Friends of Cwmdu Music: Friends of Cwmdu Music

WNO-String Quartet

info@cwmdumusic.org — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 11:22:23 UT

Tuesday 21st April, 7:30PM start. Llangynidr Village Hall, Cwmcrawnon Road, Llangynidr, NP8 1LS.

Music to include: Haydn, Mendelssohn, Ravel.

Tickets £ 12 from: Walnut Tree Stores, llangynidrvillagehall@gmail.com, cash or card at the door.

Brecon Choir Festival, major new commission

info@cwmdumusic.org — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 11:35:23 UT

Brecon Choir Festival have announced a major new commission for this years event, World Premiere: Prayer by Owain Park". Link to their newsletter.

Hay Music-The New London Chamber Ensemble

info@cwmdumusic.org — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 09:28:21 UT

Friday, 24 April 7:30pm–9:45pm, Hay Castle

NLCE is one of Britain’s leading wind quintets and they return to Hay Music at Hay Castle on Friday, 24 April at 7.30pm to play pieces by Debussy, Barber, Hindemith, Holst, Moondog, Coleman and a world premiere by Julian Philips introduced by the composer.

Programme

Moondog: Bird of Paradise

Claude Debussy arr. Gordon Davies: Petite Suite

Samual Barber: Summer Music

Paul Hindemith: Kleine Kammermusik Op. 24 No.2

Julian Philips: Different Times - world premiere

Gustav Holst: Wind Quintet in A Flat, Op. 14 - revised version by Raymond Head

Valerie Coleman: Umoja

The New London Chamber Ensemble.

More details and tickets

Fibonacci Quartet

info@cwmdumusic.org — Sat, 21 Mar 2026 12:40:13 UT

Friday May 8th 7:30pm 2026 at St. Michael & All Angels, Cwmdu, NP8 1RW.

Tickets.

Fibonacci Quartet

Kryštof Kohout - Violin, Luna de Mol - Violin, Findlay Spence - Cello, Elliot Kempton - Viola.

Image: Fibonacci Quartet-credit Kaupo Kikkas.

As the only ensemble ever to win both the First and Audience Prize at the Premio Paolo Borciani International String Quartet Competition in 2024, the Fibonacci Quartet are one of Europe’s leading young string quartets.

During the 2025/26 season the quartet will perform extensively across Europe, with highlights including performances at Vienna Musikverein, Berlin Philharmonie, Hamburg Elbphilharmonie, Frankfurt Alte Oper, Wigmore Hall, Munich Prinzregententheater and Philharmonie de Paris, as well as festival appearances at Edinburgh International Festival, Aldeburgh Festival, Heidelberger Frühling Festival and Bad Tölz Winners Summit.

Alongside their busy performing schedule, the quartet teach as Quartet in Residence at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, as well as at the Royal Academy of Music in their position as Nina Drucker Fellows.

Winners at the 2024 Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT) International auditions, they were also recently appointed as Grand Résident ensemble at ProQuartet in Paris for seasons 2025–2027.

Programme

Haydn: String Quartet Op. 64 No. 5 in D Major ‘The Lark’

Janacek: String Quartet No. 2 ‘Intimate Letters’

Interval

Schumann: String Quartet No. 3 in A Major

Tickets.

Our first concert of 2026 — Emma Rawicz Trio

info@cwmdumusic.org — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 09:57:01 UT

This first concert with Emma Rawicz (saxophones & vocals), Niklas Lukassen (bass) and Jonny Mansfield (percussion & vibraphone) proved a very engaging and entertaining evening to a packed audience.

Emma Rawicz, Jonny Mansfield & Niklas Lukassen.

Quite superb. Almost telepathic music making. Very happy audience. Apart from her obvious musical gifts [Emma] was one of the most eloquent and inspiring speakers for promoting the arts. Top drawer.

Very successful night; different audience, three exceptionally gifted musicians.

Each piece they performed had an accompanying contextual introduction by Emma; a transcendently beautiful example just before the interval (when we had warming punch!) being inspired by a Japanese word komorebi—dappled sunlight seen through trees.

Brecon Jazz-Transatlantic Hot Club

info@cwmdumusic.org — Sat, 14 Mar 2026 14:51:58 UT

Transatlantic Hot Club.

Quartet, Muse Arts (Brecon Jazz Club), Brecon.

Tuesday 21st April 2026, 8:00PM – 10:30PM

More information

Our previous Autumn Concert: Gwent Chamber Orchestra

info@cwmdumusic.org — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 11:21:06 UT

Gwent Chamber Orchestra.

The annual September concert given by the Gwent Chamber Orchestra was much enjoyed by a capacity audience. The opening Handel Concerto Grosso in D minor featured some fine solo playing from the oboes and bassoon and the whole orchestra played with much clarity, highlighting the wonderful acoustics of Cwmdu Church.

We then heard some interesting anecdotes from the GCO conductor Stephen Broom about the composer Dag Wirén, before the performance of his charming Serenade for Strings. It had some very memorable melodies and was played with great energy and gusto. The first half ended on a high with the Vivaldi Concerto in A minor for two Violins performed by Julia Watkins (the leader of GCO) and Lesley Gwyther (principal 2nd violin). They always play so wonderfully together and it was thrilling to hear them play so fast and rhythmically in the outer movements, but also their lyrical interplay in the beautiful slow movement.

After a busy interval with everyone catching up after the Summer and enjoying a glass of wine, we were treated to the ever popular Symphony no. 40 in G minor by Mozart. Foot tappingly good, it was a fitting and thrilling end to both a fabulous programme and another great year of concerts here in Cwmdu. Please do join us for the four very varied concerts coming up in 2026!

Gwent Chamber Orchestra, rehearsing for our concert.

Our previous summer concert

info@cwmdumusic.org — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 10:27:08 UT

Will Barnes Quartet.

Our summer concert given by Will Barnes Quartet was a fantastic evening. We heard tracks from their recently released album ‘Source of the Severn’ (which many of us purchased at the end) and some brand new material. They each played with such virtuosity and ease and just seemed so natural with each other, in gentle mood lighting. It was fascinating to watch their interplay and to feel their groove. Each of them had several solo moments which seamlessly transitioned between them. We had some chilled and mellow tracks interspersed with others where they really upped the energy and pulse with such complex rhythmic intricacy.

Our Artist-in-residence Maikki Ranger of Hey!remade had a fabulous display of handmade and unique recycled glassware.

May 2025 Rhossili Duo concert

info@cwmdumusic.org — Sun, 11 May 2025 13:35:56 UT

We had a very engaging concert from the Rhossili Duo, who opened with Argentinian tango composer Astor Piazzola’s Histoire du Tango and closed with First Milonga, Last Tango by Welsh composer Stephen Goss—written as an elegy to the former and a piece using fragments of material from his work. Then Welsh folk songs including Suo gan arranged by Goss and Bartok’s Romanian Dances based on his extensive folk music studies. The Bartok works are often heard in their original piano or orchestral renderings, and this interpretation brought a great zest to them.

The duo then had an opportunity to play solo pieces by Agustín Barrios (guitar) and Eugène Bozza (flute). Then Sonatina by leading composer for the guitar, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco—exiled from Italy to the US prior to WWII.

The performances received enthusiastic applause from our audience; and were a brilliant reminder of how lucky we are to have alumni and students from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama at our annual concert series.

Rhossili Duo can be seen in June at the Budleigh Music Festival.

Artist-in-residence Francesca Kay displayed a selection of her letterpress, calligraphy and paper designs—website.

Our March 2025 Nantwen Ensemble concert

info@cwmdumusic.org — Sun, 09 Mar 2025 08:00:03 UT

We were treated to an inspiring and varied programme by the wonderful Nantwen Ensemble (website) on the 8th March.

Nantwen Ensemble preparing for their concert.

Firstly the imaginative sound world created with some unusual string techniques by composer Caroline Shaw in Plan & Elevation, her musical drawing of Dumbarton Oaks, and then the beautiful and hypnotic Verses by Ólafur Arnalds. Then Nantwen’s own commission, Songs without Words composed to complement the Schubert string quintet, from Welsh composer John Metcalf. This set the scene perfectly for the concert’s second half with its closing hymn-like prayer.

In his introduction, Daniel said that each time he prepares the Schubert Quintet with different colleagues, they each bring something new to the work with their ideas and interpretations. Schubert’s mastery of writing for all the instruments and the sheer beauty and scale of the work meant that time almost stood still for us. It’s a work that never seems to date or lose its popularity.

Our Artist-in-residence, Helen of InSpired Pottery—“Beautifully handcrafted wares for everyday use” had a stunning display of her work. (Website).

Display with the artist, Helen.

Our last concert of 2024

info@cwmdumusic.org — Tue, 03 Dec 2024 12:11:09 UT

In October we had a fabulous concert from composer, vocalist and violinist Claire Victoria Roberts with string players Treske Quartet and Swansea-based keyboardist and jazz band leader Dave Cottle.

Claire Victoria Roberts is a composer, vocalist and violinist–blurring the boundaries of jazz, contemporary and singer-songwriter genres. https://www.clairevictoriaroberts.com/

Treske Quartet–Oli Baily & Mollie Wrafter (violins), Abigail Hammett (viola), Robert Wheatley (cello)–is an emerging ensemble based in Manchester, UK. https://www.treskequartet.com/

Dave Cottle formed the Dave Cottle Band in 1985. Swansea’s Lord Mayor Awarded Dave for his services to music in the City at a Gala dinner in the Brangwyn Hall, Swansea November 2018. https://www.davecottlemusic.com

See our 2025 calendar for next year’s events.

Very enjoyable RWCMD concert from The Bute Wind Quintet

info@cwmdumusic.org — Sun, 12 May 2024 10:12:29 UT

On Saturday 11th May, graduates of the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama The Bute Wind Quintet gave us a fabulous concert on an evening with balmy weather.

The performers were introduced and we also updated the audience with a salutary description of the state of music funding in Wales; for example the Welsh National Opera and their orchestra who have had funding by both Arts Council in England and Wales significantly cut.

Even closer to home and relevant in particular to this evening’s activity has been a recent threat to “Young RWCMD” whose Young Acting and Young Music activities provide the opportunity for promising new performers to develop their individual talents. A reminder that “As music lovers we cannot afford to be complacent”.

There is a petition about the RWCMD threat.
Also one for the Welsh National Opera.

The night’s programme gave us an insight into the range of the Quintet, including a soaringly lyrical Milhaud La cheminée du roi René, Celia McDowall’s Subject to the Weather—commissioned for the Presteigne Festival in 2010 and evoking the countryside and birdsong. After the interval works included cinema composer Nino Rota’s theme for Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet and Szervánszky’s Wind Quintet. The evening concluded with Brazilian composer Júlio Medaglia’s Tango from suite Belle Epoque en Sud-America.

Our Artist/Maker in residence Rebecca ‘Becky’ Way displayed a stunning collection of work.

A great evening which highlighted how lucky we are to have RWCMD’s graduates and students on our doorstep.

The Bute Wind Quintet are playing at Gŵyl Beaumaris Festival on 25th May details, and Fishguard Festival of Music/Gŵyl Gerdd on 22nd July details.

IWD Hero Isata Kanneh-Mason

info@cwmdumusic.org — Fri, 08 Mar 2024 05:30:53 UT

For International Women’s Day, here are a couple of snippets to celebrate the work of pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason.

"…in great demand internationally as a soloist and chamber musician. She offers eclectic and interesting repertoire with recital programmes encompassing music from Haydn and Mozart via Fanny Mendelssohn and Clara Schumann, Chopin and Brahms to Gershwin and beyond."

—Kanneh-Mason website.

Firstly a YouTube video of a performance of Clara Schumann’s Scherzo No.2 in C Minor. (Note: YouTube may include adverts for everyone’s benefit 🤦🏽.)

Clara Schumann’s Scherzo No.2 in C Minor

And then an episode of BBC Radio’s “Add to Playlist” programme with Isata Kanneh-Mason as a guest.

Add to Playlist with Isata Kanneh-Mason

BBC announces new classical music programming

info@cwmdumusic.org — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 13:58:50 UT

The BBC has announced updated schedules for Radio 3 and a new TV series about Mozart. Highlights include the return of Clemency Burton-Hill, and a weekday afternoon programme Classical Live presented by Elizabeth Alker, Tom McKinney, Linton Stephens and Fiona Talkington.

BBC Media link

Karl Jenkins birthday

info@cwmdumusic.org — Sat, 17 Feb 2024 18:38:43 UT

Happy 80th Birthday, Sir Karl Jenkins! Born and raised in Penclawdd, Gower.

Image: St David Awards 2017, CC BY 3.0

His initial musical instruction was from his father, who was the local schoolteacher, chapel organist and choirmaster. Initially a jazz and jazz-rock musician, he played with legendary Canterbury Sound band Soft Machine.

He’s had a prodigious choral classical output, including Cantata Memoria: For the children, a response to the 1966 Aberfan disaster.

Currently BBC Radio3 Composer of the Week.

Updates on this website

info@cwmdumusic.org — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 09:16:00 UT

You may be wondering what the new little icon… …in our website top menu is for. This signposts our RSS feed which is a digest of information from our website which you can subscribe to on your computer/phone with an RSS reader application and get our latest news automatically when it’s published. (Many other organisations provide these, such as the BBC’s feed of Culture news.)

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