The 43rd North Wales International Music Festival at St Asaph Cathedral takes place this autumn, between September 26 and October 3, with a launch concert on September 20. A highlight in the Welsh and International music calendar, LMN Wales has long been involved in delivering outreach and public performances as part of the event, across North Wales. This year will see LMN musicians featured in 22 performances as part of the festival, across 4 counties in Wales.
Among the LMN Wales highlights this year are supremely talented former royal harpist, Hannah Stone who will be performing with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, energetic traditional Welsh folk trio Calan-ish who will be delivering the children’s concerts and other outreach work, and mezzo-soprano Olivia Gomez and pianist Ben Pinnow on their first community tour for LMN Wales. Brass ensemble Quintet Coch have already been preparing the way for the festival's launch with a series of special concerts for sponsors and supporters this August making for a huge number of LMN performances across North Wales.
Live music brings positive benefits to all and this year’s tour will be the biggest to date thanks to support from Cartrefi Conwy, Pendine Park and Arts & Business Cymru. The musicians will visit schools, hospices, care homes for the elderly and a centre for those with learning and physical difficulties.
This year the festival, supported by the Arts Council of Wales, is marking the International Year of Light. Artistic Director, Ann Atkinson said: "It's all very exciting because I think we’ve got a great theme for this year, the theme of ‘light’, with it being the UNESCO Year of Light. Everything fell into place really rather well when you think of all the composers who were inspired by light and the idea of the light and how it affects the way you see certain things. It's certainly given us lots of possibilities with programming.”
“The theme of light will flow like a strand through all of the week and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales will be among the high points in a programme of world-class concerts. They will be playing the Helios overture by Nielsen, which has the sun going down over the Aegean, which is rather beautiful. As well as the brilliant Hannah Stone, we'll have Craig Ogden, the Australian guitarist (and LMN alumnus) who will be marvellous, as will the lovely Latvian violinist, Baiba Skride. Other highlights will include the fantastic Noriko Ogawa, Stilo Antico, the Vale of Clwyd Singers, Elin Manahan Thomas and the North Wales Only Boys Aloud.”
The festival’s ground-breaking education project entitled ‘The Power of Light’ and supported by the Colwinston Charitable Trust, will explore the concept of light through music as well as poetry, visual art and science, especially photonics.
The festival launch concert is on Sunday 20 September featuring North East Wales Sinfonia and the Trelawnyd Male Voice Choir. For more information about this year's programme and to book tickets go to: www.nwimf.com
Photo: Calan-ish ensemble
