Christmas Swing will start your festive season with a bang!
Lee Gilbert is one of the finest singers in South Wales and beyond. His versatility as a performer and his showmanship will draw you in.
Lee is joined by local singer Amy Coombes as a special guest and will perform with Lee in festive duets.
Biography
Lee was born in the Rhondda Valley, South Wales into a musical family.
His father and grandmother were both professional singers on the cabaret circuit and his love of playing to live audiences surely stemmed there.
In his early twenties Lee became a performer in his own right. Competitions, eisteddfods, local theatre all played a part in shaping the artiste he is today.
Lee became a cabaret artiste on the South Wales club scene and toured his act for three years while working full time and raising a young family. During this time he recorded his first album “Just One Voice” which had regular airplay on BBC Radio Wales. He also sang tracks from the album on the BBC1 Wales show Just Up Your Street. Guest spots for Chris Needs, Owen Money and Alan Thompson followed on radio as well as several outside broadcasts.
Early demo recordings led to his first leading theatrical role, that of Frederick in The Pirates of Penzance. This was a new departure musically and one Lee thoroughly enjoyed. From there he went on to play various and challenging roles in productions including: “Fiddler on the Roof”, “Follies”, “Sweeny Todd” and “The King and I”. His leading roles include Judas – Jesus Christ Superstar; Tony – West Side Story; and Darryl Van Horne in the Welsh premiere of The Witches of Eastwick.
He toured nationally, creating the role of Will Hay in the original production of Michael Bogdanov’s Amazing Grace written by Mal Pope, for the Wales Theatre Company.
He has performed in live concerts across the country. The highlight so far being a concert version of West Side Story, playing Tony, fronting the Robert Mandell Melachrino String Orchestra and full Philharmonic choir.
Lee’s straight theatre credits began when playwright Frank Vickery invited him to audition for a touring production. An association which lasted for thirteen tours in all. The plays, all comedies, include A Night on the Tiles, Roots and Wings, Family Planning, Trivial Pursuits, Spanish Lies, Pulling the Wool and his personal favourite Tonto Evans, where he created the role of Wayne in the original cast.
Family Planning was produced as a 16 part Radio series for the BBC. Lee played the role of Bobby in 12 episodes.
Ten Years ago Lee approached a local Big Band that was just starting out, to see if he could sing a couple of numbers with them for fun. That band has since become one if the finest Big Bands in South Wales and is the ‘go to band’ for any large function or corporate event. Lee Gilbert and the Dave Barry Big Band have worked continually throughout Britain and Ireland playing swing, pop and soul music to delighted audiences. They headlined the Cork Jazz festival in 2008.
Lee’s versatility as a performer is impressive. In addition to working as a self-contained solo artiste, he performs as a duo with a pianist, with a jazz quintet and indeed with his full seventeen piece Big Band .
His one man show has been seen across the country in various theatres and large venues e.g Motorpoint Arena Cardiff.
In 2008, Lee wrote Come Fly with Me – the Big Band Musical in collaboration Steven Coleman (Only the Brave). The show was directed by Richard Tunley and received its premiere at the Wales Milennium Centre in 2009 to critical acclaim. The show – full sized musical comedy featuring a cast of fifteen and a live Big Band on stage throughout – was the subject of an ITV documentary, following its progress and is currently in a state of re –write in readiness for a UK tour through 2015.
This Christmas Lee makes his debut in pantomime playing the evil villain Fleshcreep in Jack & The Beanstalk (RCT Theatres).
Book a table for pre-concert dining
Acapela Studio provides pre-concert dining between 6.00pm and 7.30pm from our pizza oven. To view the current menu visit here.
Please purchase your concert tickets first before booking a table. We will not accept any table bookings that do not have a corresponding ticket purchase.
Then return to the event page to book your table, by selecting the date of your event, number of diners and time you require table. The times shown are the only vacancies left. Please complete your email and phone number as this is required to ensure your table is allocated. You will receive confirmation of your booking by email and text.
If on the date you have chosen no tables are available - no times will be shown and the booking system will revert you back to todays date - PLEASE ENSURE YOU BOOK THE CORRECT DATE!
PLEASE NOTE THE VENUE RELIES ON THE INCOME FROM DINING TO ENSURE WE CAN BOOK ALL THE GREAT ACTS PERFORMING.
Income from the provision of pizzas is very important to the venue and if you have booked a table it is a requirement that all people sat at tables order food - a salad alternative is available to pizzas. Please do ensure that all individuals will be ordering on your table - if this is not the case please cancel your table so others who are looking to dine can do so. Our apologies to raise this but recently we have had many tables (some very large) where less than 50% of those sat at tables have ordered food. Financially this is a real problem to the sustainability of the venue.
- All seating at tables must purchase a pizza - so please do not book a table if everyone is not eating.
- Please ensure that you arrive 10 minutes before the time slot allocated to order your pizzas prior to your booking time.
- Tables not seated within 15 minutes of the allocated time may be lost and allocated to other audience members wishing to order pizzas.
- If you wish to book a table for 6 or more please email info@acapela.co.uk
Please note that all of our pizzas are made fresh to order and cooked in an authentic wood-fired oven. It may take up to 45 minutes to be served during busy periods.
IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO BOOK A TABLE YOU CAN STILL ORDER PIZZAS ON THE NIGHT (USUALLY ON BUSY NIGHTS NO LATER THAN 7.15PM) AND WE WILL SERVE THEM TO YOU WHEREVER YOU ARE SAT IN THE VENUE - IN A PIZZA BOX.