A brief history of the Gŵyl Beaumaris Festival
It was from a piano stool in the ballroom of the Bulkeley Hotel in Beaumaris in1985 that the idea of an arts festival was conceived. Anthony Hose (the festival’s founder) was asked by the Anglesey ‘Friends of the Welsh National Opera’ to give a recital there and he was so impressed by the stunning views of Snowdonia and the Menai Strait from the hotel ballroom’s windows that it led him to believe this would be an ideal setting for an arts festival. Having successfully helped to establish the Buxton Festival seven years earlier, he was quick to realise the potential. Sounding out this idea on some friends in the area it was met with such enthusiasm that from piano stool in 1985 to the May bank holiday week in 1986 the Beaumaris Festival was born.
The first step was the establishment of a festival work force and modus operandi, and some forty volunteers were soon enlisted from which a Chair and committee were formed. Anthony Hose became the artistic director and the Marquess of Anglesey accepted the role of patron. A national press campaign officially launched the festival on the 28th February 1986 and on Thursday 29th May at 7.30 in the Parish Church of St Mary & St Nicholas the very first festival performance was given. Entitled ‘Home Sweet Home’, it was performed by the celebrated Welsh harpist Elinor Bennett with William Bennett (flute) Anthony Hose (piano) and Welsh soprano Meinir Williams. BBC Radio Three recorded the event.
The first festival programme lasted for four days and included the renowned pianist Dame Moura Lympany. The BBC Radio’s Women’s Hour was broadcast live from the Bulkeley Hotel ballroom and featured a special interview with a young, Welsh singing sensation from Anglesey by the name of Aled Jones. The Festival ended on a high note with a choral concert by Côr Meibion y Traeth and a jazz evening in the Bulkeley Hotel ballroom with the Keith Pendlebury All Stars. All in all, the festival received rave reviews.
In July 1986 a Society of festival Friends was formed and which is still active today. Over the years the support provided by the Friends has played a crucial role in the successful continuation and development of the Festival.
The Church of St Mary and Nicholas was the Festival’s first home but in 1990 the Canolfan Beaumaris underwent a complete ‘make-over’ with the large gym being reworked to double up as a concert venue and this has been the Festival’s principal venue ever since.
Over the ensuing years many celebrated artists have appeared at the Festival including: Pianists Dame Moura Lympany, Jacques Loussier, Llyr Williams, Lucy Parham & Clare Hammond; Baritone Sir Geraint Evans; Sopranos Victoria de los Angeles, Rosemary Joshua, Rita Cullis, Felicity Lott, Helen Field & Maria Ewing; Tenors Jeffrey Talbot, Stuart Burrows, Tito Beltran & Denis O’Neill; Harpists Elinor Bennett, Osian Ellis & Catrin Finch; Instrumentalists Michala Petri (recorder); Czaba Onczay, David Bjella & Raphael Wallfisch (cello); Pierre Amoyal, Jonathan Carney & David Juritz (violin); Jesus Alfonzo (viola); Gordon Hunt (oboe); Jens Lindemann (trumpet); Janet Hilton & Emma Johnson (Clarinet); Halle Brass Ensemble; Craig Ogden, Adrian Legg, (guitar); String quartets -Sacconi, Carducci; Jazz artists Acker Bilk, The Temperance Seven, Alan Price, Brian Ferry, Long John Baldry, Humphrey Lyttelton, George Melly, Chris Barber, Ronnie Scott, Jacque Dankworth, Terry Lightfoot & Tina May; Actors Prunella Scales, Timothy West, Sir Roy Strong, Joanna David, Martin Jarvis & Roger Gartland; Choirs Russian State Choir, Sydney Male Voice Choir, Rhyl Festival Choir, Rhos Orpheus MVC, London Welsh MVC ; Comedy Jo Caulfield, Tudur Owen & Mike Doyle.
Festival Young artists: The Festival prides itself on its continuing commitment to provide opportunities to major young talent through its series of Young Artists Recitals - and which is immensely popular with festival goers. Many of these young artists have gone onto major careers including – sopranos Rebecca Evans, Fflyr Wyn, Simona Mihai & Sarah Jane Brandon, tenors Gwyn Hughes Jones & Ben Johnson; baritone Jeremy Huw Williams, bass Jonathan Lemalu; euphonium David Childs, trumpeter Alison Balsom; violinist Jennifer Pike; harpist Catrin Finch; pianists Martin James Bartlett & Ellis Thomas;
Orchestral: The Manchester Camerata was the resident orchestra until 1991 when the Welsh Chamber Orchestra took over and they have performed at every festival since then. From the mid 1990s, the Beaumaris Festival has been committed to including/commissioning new orchestral works especially by Welsh composers and these include:
1998 Bill Connor Cello Concerto premiere
1999 William Mival ‘Gift of Life’ for soprano and strings premiere
2000 Rhian Samuel Piece of harp and strings new work
2003 Julian Phillips Dance fragment No 1 premiere
2004 Geraint Lewis Sea Requiem – for the Welsh Chamber Orchestra Festival Commission
2005 Huw Wakins Anthem – for the Welsh Chamber Orch Festival Commission
2006 Huw Warren ‘Strung up’ - Concerto for 2 violins & harp Festival commission
2007 Christopher Painter ‘Spirit Dances’ premiere
2008 Geraint Lewis ‘Cantre’r Gwaelod’ for Orchestra & choir Festival Commission
2011 Cecilia McDowell ‘Tales from South America’- baritone, violin & orch Premiere
2014 Roger Steptoe 4 Shakespeare sonnets for baritone & strings Welsh premiere
2015 John Hywel ‘Scenes from Anglesey’ for pianist Clare Hammond Festival Commission
2015 Colin Tommis ‘Tales of Daring Do’ orchestral work Premiere
2016 Geraint Lewis Shakespeare Sonnets World Premiere
2017 Eleanor Alberga The Soul’s Expression for chamber orchestra World Premiere
Mared Emlyn Stratus/Cirrus for harp & orchestra World Premiere
2018 Hilary Tann Melangell Variations Premiere
2019 Nathan James Dearden I sleep alone Premiere
David Gordon & Craig Ogden (i) Il Filo (ii) Snapshots Welsh Premiere
Shinji Inagi Journey through the heart of Hitomaro Welsh Premiere
(i) Longing (ii) Melancholy (iii) Uncertainty (iv) Nostalgia
2020 Nicola Lefanu Triptych (part of the 2020 virtual Festival) World Premiere
2021 Nathan James Dearden Pedair Căn o Forgannwg New Commission
2022 Paul Mealor Symphony No 4 At the haunted End of the day 1st perf in Wales
Gareth Olubumni Hughes ‘Shipping Forecast’ WCO commission
2023 KJ Nakao He Wishes His Beloved Were Dead 1st UK performance
Shinji Inagi Journey through the heart of Hitomoro 1st Ik performance
Art Exhibitions: initially these were open to local artists to submit work and former judges included Sir Kyffin Williams, Audrey Hind and William Selwyn. In 2000 it was decided to concentrate on just one artist - especially those from within Wales.
· Ishbel McWhirter RCA 2003 – “A thoroughly un-English palate”
· Joan Connell RCA 2004
· Jeremy Yates RCA 2005
· David Jones RCA 2007 - “Exploration’s the thing”
· Helen Lopez 2008 - “themes of Landscape, Time, and Environment”
· Val Hunt 2009 – “Reincarnated Rubbish”
· Anna Howarth 2010 – “Fairy Tales, Fear and Fantasy” (paper-cut images)
· Peter Williams 2012 – “Plankton Shape & Design an inspiration for art and design”
· Alison Mercer 2013 – “Ancestral Song”
· Clare Calder-Marshall & Alison Englefield 2014 – “Fragments of the Past”
· Ann Catrin Evans 2015 (Metals) Jonathan Fairbairn (Ceramics) Dave Stephen (slate) – “From the Earth”
· Diane Metcalfe, Mathew Snowden, Jacob Buckland 2016
· Andrew Logan 2017
· David Jones RCA 2018 – “Women in the Arts”
· Hilke MacIntyre 2019 - “ Linocuts”
· Virtual Festival 2020 No art exhibition
· Shan Eccles 2021
· Will Rowlands RCA 2022
· Gilly Thomas RCA 2023
Over the ensuing years, hundreds of volunteers have given their time and commitment in support of the festival. There are too many to name individually but, without this flow of support the festival would not be here. With time however, changes have inevitably occurred as the Festival has grown and developed, including establishing outreach programmes with local schools and holding a virtual festival in 2020 during the pandemic lockdown. But, three things remain constant: (1) the ongoing commitment of the festival’s artistic director (2) the festival’s continued belief in bringing live performances of the highest calibre both nationally and internationally to North Wales; (3) the Society of Festival Friends.