By Claire Cooper
Elin Manahan-THomas
Last month’s Royal Wedding drew millions of viewers from all over the world eager to share in the historic occasion.
And when soprano Elin Manahan-Thomas heralded the arrival of the bride, sending shivers around St George’s Chapel and beyond, members of All Saints congregation had an extra special reason to be proud.
Elin, who lives just outside the village, is well known locally, attending All Saints and performing in the church with her husband Bob Davies. “We moved to Sussex because Bob sang at Glyndebourne, but just fell in love with the area,” said Elin, who is originally from Swansea.
With a glittering career which has included performing at some of the world’s most prestigious venues and festivals with leading orchestras and conductors, and with five solo albums, Elin is undoubtedly one of the leading sopranos of her generation.
But nothing could have prepared her for the text that came out of the blue in March.
“I got a text from James Vivian, the Master of Music at Windsor, asking me to call him,” Elin recalled. “I have to admit to not thinking anything of it, so when I got around to it and he said ‘Elin, are you free on the 19th May?’, the penny took a while to drop. When I did realise what he was asking, and when he explained that I was being asked to sing at the entrance of the bride, I was just so excited.
[Full article published in the July 2018 issue of Lindfield Life magazine]