St Davids Cathedral Festival celebrates its thirtieth year in 2008 with a stunning array of concerts. With appearances from some of the finest artists in the UK, the festival has built up a reputation as one of the greatest classical music festivals in Wales.

This year the festival welcomes its new Artistic Director, Alexander Mason, who has devised an exciting programme appealing to all.

The Festival opens on the afternoon of 23 May, with an educational workshop; drawing together local primary schools. The Festival will be officially launched that evening with a concert given by new jazz sensations Joe Stilgoe and Alexander L’Estrange, which will include a world premier of L’Estrange’s Festival commission. There is a further opportunity to enjoy jazz with an appearance by the Gwilym Simcock Trio on Bank Holiday Monday.

On the first Saturday, the St Davids Cathedral Choir will perform a programme of baroque favourites accompanied by The Corelli Orchestra, and the soprano soloist Natalie Clifton-Griffith will be singing J.S.Bach’s Cantata Jauchzet Gott BWV 51.

We are pleased to welcome back the illustrious organist of Westminster Abbey, James O’Donnell who will give this year’s organ recital. Celebrating the anniversary of composer Olivier Messiaen, there will also be a late night organ recital by Henry Fairs and on the Wednesday evening a rare chance to hear Messiaen’s seminal chamber music work, Quatuor pour la fin du temps.

The festival also welcomes the distinguished vocal ensemble, Ex Cathedra with one of its trail-blazing Latin-American Baroque programmes, Fire Burning in Snow and for harpsichord fans; Douglas Hollick plays J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations.

Thursday evening sees the UK’s premier clarinettist, Emma Johnson join forces with cellist Raphael Wallfisch and pianist Leon McCawley for a chamber music concert, followed by a late night performance by Alexander Mason enthralling us with an organ improvisation to the silent movie The Phantom of the Opera.

There will be lunchtime concert, this year held at St Davids Church, Whitchurch given by the violin duo, Simon Hewitt Jones & David Worswick. The BBC NOW under chief conductor Thierry Fischer, return performing works by Dvorak, Mahler, Martin and Ravel.

The Festival would not be complete without mentioning the hugely popular Young Musicians Platform featuring concerts by Young Musician of Dyfed, harpist, Llywelyn Jones and organist Sam Austin.

The Festival concludes with a Haydn’s choral masterpiece, The Creation, performed by the Festival Chorus and Orchestra under the baton of Alexander Mason; a fitting climax to this year’s week of concerts.

For further information, please contact the Administrator on 01437 720057,
e-mail: cathedralfestival@onetel.com or via the website www.stdavidscathedral.org.uk