Penarth Chamber Music Festival has launched its Tenth Anniversary Festival programme, described as its most ambitious summer programme to date and including a star-studded international line-up.

This year's event will take place from Thursday, 27 June to Sunday, 30 June.

And the festival will include a world première from celebrated Welsh composer and pianist Huw Watkins, announced as 2024 Composer-in-residence.

Alongside its well-known line up of resident Penarth and Cardiff musicians, this year, the Festival welcomes instrumentalists from across the UK and beyond for four days of concert activity to appeal to all.

In 2014, the newly-refurbished Penarth Pier Pavilion hosted the first Penarth Chamber Music Festival concerts with cellist Alice Neary and violinist David Adams.

Over the last decade, the two Penarth-based musicians and co-artistic directors have grown the Festival beyond recognition.

While based at Penarth Pier Pavilion, this year, the Festival will celebrate with a day of concerts, talks and art at RWCMD culminating in a Gala Concert featuring Rebecca Evans CBE, Carlo Rizzi and Samuel West alongside the festival musicians.

David Adams

Co-Artistic director, David Adams, said: "We are so excited to be celebrating this momentous milestone with a world première and other thrilling collaborations bringing international artists to Penarth and Cardiff."

The Tenth Anniversary features a diverse array of programmes, welcoming artists from across the UK including tenor, James Gilchrist horn player, Ben Goldscheider, and conductor Carlo Rizzi.

The programme also includes an exciting new collaboration with superstar folk musicians from Welsh bands Vri and Calan - Patrick Rimes and Aneurin Evans at the Friday late night concert at Penarth Pier Pavilion.

To mark the celebratory year, the critically-acclaimed Huw Watkins joins the roster of musicians across the Festival weekend.

Saturday, 29 June will see the première performance of his new string trio, written for the Festival, at Dora Stoutzker Hall, Cardiff.

The trio will be premièred by Alice Neary (cello), David Adams (violin) alongside 21-year-old violist Isobel Neary-Adams, who appears at this year's Festival as Young-Musician-in-Residence.

The Festival has confirmed actor Samuel West, (star of All Things Great and Small, 2020, and known for Howards End,1992, Van Helsing, 2004, and Notting Hill, 1999) will perform two narrations as part of the programme.

Firstly, in a new text setting by Sir David Pountney accompanying Strauss's final scene of his opera Capriccio, alongside soprano and Festival patron, Rebecca Evans CBE.

Secondly, at the finale concert, he will recite the Byron poem of the same title in Schoenberg's political Ode to Napoleon Bonaparte at Penarth Pier Pavilion on Sunday 30 June.

The Festival is committed to providing performance opportunities to showcase some of the area's finest young musicians in recitals taking place on Thursday, 27 June (3.30pm) at Turner House Gallery and Sunday, 30 June (12.30pm) at Penarth Pier Pavilion.

The Festival has also launched its first Composers' Workshop competition, seeking responses to Huw Watkin's new commission for the Festival.

Successful candidates will have their pieces workshopped by Huw Watkins and Cardiff-based, South African composer Robert Fokkens at Penarth Pier Pavilion on 26 June.

The Festival is offering free of charge concerts for families and young people.

Lenny Sayers

Party!, this year's Family Concert at Penarth Pier Pavilion on Sunday, 30 June (10.30am), will be presented by Lenny Sayers and features pupils from Albert Road Primary School, Penarth.

Festival musicians will also give a special Relaxed concert for those with special education needs and their carers on Wednesday, 26 June, performing repertoire from the main programme in a safe and inclusive environment.

The Festival, a charity, is supported by Friends of the Festival, Colwinston Charitable Trust, Gwendoline and Margaret Davies Charity, Foyle Foundation, The Lottery Fund, Tŷ Cerdd, Cavatina Chamber Music Trust, Arts Council Wales, The Darkley Trust, Leche Trust and Gibbs Trust.

The full 2024 Festival Programme can be viewed via this link.