THE award-winning singer-pianist and musical director Ross Leadbeater is to host his own radio show on BBC Radio Wales, with a celebration of popular songs from the golden age.
Ross, originally from Abertillery, has had a busy year. His debut EP, Great British Songbook recently topped the iTunes Classical Album Charts and has enjoyed national radio play on BBC Radio 2, attracting mainstream attention from Elaine Paige, Paul O Grady, and Gaby Roslin.
He has been touring throughout the UK to coincide with the album release and in August, he completed an 18-date run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, attracting rave reviews from critics and audiences alike.
Ross said: “It’s been an incredible year – very busy and To be rounding off the year with my own radio show on BBC is the icing on the cake! I just can’t wait to share all my favourite songs with the listeners and we have special guests too.”
The one-hour music show, recorded at Acapela Studios in Pentyrch before a live studio audience, will feature West End star Caroline Sheen, originally from Caerleon, and close-harmony consort The Sirens Sisters alongside the Lucy Morgan Quartet.
Ross is no stranger to Welsh audiences. He shot to fame in 2008 with the classical Brit Award-winning group Only Men Aloud, who released two albums with Decca Records. They achieved worldwide record sales of over 300,000 and performed alongside artists such as Shirley Bassey, Katherine Jenkins and Josh Groban.
Ross Leadbeater’s Golden Age of Song is a celebration of the music of the golden age including a selection of show tunes, popular hits and classic jazz standards. It will be broadcast on BBC Radio Wales on December 30 at 4.00pm and December 31 at 8.30pm. Available on BBC Iplayer.