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Wales at the Lorient Interceltic Festival 2011

Welsh Music

The Festival Interceltique de Lorient, the worlds leading festival of Celtic music and dance, attracted around 650,000 visitors over ten days and sold 111,000 tickets. The theme for 2011 was Year of the Celtic Diaspora, with a spotlight on the Celtic peoples whove made their homes in other parts of the world but still hold fast to their traditions and languages.

With financial support from the Wales Millennium Centre, Arts Council of Wales, Wales Arts International and Cerdd Cymru Music Wales, we were able to present an enhanced and exciting line-up of performers interpreting our rich traditions in a wide variety of styles.

The Welsh music programme included well established performers Fernhill, Yr Hwntws and Robin Huw Bowen, as part of the main festival programme, performing at a variety of venues to large and very appreciative audiences. Fernhills concert in the Palais de Congrs was sensitive and beautiful and Yr Hwntws gave a storming, energetic performance at the Espace Bretagne. Robin Huw Bowen, ambassador for the Welsh triple harp, charmed and wowed audiences throughout the week, culminating in the Soire de la Harpe, attended for the first time by the French Culture Minister.

The enhanced Welsh programme included the stunning vocals of singer songwriter Lleuwen, performing in Welsh and Breton, and the sublime new harp and fiddle duo DnA (Delyth and Angharad Jenkins) both performing in the new Dme des Diasporas. To tie in with the Year of the Diaspora we showed three films from Wales, Patagonia, Hollywood Gaucho and Separado! followed by an amazing solo performance of Welsh Patagonian music by singer songwriter Ren Griffiths.

The 80-strong Pendyrus Male Choir from the Rhondda also performed throughout the week, in the Nuits Interceltique as well as a stunning concert of sacred music in Eglise Saint Louis to the largest ever audience at the venue.

The Festival Interceltique de Lorient continues to be a unique opportunity to showcase Waless rich cultural traditions and offers a great opportunity for Welsh artists to perform on a significant international stage alongside our Celtic cousins.

updated by @carreg-lafar: 11/11/15 10:37:50PM

Wales at Lorient Interceltic Festival 2010

Welsh Music

Young Welsh folk band Calan won first prize in the folk group competition at this year's Interceltic Festival in Lorient on its 40th anniversary. Fifteen groups from the other Celtic regions took part and Calan won the unanimous decision of the judges to take first prize.

Calan were also performing as part of the Wales delegation, supported by the Welsh Assembly Government, for this celebratory year, along with contemporary Celtic folk band Mabon; also performing were Parti Cut Lloi, a male voice folk choir from Montgomeryshire led by singer and harpist Sin James, Dawnswyr Nantgarw, one of Wales' top traditional folk dance teams and harpist and singer, Gwenan Gibbard. The visual arts were also represented by painters Neil Carroll and Sarah Carter, through the support and sponsorship of Cynon Valley Museum and Gallery.

Calan's success rounded off an excellent week for the Welsh performers at the annual Celtic gathering, the largest to date - an estimated 800,000 people visited the small Breton city over the ten days. The quality of the Welsh musicians, dancers and artists lifted the profile of Wales and audiences showed their appreciation night after night. On Saturday 7th August, Parti Cut Lloi, Dawnswyr Nantgarw and Gwenan Gibbard performed to 11,000 people in the opening spectacular 'Nuit Interceltique', with Mabon and Calan performing to packed venues at all their concerts. Parti Cut Lloi were also fortunate to be involved in a performance of a new symphony based on themes of Celtic music, composed by Didier Roper and performed for the first time in the festival's main 3,000- seat pavilion.

However, despite the impact made by the Welsh performers and artists, Wales was also conspicuous by the absence of a pavilion in a year when all other Celtic regions were present. Cornwall and the Isle of Man provided pavilions to present their culture and tourism, alongside the Scots, Galicians, Asturians and Irish.

Brittany was the featured region for this 40th anniversary, showcasing its enormous amount of musical and cultural talent. Next year will feature the Celtic Diaspora, Celtic peoples who have made their homes in other parts of the world like Nova Scotia, Patagonia, the United States and Australia, but still hold fast to their traditions and languages.

The ten day event closed on Sunday evening with a two-hour broadcast of the 'Nuit Interceltique' for the first time on prime-time French television, featuring the Welsh performers alongside those from the other regions. Antwn Owen Hicks, organiser for the Wales delegation, said, "After 40 years, the festival continues to go from strength to strength. It is a unique and valuable event for Wales to be involved in, for Welsh performers and artists to engage with audiences on this scale and to meet and collaborate with artists from the other Celtic regions. Long may it continue!"

www.festival-interceltique.com

www.calan-band.com

www.mabon.org

www. gwenangibbard .com

updated by @carreg-lafar: 11/11/15 10:37:36PM