Presteigne Festival (TDN 2025)
Organisation Biog: Established over 40 years ago, the Presteigne Festival has become a focal-point for those seeking musical innovation and artistic discovery in the beauty of the Welsh Marches. Internationally renowned for its commissioning of new work, support of living composers and with a long tradition for the encouragement of talented young artists, the organisation works closely with composers and performers to create and curate inspiring events for an ever-widening Festival audience and brings experience-broadening opportunities to its host community. The Presteigne Festival takes place each August, with 5 music-filled days spanning the Bank Holiday weekend.
Short Project Title: Presteigne Festival Composer Development Programme
Program Description: Demonstrating its continued commitment to contemporary music, the 2025 Presteigne Festival will welcome Jamaican-born British composer Eleanor Alberga as composer-in-residence and has also commissioned a collection of works from an extremely broad and diverse composer base – Eleanor Alberga, Kerensa Briggs, James Frances Brown, Martin Butler, Ninfea Cruttwell-Reade, Edward Gregson, Gavin Higgins, Dani Howard, David Matthews, Tayla-Leigh Payne, Huw Watkins, James B Wilson and Derri Joseph Lewis, a member of the 2025 Royal Philharmonic Society composer cohort. The organisation has also commissioned six pieces for solo harp from early career composers as part of its ‘Compose for’ scheme. The composers are afforded mentoring from composer Lynne Plowman, conductor George Vass and contemporary harp music specialists, Anne Denholm and Olivia Jageurs. After a public workshop as part of the Presteigne Festival ‘Springboard’ weekend, the pieces will be recorded for video for dissemination via the Festival’s website.