The Llanfyllin Music Festival is back – still going strong after more than 50 years and after weathering the Covid years. The 2023 Festival will feature the inaugural public concert by the New Allegri string quartet, as well as performances by the exciting young Ensemble Renard, the internationally celebrated harpist Ieuan Jones and the exceptional bass Rhodri Prys Jones – all enjoying the lovely acoustics of St Myllin’s Church.

 There was great excitement and anticipation in the music community when we learned that Rafael Todes, 2nd violin with the Allegri Quartet for many years, had decided to form the New Allegri following the original quartet’s decision to disband in the wake of the pandemic. The New Allegri’s inaugural performance – on Saturday 15 July 2023 – will be a moment of great emotion, as Britain’s longest running quartet have been playing at Llanfyllin since 1972. The new line-up comprises Rafael as 2nd violin; violist Graham Oppenheimer, who played with Rafael in the Schidlof Quartet; cellist Kirsten Jenson, another Allegri alumna; and Ben Nabarro, first violin with the acclaimed Nash Ensemble, as guest musician.

Founded in 2018 by musicians from the Royal Academy of Music and the Guildhall School, the Ensemble Renard is an exciting young group, passionate champions of repertoire that rarely sees the light of day. The players are former Chamber Music Fellows at the Royal Academy of Music and are currently Britten Pears Young Artists, appearing at the Aldeburgh Festival. As well as playing two evenings at Llanfyllin, they are running workshops at two local schools for the Festival’s new outreach project.

The internationally celebrated harpist Ieuan Jones was brought up in Mid Wales. He began playing the harp at the age of six and was inspired by attending an early Llanfyllin Festival concert featuring the harpist Marisa Robles. He became the youngest member of the National Youth Orchestra of Wales at the age of 13. Since then, he has won numerous competitions, toured extensively and is Professor of Harp at the Royal College of Music. Ieuan gave a scintillating performance at last year’s Llanfyllin Festival.

A native of Llanfyllin, Rhodri Prys Jones is truly home-grown talent. He studied at Trinity University College, Carmarthen, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, where he was awarded the Sir Ian Stoutzker Prize for the most outstanding instrumentalist or singer. He made his debut in a principal role in 2022 with Welsh National Opera, playing Steva in Janácek’s Jenůfa. This year he sang Ernesto in the comic opera Don Pasquale with Irish National Opera. He is also making a name for himself in oratorio.

As well as the concerts in St Myllin’s Church, the 2023 Festival will host events at Llanfyllin Workhouse, a sensitively restored historic building which is now a thriving community arts hub.

DATES AND PERFORMERS

 Saturday 8 July 2023, 7.00 pm, Llanfyllin Workhouse

North Wales Opera Studio: A Night at the Opera (open air) Bring a picnic with you.

Thursday 13 July 2023, 7.30 pm, Llanfyllin Workhouse

Ensemble Renard: Informal session: Arnold’s Sea Shanties; Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess and more too.

Friday 14 July 2023, 7.30pm, St Myllin’s Church

Ensemble Renard: Mozart’s Serenade No. 12; Imogen Holst’s Suite for wind quartet and Nielsen’s wind quintet; Mendelssohn’s Lieder ohne Worte No.1

Saturday 15 July 2023, 7.30 pm, St Myllin’s Church

New Allegri: Schubert’s Quartettsatz, Beethoven’s Harp quartet Op 74 and Ravel’s quartet .

Sunday 16 July 2023, 7.30 pm, St Myllin’s Church

Ieuan Jones and Rhodri Prys Jones: Harp and song recital, including a new Liszt transcription by Ieuan and songs by Schubert

TICKETS

Buy online at https://www.tickettailor.com/events/ydolyddllanfyllinworkhouse or at the door, subject to availability

Or buy in person at Rowanthorn in Oswestry.

CONTACT

Margaret Clennett, Festival Chair: sec.llanfyllinfestival@gmail.com