A rising star is set to dazzle at North Wales’ biggest New Year celebration.

Talented singer and actress Catrin Mai Edwards, 26, who hails from Mold, will take centre stage as a guest soloist with the acclaimed NEW Sinfonia orchestra for it annual gala concert to welcome 2026 in unforgettable style.

The family-friendly event, sponsored by arts-loving care organisation Pendine Park via the Pendine Arts and Community Trust, will take place at Wrexham’s William Aston Hall at 3pm on Saturday, January 3.

It’s a major move for the orchestra because the traditional New Year concert is relocating from its long-time home at St Giles’ Church to the larger venue to meet soaring demand.

NEW Sinfonia co-founder Jonathan Guy, from Wrexham, said the decision marked a “bittersweet but exciting” new chapter for the ensemble.

He said: “We’ve absolutely loved performing at St Giles over the years but our audience has outgrown the space.

“The William Aston Hall gives us the chance to welcome even more people to share the joy of music as we ring in the New Year.”

Pendine Park founder Mario Kreft MBE: “It has been an absolute joy to see how NEW Sinfonia has grown and developed.

“Music and the arts provide the golden thread through everything we do at Pendine so supporting this wonderful concert chimes perfectly with our ethos.”

Jon and his conductor brother Robert Guy established NEW Sinfonia in 2011 to provide opportunities for up and coming young instrumentalists from North Wales to be able to perform together.

As it approaches its 15th anniversary next year it has evolved into the flagship orchestra of North Wales.

Guest soloist Catrin, who now lives in London,  will be singing her own selection of West End musical theatre hits into the occasion, alongside the orchestra’s spectacular programme of barnstorming Viennese waltzes and mesmerising classical marches.

Catrin said: “I’m beyond delighted. This will be such a special occasion for me, being back on home turf and singing at the best new year celebration in town! I can’t thank Jon and Rob enough for inviting me.

“They have been so generous spirited and allowed me to choose a set of my own musical theatre favourites.”

She is excited that her parents, David and Mair Edwards, and friends from around Flintshire and Wrexham will be able to come and see her sing. She’s also planning to have a video made of the show to send to her brother Cai who now lives in New Zealand but remains her biggest fan.

“Music runs in our blood. Even when I was very young music flowed through our house. Dad ran a folk club which met at different venues in Flintshire and Denbighshire and I would often go and sing alongside him,” she said.

“I have great memories of those folk sessions and struck up some long-lasting friendships.”

Catrin gained a music degree at University of Wales Trinity St David’s, in Cardiff, before studying for a masters at the Royal Academy of Music.

Since then she has worked in musical education as well as being a professional actor, singer and instrumentalist for the last five years.

A fluent Welsh speaker, she often works in Welsh language productions and is passionate about the need to keep traditional Welsh music alive.

One of her proudest moments is having starred in the production of Curtain Up! At Theatr Clwyd, Mold, where she learned to hone her acting crafts in younger years.

She said: “It was hugely exciting for me, performing on the stage where I had been in the audience so many times as a child, mesmerised by all the fantastic shows they put on there.”

Her ultimate dream is to secure a role in a West End blockbuster.

She said: “A starring role in a show like Les Mis would definitely be the ultimate goal. It’s been my dream since I was seven years old and I’ve never let go of it. But for now I’m thrilled to be at the early stages of my career enjoying each minute and about to enter the spotlight in a wonderful arena singing the songs I love.”

Jon Guy said he and Rob, and NEW Sinfonia co-director Ruth Evans, along with the entire orchestral team were overjoyed to welcome Catrin.

He said: “She is just the person we needed to help mix things up a little this year. As NEW Sinfonia continues to evolve and grow it is inevitable that there will be some changes along our way.

“Catrin’s musical theatre expertise will add an extra dynamic to our annual gala concert which we’re sure audiences of all ages will love.

“It means the show will be jam-packed with musical gems, some of which past visitors may have enjoyed before, others which will be new to them and to us as players. But it’s always a positive move to stretch our musical boundaries.

“The idea is to offer something for everyone, beloved show tunes alongside the classic sound of the Viennese concert hall. It will be a programme to leave everyone going home with a spring in their step.”

For more information about the concert at the William Aston Hall in Wrexham at 3pm on Saturday, January 3, visit: https://williamastonwrexham.com/event/NEW Sinfonia-gala and for details of NEW Sinfonia visit: www.NEWSinfonia.org.uk