Fishguard music festival set to captivate Pembrokeshire

Today marks the start of the 46th annual Fishguard International Music Festival. Now a global event, it attracts some of the most talented artists from all over the world.

The 12-day event continues in the Welsh town until 30 July. Started by joint artistic directors Peter Donohoe and Gillian Green, the event brings together orchestras, opera singers, soloists and chamber ensembles. To highlight the event, there will be orchestral concerts from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, members of Orchestra of Welsh National Opera, Sinfonia Cymru and National Youth Orchestra of Wales.

Located on Pembrokeshire’s northern coast, the event has put the area on the international map. All of the concerts and performance are a short drive from your holiday cottages in Pembrokeshire. The festival is the perfect way to celebrate Wales in the summertime.

As part of this year’s programme, there will be a staged production of Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel. There will also be chamber music from Donohoe, Alissa Margulis, Per Nystrom, Maggini Quartet and La Mer Trio. There will also be choral music from the John S Davies Singers.

Venues for the event include St David’s Cathedral, St Peter’s Church in Goodwick, and Oak Hall at Rhosygilwen. All of the sites are praised for their beauty and acoustic strength.

Other highlights of the event are visits from the Hungarian violinist Roby Lakatos. The BBC National Orchestra of Wales will perform under the direction of principal conductor Thomas Sondergard. The Welsh National Opera Orchestra is happy to welcome up and coming Czech conductor Tomas Hanus.

The festival concludes with two performances by Donohoe and Roscoe. On the last day, 30 July, they will perform in an afternoon recital of the works by Beethoven. The show closes in an evening concert of the original version of Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du Printemps.

For a complete programme, please visit the festival website.

Image Credit: Alastair Campbell (flickr.com)