"Musicians from all over the world will be gathering in Aberystwyth at the end of July for Aberystwyth's annual classical music festival, MUSICFEST.
The festival comes of age in 2008, celebrating its 21st birthday with a wonderful line up of internationally renowned musicians who will be in residence at the festival from Saturday 26 July to Saturday 2 August 2008.
The event is an enticing mix of music festival and summer school. The Summer School offers young and up and coming music students an opportunity to study intensively with leading professionals - this year students from Wales, the UK and as far afield as Mexico and the USA are coming together for the week-long courses for string players, clarinet, saxophone, composition, brass, vocal and piano students.
The Summer School is unique in offering organised, structured coaching, as well as superb learning experiences through the festival of concerts given by the tutors themselves (as resident artists all of them are leading performers as well as inspirational teachers).
Throughout the week the artists in residence can be found coaching ensembles, leading workshops, giving masterclasses and performing in the Festival concerts.
Students also have the opportunity to perform in public and enjoy free entry to all festival events. For one week everyone lives, breathes and dreams music!
The daily evening and lunchtime festival concerts, together with student foyer performances and impressive student showcase concerts at the end of the week are powerful reminders of the rejuvenating effect of listening to live music of such a high calibre.
Artists performing during the 2008 festival include The Sacconi Quartet, pianist Tom Poster, stunning cellist Guy Johnston, clarinettist and Musicfest artistic director David Campbell , the Solstice Quartet, the Aurora Orchestra who will also be performing a special concert for younger audiences, the National Youth Choir of Wales and more.
Concerts take place in many venues throughout the town including Aberystwyth Arts Centre (the home of the festival), Joseph Parry Hall, Llanbadarn Church - performers will even pop up in Ceredigion Museum and the Bandstand, so musicians will be appearing in every corner of the town!
Locally, a group of supporters called the Friends of Musicfest, have been working tirelessly to support the festival - by fundraising for bursary places to support individual students attending Musicfest who may not otherwise be able to afford to do so, and in helping promote and support the festival programme.
Their support, together with the financial support of Ceredigion County Council and Aberystwyth University is invaluable to the festival, and helps make the whole event possible.
Full information about Musicfest is available from Aberystwyth Arts Centre - call the ticket office on 01970 62 32 32 or browse the website listedto the right of this page. Make the most of this fantastic festival and experience some wonderful performances!"
Article by Louise Amery
