North Wales International Music Festival
10 - 19 September 2026
Artistic Director’s Welcome
Welcome to the North Wales International Music Festival 2026. This year, we gather under the theme Macrocosm: Music and Conservation, exploring the profound interconnectedness of our natural world and the role that music can play in deepening our understanding of it. Inspired by the idea that all things are connected—from the smallest living organism to the vast systems that sustain our planet—our programme invites audiences to reflect on humanity’s place within nature and the responsibility we share for its future.
We are delighted to open this year’s festival with one of Wales’s most celebrated artists, Sir Bryn Terfel, joined by pianist Ellis Thomas, in an evening of music and conversation reflecting on a remarkable international career. Throughout the festival, audiences will encounter artists whose work responds to landscapes, cultures and communities from across the world. Canadian violinist Jack Campbell and Welsh composer-pianist Pwyll ap Siôn, performing as Duologue, present a programme that spans Bach, Philip Glass and Arvo Pärt, alongside new works inspired by endangered birds and traditional folk melodies. The internationally acclaimed vocal ensemble The Gesualdo Six brings its celebrated blend of Renaissance and contemporary repertoire, while our co-commissioned opera with JAM on the Marsh, The Lost Boy, by Jago Thornton and Anastasia Bruce-Jones, explores identity, grief, environmental change and belonging within a fictional Welsh fishing community.
The festival continues with a celebration of local musical excellence as the Denbighshire Music Co-operative revisits its historic participation in the Royal Maundy celebrations through performances by its ensembles and young musicians. Audiences will also enjoy the atmospheric sounds of Welsh songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Tom Mason, performing as Denuo.
Supporting the next generation of musical talent remains central to our mission, and we are proud to host the Pendine Young Musician of Wales Final, recorded for BBC Radio Cymru, with distinguished judges Professor Helena Gaunt, Iwan Llewelyn-Jones and Alun Jones, alongside a special performance by pianist Rufus Edwards. Young audiences and families are invited to experience Peter and the Wolf with NEW Sinfonia, conducted by Robert Guy and narrated by Zeb Soanes with BSL Interpretation, in a concert that celebrates the wonders of the natural world while introducing three new commissions inspired by the endangered Red Squirrel, Pine Marten and Snowdon Leaf Beetle from Michael Cheng, Anthony White and Gemma McGregor.
The festival’s commitment to cultural exchange is reflected in the appearance of Panedeni, whose unique fusion of Welsh and Arabic musical traditions demonstrates the power of music to transcend borders and connect communities. Our exploration of conservation continues beyond the concert platform through conversations and reflections, including Mario Kreft MBE’s illustrated discussion of gorilla conservation in Rwanda and Kenya, and an afternoon with the distinguished poet and playwright Professor Menna Elfyn, whose words have enriched Welsh cultural life for decades.
One of the highlights of the festival will be the return of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conducted by Tianyi Lu, with harpist Alis Huws and violinist Thomas Mathias. Their programme journeys through Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending, the world premiere of a new dramatic harp concerto by Cameron Biles-Liddell, Nature’s Dance, commissioned by the festival in association with the BBC, and Beethoven’s beloved Pastoral Symphony—a landmark musical meditation on the beauty and power of nature. The festival atmosphere continues into the evenings through our Songwriter Showcase with The Lighted Stage, community music-making opportunities, and a range of fringe events that bring performers and audiences together in celebration.
Our closing weekend reflects the festival’s belief that music belongs to everyone. Young musicians will take part in Steps in Music, while our final concert sees the acclaimed choirs Encôr and Hen Nodiant unite for the first time, performing music ranging from Welsh folk song to Karl Jenkins’ The Peacemakers and Fauré’s Requiem. The festival concludes with a North Wales Comedy Night, bringing our ten-day celebration to a joyful close.
Alongside these performances, we are proud to support an ambitious programme of community projects, including our ever-popular Tots & Children’s Concert and Dementia Friendly Concert, visual art and music collaborations led by Sioned Webb, Ben Davis and Jude Wood, and outreach work with specialist schools, care settings, hospitals and community groups with Live Music Now Cymru throughout North Wales.
A big thank you to all our generous grant funders, sponsors and supporters who give so much. Mario & Gill Kreft and the Pendine Arts and Community Trust, the Arts Council of Wales, Colwinston Charitable Trust, Scops Arts Trust, Tŷ Cerdd, St Asaph City Council, Salisburys Chartered Accountants, and all our festival friends and private donors.
As we celebrate music’s ability to inspire wonder, foster understanding and strengthen communities, we invite you to join us in reflecting on the intricate connections that bind us to one another and to the world we share. We hope that this year’s festival offers moments of beauty, discovery and inspiration, and reminds us that through creativity, collaboration and care, we can all play a part in sustaining the wider macrocosm of which we are a part.
Welcome to the North Wales International Music Festival 2026.
Paul Mealor LVO CStJ
Artistic Director
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