The most successful festival for many years. This is the verdict of the organisers of this year’s Fishguard International Music Festival which came to an end on Thursday 30 July.
The 46th Festival which ran from 20 – 30 July saw attendances rise by a third with sell out performances by BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Roby Lakatos, pianists Martin Roscoe and Peter Donohoe, the Darius Brubeck Quartet and near capacity audiences at many other events.
Anne Denholm
18 events were presented at venues in Fishguard, Goodwick and North Pembrokeshire including performances at St Davids, Letterston, Newport and Cilgerran. Highlights included the UK premiere by conductor Tomáš Hanus with the Welsh National Opera Orchestra at St Davids Cathedral and the visit of Hungarian violinist Roby Lakatos and his ensemble, replicating the programme they recently gave at the Sidney Opera House. The Festival also saw the harp specially made by Victor Salvi and gifted to HRH The Prince of Wales come down to West Wales from its home at Clarence House where it was performed by Anne Denholm, the newly appointed Royal Harpist at a concert at St Peter’s Church, Goodwick.
Joint Artistic Directors, Peter Donohoe CBE and Gillian Green MBE expressed their delight with both the quality of the music making and the enthusiastic responses from audiences. “In planning this year’s festival, we set out to ensure that a wide range of musical styles would be represented, from the Renaissance through to the 20th and 21st centuries,” they commented. “Also at the forefront of our planning was to bring internationally recognised orchestras, ensembles and soloists. This combination has proved to be hugely successful this year – not only in attracting new audiences but in offering both residents and visitors to Pembrokeshire concerts of the very highest quality.”
The 2015 Festival would not have been possible without the financial support of the Arts Council of Wales through National Lottery funding. The Festival was also in receipt of grants from Pembrokeshire County Council, Fishguard and Goodwick Town Council, Dinas Community Council and financial support of Western Solar, Stena Line, Melin Tregwynt, JCP Solicitors and Soroptimist International Fishguard & District Club.
Plans for next year’s Festival which will take place from 19 – 30 July 2016 are now in progress – with an eye to building on the successes of 2015.
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