Cowbridge Music Festival is proud to unveil plans for its 2024 Young Artist Programme, which showcases the remarkable talents of Wales’ emerging musicians.
This year’s Young Ensembles will be the Cardiff-based Bute Wind Quintet, and RWCMD graduates Quartet Draig.
Speaking about the programme, Festival Co-Artistic Director Rosalind Ventris comments: “We believe in providing a platform where promising artists can flourish, learn, and share their artistry with a wider audience. Through our Young Artist Programme, we offer performance opportunities, masterclasses, coaching sessions, and mentorship to empower these musicians with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in their musical careers. We are also proud to showcase their exceptional musicianship and invest in the future of classical music.”
Festival Co-Artistic Director Joseph Fort adds: “Each year, our Young Artist Programme brings fresh and exciting talent to the forefront. We are particularly excited to announce Bute Wind Quintet and Quartet Draig to programme this year, both of whom represent the bright future of classical music in Wales and beyond. Supporting young musicians at the start of their careers is incredibly rewarding. We look forward to working closely with these artists and helping them to achieve their full potential through our comprehensive programme.”
2024 Young Ensemble: Bute Wind Quintet
Based in Cardiff, this multi-award-winning ensemble promotes contemporary and underperformed chamber music, delivering an uncompromising artistic image to a range of audiences. In addition to their festival performance, the quintet will receive masterclasses from renowned musicians and mentorship in areas such as stage presence and the business aspects of a musical career.
2024 Young Ensemble: Quartet Draig
Quartet Draig formed in 2020 at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, won the Albion String Quartet and Bridgewood & Neitzert chamber prizes. They’ve performed at the Wigmore Hall (Cavatina Competition, Musicians Company Competition) and were Junior Quartet in Residence at the 2021 ESTA Conference. From 2021-2023, they developed creative programming at Saxon Barn with concerts on various themes to engage broader audiences.
Cowbridge Music Festival’s Young Artist Programme is supported by Mauve Cymru.
For more information about the Cowbridge Music Festival and its Young Artist Programme, visit https://cowbridgemusicfestival.co.uk/
About Cowbridge Music Festival
Cowbridge Music Festival was launched in 2010. It has since gained a place among the most exciting music festivals in Wales, offering classical music, jazz and folk at an international level for the community of Cowbridge and beyond.
Every year, the festival brings world-class musicians to perform in this beautiful market town; recent artists include Nicola Benedetti, Jacqui Dankworth, the Doric Quartet, Stile Antico, Tenebrae, Llŷr Williams, Elin Manahan Thomas, Roderick Williams and Maya Youssef. Nicola Benedetti CBE is the festival’s Patron, and Llŷr Williams is the festival’s Associate Artist.
The festival aims to make great classical music completely approachable, enjoyable and uplifting. Alongside the concerts runs an exciting and comprehensive outreach programme, which over the past decade has reached over 10,000 local pupils. Fringe performances also take place throughout the town, and numerous concerts in local care homes have ensured that live music reaches all in the local community.
The festival is proud to have the continued support of the Arts Council of Wales, as well as that of local businesses and other trusts and foundations. From its humble beginnings in 2010, the festival has now developed into a major undertaking of almost thirty events, with something for everyone.
Mission:
- Bringing international artistic excellence to the community of Cowbridge
- Inspiring, educating and challenging the next generation of musicians and music-lovers
- Creating opportunities for young talented musicians
- Making classical music accessible to all and demolishing its perceived elitist image
- Benefiting the community and putting Cowbridge on the cultural map of Great Britain
