Welsh singer Katherine Jenkins performed at York Barbican as part of her 25 Year Anniversary Tour, with special guest cellist Jodok Cello.
By Bethan Thomas
I was hardly familiar with Katherine’s work before that evening, only really knowing her from the 2010 Doctor Who Christmas special, and seeing her sing the Welsh national anthem before the rugby. It is safe to say Katherine’s range reaches far beyond that.
She introduced her setlist as, for old fans, new fans, and those who had been dragged along with the promise of an interval and a bar. Safe to say she catered for all tastes, though after the first song, I’m certain no one was just there for the bar anymore.
Katherine worked her way through her outstanding career over the last twenty-five years, opening the show with a throwback to the first song from her first album, Questo è per te, and Calon Lân, emphasising how her Welsh roots have shaped her life. As a proud Welsh woman myself, I couldn’t help feeling an enormous sense of pride at hearing the language sung so beautifully on stage, and followed by such applause as Katherine well deserved.
She continued the story, performing (Everything I Do) I Do It for You, which she sang to British soldiers in Afghanistan, followed by We’ll Meet Again, as she reflected on her performance at the Royal Albert Hall VE Day 75 Concert. More than one tear was shed at the montage of photos of Katherine with the troops, and Dame Vera Lynn herself, though not half as many as when she paid tribute to Dolly Parton with an Italian translation of I Will Always Love You.
Guest performer Jodok Cello (what better name for a cellist?) performed the Pirates of the Caribbean theme, and accompanied Katherine for Parla più piano from the movie The Godfather, and Evanescence’s Bring Me to Life, one of my favourite songs, which I never expected to sound so eerily phenomenal as an operatic cover.
A beautiful touch at the end was the encore of Tell Me I’m Not Dreaming, as photographs from Katherine’s career highlights were projected behind her, and everyone was on their feet for a second time.
The atmosphere as the crowds left the auditorium was just as electric as the anticipation in the foyer earlier that evening, and I found myself singing along to old performances on YouTube when I got home.
Katherine Jenkins played at York Barbican on Thursday 15 October 2026.