AFTER a gap of two years, the Conwy Classical Music Festival is making a return from July 23-30.
With an array of orchestral, instrumental, choral, and vocal music from which to choose, the event, which is one of the largest in Wales not to charge for admission, will offer music spanning 900 years.
From medieval chants to some of the UK’s foremost contemporary composers, the event will again be free, simply relying on the generosity of concertgoers, who can contribute to a collection at the end of each concert, and on sponsorship by local businesses and individuals.
Kicking off the week will be a candle-lit performance by The Telling, fresh from their appearance the day before on Radio 3’s ‘In Tune’ programme.
Their production, ‘Vision’, chronicles the life and work of the visionary 12th century abbess Hildegard of Bingen.
Hildegard, played by actor Teresa Banham, re-visits and re-experiences meaningful episodes in her life, further enhanced by her own haunting and distinctive chant.
The group has appeared at many early music festivals and has received rave reviews in the music press for its recordings.
Early music reappears later in the week with the return of the award-winning singers of the Marian Consort, who have appeared on a number of occasions at the Proms.
They will perform a programme contrasting settings of texts devoted to the Virgin Mary from the 16th century and the present day.
Some of Wales’ brightest and best young singers will be taking part in the festival, including English National Opera Harwood artist Elgan Llyr Thomas, who hails from Llandudno, and who recently made his debut at Covent Garden.
The winner of the Pendine International Voice of the Future Competition at the Llangollen Eisteddfod in 2019, Erin Gwyn Rossington, will be joined by Angharad Rowlands, Robert Lewis and John Ieuan Jones to perform a programme of operatic highlights.
Between them, the four have notched up appearances at many prestigious opera festivals, including Glyndebourne.
One of North Wales’ most popular singers, Sioned Terry, will also be taking to the stage, accompanied by distinguished pianist Iwan Llewelyn Jones, to present a programme exploring the rich repertoire of songs by composers from North Wales.
The festival always makes a point of encouraging singers at the start of their careers and this year there will be an opportunity to hear Rhys Meilyr, Owain Rowlands and Florence Kaiser perform.
One of the undoubted highlights of the week will be the concert by the Festival Orchestra.
The orchestra, with members drawn from some of North West’s leading orchestras, will present a programme beginning with Mozart’s Overture to the Marriage of Figaro.
This will be followed by Beethoven’s Triple Concerto, in which the soloists will be Eva Thorarinsdottir, Hannah Roberts and Benjamin Powell.
Bringing the concert to an end will be a performance of Mendelssohn’s joyous Italian Symphony, a work with a particular resonance in Conwy as Mendelssohn visited the town in 1829 and made a detailed sketch of the castle, the church and the newly-built suspension bridge.
Chamber music will be well represented with concerts by the Fitzsimmon Ensemble, The Manchester Ensemble, The Ensemble of North Wales Camerata, and the internationally acclaimed Dante Quartet. Amongst composers whose works will be performed are Beethoven, Mozart, Britten, Franz Krommer, Poulenc, Elgar, and Dvorak.
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The piano will feature with solo recitals by Ellis Thomas and Richard Ormrod, who will both present varies programmes showing off the full range of the instrument’s capabilities.
Conwy’s own concert pianist, Christina Mason-Scheuermann, will also perform at two morning concerts at which she will be joined by some of her musician friends – cellist Hazel Sturt and Gudela Hufschmidt.
The festival is directed by Chris Roberts, who has been involved in organising concerts at St. Mary’s Church, Conwy since 1981, and founded the festival in 2005.
He is supported in running the festival by a large group of volunteers who give freely of their time and talents to help make the week-long event a success.
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The festival’s work in promoting local talent and in developing the cultural life of North Wales has won the praise of celebrities in the music world such as Sir Bryn Terfel and royal composer Paul Mealor.
Chris Roberts said: “I am delighted that, after a two-year gap due to the pandemic, the festival is back with a wide-ranging programme with something to appeal to everyone.
“The last two years have been a really difficult time for us all, not least for professional musicians, and so this will be a great opportunity to celebrate the return of live music in all its glory.”
Concerts take place in the historic St. Mary’s Church in the centre of Conwy town.
The full programme can be found at www.conwyclassicalmusic.co.uk.
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