The idea for Ensemble Cymru grew out of a chamber music performance held in the north Wales village of Cilcain to raise funds for a famine in Africa in 1993. The idea grew and developed going through a series of names until the charity was established in 2002.
Since then we have enjoyed hundreds of concerts, performances and opportunities working with communities across Wales. Some highlights include:
Quartet for the End of Time project featured by Sioe Gelf on S4C working with secondary schools, the United Nations Association and the Education Centre at Bangor University working with young people and their responses to the holocaust.
The first commercially available Welsh language recording of Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf narrated by Rhys Ifans. The production was featured at peak viewing time on Christmas Day and New Year’s day by Welsh language television channel S4C.
International Cultural Exchange with Rumansch speaking community and youth choir in Graubunden in Switzerland and choirs in north Wales supported by the British Embassy in Berne.
A residency in a Llandudno Primary school described as a blue-print for innovative and high-quality school and cultural partnerships
We are passionate about music and over the years, we have really focussed on the difference that we can make to communities across Wales. We believe that everyone should be able to access outstanding music wherever they are. That’s why we choose to perform in towns, villages and cities across Wales, meeting new audiences, working with new partners, sharing our music in schools, supporting emerging musicians and composers.
We want everyone to have the opportunity to be inspired, to learn something new, to share experiences and ideas with our musicians, to co-create with us and connect with new people.
Photo credit © Crown copyright (2021) Wales
