he made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem (where he was anointed as an Archbishop by the Patriarch) and also to Rome. He lived a simple life and practised asceticism, teaching his followers to refrain from eating meat or drinking beer. He is buried at St David’s Cathedral at St David’s, Pembrokeshire. Page 4 of 7 Katherine Jenkins – 32 Year Old Welsh Songbird 2012 Having a special place in her life, the Sydney Opera House was her inaugural appearance in 2003 at the Rugby World Cup She sang – as she says – “with a lump in my throat”, remembering her late Father’s wish for a Family Opera House holiday Appearing with Welsh folk singer Max Boyce, she proved she could easily measure up Her performance winning over ‘Universal Records’ for a six figure contract, an accomplishment being much more than workaday Page 5 of 7 Katherine Jenkins – 32 Year Old Welsh Songbird 2012 ‘Crossover’ singing, adopting two melodious forms, is her chosen musical style Combining both classic and popular genres, capped with a splendid smile EPILOGUE “This previous year had been arid and difficult but, at the same time, in its midst, I’d felt a completeness and freedom that was totally new. For the first time, I was fully present in my life, not distracted. And I wouldn’t trade that for anything.” DR GWYNETH LEWIS D.PHIL WELSH POET LAUREATE 2005-2006 FELLOW OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF LITERATURE QUOTATION FROM HER BOOK “SUNBATHING IN THE RAIN” DEALING WITH RECOVERY FROM DEPRESSION AND ALCOHOLISM Page 6 of 7 Katherine Jenkins – 32 Year Old Welsh Songbird 2012 “I do feel as if I’m living a blessed life at the moment. I’ve been thinking about the phrase ‘living a dream’, because that’s exactly what is happening. I’m just trying to go with the flow and take each day as it comes ...” KATHERINE JENKINS ON HER SUCCESS: QUOTED “ASK MEN-CELEBS” 2012 Page 7 of 7 .