Gregynog Festival launch

The renowned Gregynog Festival is to be formally launched later this month with an evening of chamber music by the renowned Alberni String Quartet.

The festival, which takes place each year at Gregynog Hall, Tregynon, near Newtown between 15th June and 1 July, will be launched on Friday, 20th January with a special concert.

The concert, the traditional curtain-raiser for Wales’ oldest classical music festival, takes place in the Music Room at Gregynog Hall.

"This intimate setting is the ideal setting in which to enjoy the Alberni’s programme of Romantic music including Quartets by Mendelssohn, Webern and Brahms. The Alberni Quartet is regarded as one of the outstanding ensembles of our time and has toured to all parts of the globe, including the Americas, Australasia and China," said Dr Rhian Davies, Artistic Director.

"People are advised to book early to avoid disappointment as this concert always proves to be an extremely popular date in the Montgomeryshire music calendar," added Dr Davies.

The 2012 Gregynog Festival is scheduled to run from 15 June to 1 July and this season’s programme has been curated on the theme of Venice to mark 100 years since Gwendoline and Margaret Davies (original owners of Gregynog Hall) began purchasing their iconic paintings of the city which now form part of the core collection at the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff.

The headline international performers for the 2012 Festival will be announced for the first time as part of the concert on 20 January, and booking for members of the Festival’s Patrons’ Circle opens that evening with general booking to follow from 20 February.

Audience members can now choose their own seats via the Festival’s new website, www.gregynogfestival.org, and tickets can also be booked in advance by telephoning the Festival Box Office on 01686 207100. Any remaining tickets will be sold at the door on the night, subject to availability. Admission is £10 for adults and £2 for young people aged 18 and under.