Ben jazzes it up
Band brings a high-octane flavour to a festival of harp music
HARP sensation Ben Creighton Griffiths will be jazzing things up at a top music festival. Ben and his band, the Transatlantic Hot Club, who play high octane “gypsy jazz” will be taking centre stage at the prestigious Wales Harp Festival at Galeri Caernarfon.
The two-day event will be making a welcome return on April 12 and 13 after the Covid-19 pandemic forced its cancellation two years ago and transforming itself into a virtual event in 2021.
Another major highlight will be the world premiere of a new work by the acclaimed composer Mared Emlyn, from Llanrwst.
Both she and Ben will also hold workshops and tutorials on composition, jazz and improvisation for aspiring harpists during the festival.
Under the artistic direction of Elinor Bennett, the festival combines concerts with master classes and workshops, offering harpists of all ages and abilities the opportunity of learning from some of the best performers in the world.
The Festival Concert on April 13 features one of the UK’s foremost young harpists, Gwenllian Llyr, who commissioned the new piece by Mared Emlyn, with support from City Music Foundation and Tŷ Cerdd.
Elinor said it had been due to be performed at the 2020 festival which had to be cancelled because of the pandemic.
“At last the piece can be heard and in public too where it rightfully belongs,” she said.
Mared is looking forward to hearing the eight minute long piece being played by Swansea-born Gwenllian in front of an audience.
“It is a piece in two movements based on the legend of Melangell from the Mabinogion tales which date back to the Middle Ages.
“I like to bring these stories to life when I perform, it’s really important,” said Mared.
A harpist and composer and tutor at Bangor University and Canolfan Gerdd William Mathias, Mared, won the Urdd National Eisteddfod’s Chief Composition medal for her work
Perlau yn y Glaw (Pearls in the Rain) for solo harp in 2011.
She has received a number of composition commissions and a work for the Bangor Music Festival was premiered by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.
Another piece, a harp concerto, was performed by the Welsh Chamber Orchestra at the Beaumaris Festival with Mared herself as the soloist.
Full details of the festival programme can be found at the website: www.walesharpfestival.co.uk.
Figures from the Great Britain Tourism Survey showed that camping and caravanning account for 34% of Wales’ entire tourism sector, far more than it does in England (20%) and Scotland (21%)