Kabantu - Thursday 21 September, 19.30
Acclaimed ensemble Kabantu celebrate the spaces where different cultures meet. The Manchester-based acoustic quartet present eclectic, folk-inspired original music, written collaboratively.
Kabantu means "of the people" - stemming from the South African philosophy of Ubuntu: "I am who I am because of who we all are".
Kabantu’s unique style fuses global folk influences with improvisation and reminders of their classically-trained backgrounds. A line up of violin, double bass, guitar and percussion (plus added vocals, whistling, banjo and didgeridoo!) makes for a varied evening of virtuosic music making- truly original music which will transport you from a raucous Scottish ceilidh, to an Indian street market and back to a rugged Welsh coastline.
Kabantu’s programme features a variety of instrumental and vocal music including “No Change” (an original Scottish reel with a Caribbean twist), “L’etranger” (a snappy percussive piece based on a line from Albert Camus’ famous novella) and “Rhoscolyn” (a more traditional folk song melody, inspired by the Anglesey coastline).
Katie Foster - violin, whistling, vocals
Ben Sayah - guitar, vocals
Ali McMath - double bass, didgeridoo, banjo, vocals
Delia Stevens - percussion, vocals
A bilingual concert ‘Gorwelion y Gair / The Horizon of Words’ on Friday 22 September features Bro Glyndŵr & Trelawnyd Male Voice Choirs, Dee Sign BSL Choir, Welsh folk group Pedair and poet Aled Lewis Evans. Pedair’s ‘Mae ‘Na Olau’ has just been named as Welsh Language Album of the Year at the National Eisteddfod.
On Saturday 23 September, the festival’s orchestra in residence NEW Sinfonia will be joined by Welsh pianist Teleri-Siân and American violinist Tai Murray, who is described as “technically flawless… vivacious and scintillating”. Their programme features Piazzolla’s The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires and Gershwin’s An American in Paris and Rhapsody in Blue.
On Thursday 28 September Canadian-born pianist Janina Fialkowska “one of the Grandes Dames of piano playing” performs a recital of Schubert, Brahms and Chopin. Janina has enchanted audiences and critics around the world for over 40 years.
Welsh harpist Catrin Finch & Irish violinist Aoife Ní Bhriain's programme on Friday 29 September features an exquisite collection of new compositions that draw inspiration from various genres and the cultures of their home countries, taking listeners on a captivating journey on the wings of the bees across the Irish Sea.
The closing concert on Saturday 30 September takes the form of a farewell to Ann Atkinson, who is stepping down as Artistic Director after 20 years. It will feature NEW Sinfonia, NEW Voices Community Choir, soloists Lisa Dafydd soprano, Dafydd Jones tenor, Ann, an accomplished mezzo-soprano, and her husband Kevin Sharp, baritone.
There are morning concerts with classical guitarist Jonathan Richards and Ensemble Cymru. ClarinettistPeryn Clement-Evans and pianist Iwan Llewelyn-Jones present a chamber music programme inspired by poetry selected by Aled Lewis Evans on the theme of horizons.
There are also masterclasses, workshops, a Dementia Friendly and Inclusive concert with pianist Iwan Owen, and Schools and Tots concerts with improvising violinist Billy Thompson.
Tickets available from Theatr Clwyd - 01352 344101 (Mon-Sat, 10-6) and Cathedral Frames, St Asaph - 01745 582929 (Weds-Fri, 10-4). For further details about the festival programme and online bookings please visit nwimf.com.