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Laurence Robinson, a
leading tenor who has performed at most of the country's top
sporting events, will "sing in" the Roughyeds' new Co-operative
National League Two season before kick-off when Hunslet Hawks come
to Boundary Park on Monday (3pm) in the first home game of the new
campaign. A Londoner, Laurence has sung at various venues around the UK including the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff; Murrayfield in Edinburgh; and Old Trafford. He was part of the official welcome-home party which greeted the arrival at Heathrow of England's World Cup winning Rugby Union side when they flew into London from Australia with the famous trophy in 2003. His rugby league appointments have included Test matches, Challenge Cup finals at Murrayfield and Cardiff and Super League grand finals at Old Trafford. "We want to make our first home game in the new league season a little bit special, and Laurence will help us to do that," said the club's community development manager Sean Mellor. Among the tenor's speciality renderings are Jerusalem, The Lord Is My Shepherd and the classic Nessun Dorma. He also performed at the last game in Warrington's old Wilderspool ground and the first game at their new Halliwell Jones Stadium. A former accountant who was later in sales and marketing, Laurence was made redundant in 2001 and that's when he made the decision to go full time as a professional singer. Paull Bateman, a producer who helped the careers of Russel Watson and Lesley Garrett, once said of Laurence: "He is on the right lines to make it to the very top. He undoubtedly has a terrific voice." In February, 2004, after Laurence had performed in the Midlands at a West Brom soccer game, James Nursey wrote thus in the Birmingham Post: "WBA supporters were treated to not one, but two excellent performances. First, world-renowned tenor Laurence Robinson whipped up the anticipation at The Hawthorns before kick-off with a rousing, ten-minute set featuring Nessun Dorma and the club's anthem, The Lord Is My Shepherd." When the England RU side returned to London's Heathrow Airport with the World Cup, events were reported as follows in the London Evening Standard: "BAA had even laid on an operatic tenor, Laurence Robinson, to sing them in. Mr Robinson is a veteran of such sporting occasions, but even he was overawed by it all. Naturally, he gave us Swing Low Sweet Chariot and a clutter of other crowd pleasers including I Vow To Thee My Country and Jerusalem." It appears Roughyeds fans are in for a special treat on Monday so the advice is to get there in plenty of time so as not to miss Mr Robinson's performance and to get into the mood for the big kick off in the new Boundary Park NL2 season. Added Sean Mellor: "We are trying to make the Boundary Park game-day experience a special one for the fans and to give them real value for money." |
