WELSH prostate cancer patients will benefit to the tune of £5,000 following Milford Haven’s 12th annual music festival.

Presented by Milford Haven Round Table, and sponsored by South Hook LNG, the festival’s opening concert was raising money for Prostate Cymru’s Operation Robot campaign to buy a state-of-the-art robotic surgery machine for Wales.

The impressive total also included £500 from a raffle, which was match-funded to £1,000 by Barclays Bank.

Opening the final gala concert at the Torch Theatre on Saturday, the 74-strong Morriston Orpheus Choir hit the ground running with a rousing rendition of It’s a Grand Night For Singing, followed by Welsh hymn Llanfair.

Musical director Joy Amman Davies set the standard for a memorable concert, exploiting every nuance of harmony and dynamic with her sensitive conducting.

Baritone Gary Griffiths, competitor in the recent Cardiff Singer of the Year competition, then demonstrated his range in Aros Mae’r Mynyddau Mawr, followed by solos by Schubert and Gounod.

Both choir and soloists benefited from the brilliant accompaniment of James Southall.

Sixteen-year-old Osian Wyn Bowen, a chorister and soloist with Only Boys Aloud, then charmed the audience with his light tenor voice and appealing personality.

The first half drew to a stylish close with The Orpheus’ rendering of the hymn Aberystwyth and An American Trilogy.

The choir performed a range of melodies in the second half, including Razzle Dazzle, Handel’s Ombra mai Fu and Bizet’s Carmen.

Bowen wowed the audience once more with the stirring Anthem from Chess, and received a standing ovation for his encore Bring Him Home, from Les Miserables.

After a lively medley from Jesus Christ Superstar, the choir was joined by Griffiths and Bowen in You’ll Never Walk Alone, a performance that brought audiences to their feet and the curtain down on an excellent concert and a memorable 12th annual Music Festival.

Another triumph for the festival’s dynamic co-ordinator, Mrs June Rees, and her committee.