FIRST PERSON: LIKE most things, the pandemic put a stop to MusicFest, the otherwise annual musical extravanganza in Aberystwyth.
It managed some online events, but now it’s back with in-person concerts for members of the public to enjoy as well as courses for students. To help with tuition fees a charity called Friends of Musicfest, Aberystwyth was set up in 2007, raising money for bursaries.
As MusicFest grows, the demand for bursaries has increased, and people can become a ‘Friend’ by contacting Joan Rowlands. The MusicFest manager and member of the board knows how beneficial the festival can be.
“Although I have been a lifelong lover of music and have attended many concerts of all sorts, I did not really get involved with Musicfest until my daughter attended as a student,” said Joan who lives in Llandre.
“Thanks to Ceredigion Music service, Gwenllian had studied violin for some years when she was offered a place at the Musicfest Summer School. She was fortunate to receive a bursary from the Friends of Musicfest and the rest is history.
“After a week-long intensive course, her playing had improved dramatically and so had the musical appreciation of her parents due to the immersive experience of a week of concerts. It was a life changing moment for us all. Gwenllian decided to take music at university and become a music teacher and her parents got involved with MusicFest.”
She added: “We both started taking part in fundraising for The Friends and then I ended up managing the festival. This has been a great adventure - I normally teach in the English department of the university - but has been so worthwhile. As a small festival we are very dependent on our brilliant volunteers and patrons, and the combination of our varied fields of expertise produces a great team. We are also very appreciative of the arts centre and its staff, all of whom are so supportive. The collaboration with Ceredigion Music service is also much appreciated.”
She added: “The opportunity to hear live music should never be underestimated. The immersive aspect should not be overlooked and the opportunity of listening all week to a brilliant programme of music is well worth experiencing.
“The festival is friendly with a returning audience, all of whom add something special to the experience. This year we also have the addition of the Royal Philharmonic, which will be one of those concerts that will stay in one’s memory for ever. I defy anyone to listen to the Elgar cello concerto and not be moved.”
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra will open Musicfest Aberystwyth on Saturday, 23 July, under the baton of rising star conductor Alpesh Chauhan.
In the following seven days at least 28 further events have been scheduled - 15 of them free - including four jazz events in various locations, 10 showcase concerts and masterclasses featuring brilliant young students, including the 2022 Young Musician of Dyfed winner, harpist Annest Davies. In a free concert at 10pm on Thursday, 28 July, Sinfonia 1 present Schoenberg’s Transfigured Night (Verklärte Nacht) in the darkened Great Hall of Aberystwyth Arts Centre.
Other artists include the Sacconi Quartet, the Solem Quartet, flautist Karen Jones, pianist Edward Leung, clarinettist Anthony Friend, mezzo soprano Maria Hegele, cellist and composer Ayanna Witter-Johnson, pianist Tomos Boyles, violinists Sigyn Fossnes and Graham Oppenheimer, cellist Kari Ravnan, saxophonist Kyle Horch and pianists Anya Fadina, Libby Burgess and Simon Lane, and an evening of Mozart with conductor Toby Purser and Sinfonia 1 will bring the festival to a close.
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