Part 3 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World

warming up back stage here at St David's Hall. There's special

excitement tonight as a singer from Wales gets his chance to shine on

the main stage. Two rounds down two, to go. There's still everything to

play for in the race to reach Sunday's final.

20 young opera singers from across the globe hoping time press the

judges with the performance of their lives. I'm looking forward to some

really amazing singers. I'd like to hear a stunner. Victory can propel

the winner to international fame. The BBC Cardiff Singer of the World

really launched my career. preparation is over, the stage

Hungary. Tonight another five singers take to the stage. We're

back here at St David's Hall for round three and there's every sign

that tonight could be a very strong round indeed. Through there on the

main stage, the concert is just finishing. Soon, the judges will be

making their choice and we hope to bring you tonight's winner before

the end of the programme. Now, we're not biassed at all, but Gary

Griffiths, the Welsh competitor is taking part. He's up against singers

from Lithuania, Portugal, Ukraine and Belarus. Come on, Gary!Like I

said, not biassed at all (! ) We're joined by two special guests, Welsh

bare ton Jason Howard who swapped his first jop for a singer. And TV

and actress Shan Cothi joins us too. Are you a fan of competitions like

this? Not for myself, no.What can they do for a young singer? They're

incredibly important for launching a career. I only did one. I did the

Pavarotti and that was enough for me. It's a real really stress

situation. It's like a big audition. It was never really for me. But I

admire the people who go out there and give a great performance.

big night for Gary Griffiths tonight, our Welsh singer. Do you

think he'll be feeling the pressure with the home crowd in? If you're

not going to feel any pressure at all, there would be something wrong

with you, I think. I know Gary. He's a lovely, charming, cool chap. Cool

on the outside, but of course, he's going to have nerves churning

inside. That would be a natural -- unnatural not to. He wants to pull

it out of the bag and show everybody he can be casted in roles all over

the world. There's lots more from them in the show. First tonight with

a mezzo-soprano from ladies and gentleman Wayne why. Snv --

Lithuania. Hello, my name is Egle Sidlauskaite. I'm represent

representing Lithuania. I'm so representing Lithuania. I'm so

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she perform? When you open a competition like that, she's going

to be nervous. I heard her in the results this afternoon. She was

marking quite a lot. I don't know if the voice is totally right. Where

she should have been totally comfortable, in the Delilah's aria,

that middle range, it didn't seem secure enough. It was kind of

muffled. It sounded covered as if she was squeezing the voice out. It

was a relief when she got up to the brighter top notes. She seemed

better. I don't know, she's not really, to me, a comfortable

mezzo-soprano. I don't know if it's tiredness, because there's a lot of

pressure there. You mention she marked in rehearsal. That means she

lightly sang it. That's fine because they have a lot of singing all week.

To me, there was some intonation, pitch problems this afternoon. And

at the end, one particular cadenza in her programme tonight. It sounded

tired, as if the voice is not technically secure, for me. But a

lovely quality to the voice. seemed pretty intense with her

performance. What due make of her? Well, intense and a bit tense, I

felt. I agree with everything you said. The bottom of the voice didn't

have a looseness and a power that a natural moatso has. The top of the

voice was sometimes fluttery. That is often tension in the body.

you both for the moment. Time now to hear the second singer on stage

tonight, she's a soprano from tonight, she's a soprano from

Hello I'm Susana Gaspar and I'm representing Portugal. I'm really

representing Portugal. I'm really representing Portugal. I'm really

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Susana Gaspar, the first of two Sopranos appearing tonight. Jason,

did she impress you with that performance? She did. Parts of it

more than others. The middle piece she sang the Debussy was flawless. I

have the music out there when I was listening and in that piece I

totally put the music down. She drew me into the performance. Vokally it

was perfect. It's a meaty voice. To sing Debussy I think of somebody

with a lighter, higher, floatier voice, but she pulled it off.

wonderful. It was the best performance for me. As a fellow

soprano, was she light and fluffy enough tonight? She's very composed

and still. When she came on to open with the Belini, you have to be

careful, that can go on and on. Unless you connect with the people,

I think maybe that was the weakest piece. But the Debussy, she hit some

of the high notes and entered from the top and it was stunning,

absolutely stunning. She did show more animation in the final piece.

Maybe the programme was a little bit samy, but she's playing to her

strengths. If casting agents are looking for operatic houses over the

world, she knows what she can be cast in. I know you've been in and

know that aria, it requires a meaty voice. Bird song is the lightest

part. Other parts of the role require juice in the voice. She's

got. It a very good singer. Possible contender there. Now it's time to

fly the flag for Wales. Yes, come on! We've never had a Welsh winner

on the main prize in 30 years of this competition. This year,

baritone Gary Griffiths is hoping to change that. Connie went to his home

patch to find out more about what makes him tick.

Gary Griffiths is no stranger to excitement. For years, he was a

volunteer on the lifeboat. Do you have fond memories with the crew?

Absolutely. As a child I spent loads of time down here because dad was on

the crew. Then when I reached 17 I joined the crew properly. Do you

think there's a parallel between quelling your nerves, not going what

to expect on a rescue and going out on stage and the adrenaline rush

from performing? Absolutely. When you're on an emergency call, you

need a level head and keep control of how you feel about the situation

and so, I suppose, you could draw direct parallel to how you would

cope going onto the stage in a pressurised situation. Helps that

Gary's wife understands the demands of live performance too. She's

Hannah Stone, royal harpist to the His personality shines through so

much when he's singing. His skills as an actor as well, I think he just

makes every song very memorable and just his butyism voice as well. --

just his butyism voice as well. -- just his butyism voice as well. --

beautiful. Gary booked his place in BBC Cardiff singer by winning the

Welsh singers competition. Since then, he's been preparing for

the big event and what better way than a personal audience with opera

stars Rebecca Evans and Bryn n Tervyl. He liked my choices and

thought I had chosen well. It was great to have that feed back from

someone like Bryn. Just relax and enjoy it was his general thought. I

feel ready now. I'm very excited and really can't wait to just get up on

the stage and really go for it. Yes, everyone wants to win it. I want to

win it, of course I do. This is a moment that you kind of have to try

and grab, so I fully intend to do that. His home crowd is right behind

him. Good luck, Gary!We're all on the edge of our seats. We'll have a

taste now of two pieces from Gary's programme. I manage to sneak off

back stage earlier to speak to him back stage earlier to speak to him

back stage earlier to speak to him I'm Gary Griffiths. I'm representing

Wales. I'm absolutely thrilled to be Wales. I'm absolutely thrilled to be

Wales. I'm absolutely thrilled to be Wales. I'm absolutely thrilled to be

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How was it for you? I'm on the whole pretty happy. I feel I connected

with the audience. I felt surprisingly relaxed. Zblt audience

went wild for you at the end. Was it more nervewracking performing for a

home crowd? No, it was a comfort. Overall happy?

Yes, yes. It was a pleasure to do it and very proud to represent Wales.

We've got everything crossed for you, good luck.

Thank you. Indeed we've got everything crossed

for you Gary. We put loads of pressure on the Welsh competitor, is

he a contender, do you think? course he is, like everybody else.

He had a fabulous reception from the audience. We were shouting from the

beginning to the end. It was a brave programme, opening with a Mozart,

which is a great tongue twister. It's a difficult one. Jason probably

would say it was probably a very brave choice to open with. In the

opera, it's within the excitement of the scene. But to do it, it's only

like one-and-a-half minutes, if that, to do it to begin your

programme was very brave. Then he did a piece which was again, it is

enough. He didn't do it in English, I wonder if he has done enough. I

could listen to his voice all day. He's got such a beautiful

personality. It's a tough round tonight, but I think he'll be

pleased with his performance. sung Don Giovani. Was that a wise

choice at the start? If I was advising him, I would advise him not

to start with that, yeah, because there's nowhere to breathe in that

aria. It's like two bars off for three pages. I hated singing it. It

tends to get the voice high in the chests and a bit of tension rising

up, as you progressively run out of air. It's always, you try to get the

end without running out. It's a tough aria. To follow it with the

big, arch arching legato aria, that's a tough call. Well, remember,

if you want to see more of Gary Griffiths' performance tune in to

BBC Four tomorrow at 7. 30pm for a longer version of the whole of

tonight's concert. Follow the competition on Radio 3, Radio Wales,

Radio Cymru and on our website, bbc.co.uk/Cardiffsinger. Two singers

to go, both of them have already reached the song prize final, which

runs alongside the main competition. We are expecting a high standard.

I am Olenait Tokar. I come from Ukraine. I am Wales for the first

Ukraine. I am Wales for the first Ukraine. I am Wales for the first

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Ukraine. Did she hit the right notes for you? Absolutely. A wonderful

performer, great voice, great technique, clarity from top to

bottom. Flawless in all styles. due make of her programme this

evening, was it varied? It was wonderful. It's lovely to hear a

young singer, because she's only 25 or 26, I believe, singing the

Handel, Mozart, the composers that are so healthy for the voice. It's

important to go back to those composers. She nailed it. The Handel

was beautiful. The runny bits there. Yes, the runny bits we talk about.

She connected with the whole audience. You felt secure listening

to her. You could tell, she means business. She knows her talent.

a great musician. To hear that sensitivity and to hear a really

meaty voice. You were calling her Kylie. She's an operatic Kylie. Has

she got the star quality? Definitely. She's technically

perfect. She uses that technique in the service the music. It's such an

involving performance for the audience. It's eelsy to criticise,

but it takes everything to work and be right on the night. She nailed it

on the night . Let's hear the last singer tonight. He's a tenor and

Hello everyone. My name is Yuri Gorodetski and I represented Belarus

Gorodetski and I represented Belarus Gorodetski and I represented Belarus

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Gorodetski and I represented Belarus during rehergs@-- rehearsal and got

better. He has a lovely, stunning quality voice. I loved him and a

great mouth too to watch. He's a perfect Romeo, isn't he? Somebody

described him earlier, if she said Chopin, he looks like that. Is that

right? He is striking. It's unusual to find a tall tenor. Yes and good

looking. He has a natural French tenor voice. His voice lives up

there naturally. You can hear that. Very good singer. Very interesting.

The Gorno was lovely with the high, float floating, gorgeous. Beautiful.

How did you feel he did in the Russian? For me, I prefer a meat

meatier more baritonal tenor to sing that. He's very good linguistically

because it's his neck of the woods! I prefer a slightly lower voice.

quick reminder of the rules now. The winner of each round isn't

guaranteed a place in the final. The jury will choose the five best

performers across the week, so on a strong night like tonight there

might be more than one. Jason, who impressed the most this evening?

have to pick the winner of tonight, in my opinion, Olenait Tokar. She

was very polished. I loved all the voices tonight. So did I.Gary has

done us really proud. Yes, indeed. Asking me now, yes it would be the

Ukrainian soprano. That's our favourites here. Who impressed the

judges? Let's hear now from the chair of the jury, Nicholas Payne.

And that winner is... Olenait Tokar. There's a very happy and gorgeous

Olenait Tokar walking on stage to a delighted St David's Hall audience.

She lifts the trophy aloft, a doll-like, beautiful soprano from

Ukraine here who has captured the heart of Cardiff tonight. That was a

few minutes ago. We are delighted now to welcome Olenait Tokar from

Ukraine into the studio, the winner of round three of BBC Cardiff Singer

of the World 2013. Congratulations. APPLAUSE

OF COURSE All the competitors were very strong. She's very grateful to

the jury and the audience for choosing her. We loved it. Bravo.

That's it tonight. Congratulations to our winner, Olenait Tokar. Many

special thanks to our guests, Jason Howard and Shan Cothi. There's more

information on the website bbc.co.uk/Cardiffsinger. And

remember, there's a longer version of tonight's concert on BBC 4

tomorrow night. Make sure you're back with us at 10pm tomorrow night