There will be a Patagonian theme on the field before and after the concert when the Welsh band, Brigyn, will be appearing on the S4C stage where they will be performing songs from their current CD that’s been inspired by Patagonia.Īmong the other highlights at this year’s Eisteddfod will be the Thursday night concert when heart-throb tenor Alfie Boe will be joined on stage by Britain’s Got Talent star Jonathan Antoine. Hector said: “I have been fortunate enough to have had several choral works performed in Wales but the opportunities do not exist in Patagonia for a composer to develop the skills required to write for a symphony orchestra.” “In America because I was the Royal Harpist, they wanted to know more about the instrument and it gave me the opportunity to promote both classical music and the harp.”Īccording to Patagonian composer Hector MacDonald, whose uncle, Elvey MacDonald lives in Aberystwyth and is a former director of the Urdd youth organisation, it was a “fabulous experience” to be able to work with Catrin and a world-class symphony orchestra. It gave me the opportunity to expand my career and put the harp in the spotlight. She said: “It was a springboard for my career and I enjoyed a wonderful four years as Royal Harpist. A piece of North Wales in Patagonia.”Ĭatrin, who graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in 2002, says she will always be grateful to Prince Charles for asking her to become his first Royal Harpist. It’s an amazing thought that there’s a little Welsh community on the other side of the world. “I’m really looking forward to the concert. I really enjoy mopping up the special atmosphere there. “It’s remarkable that a small town in North Wales has the ability to draw so many top musicians from around the world. She said: “I last appeared at Llangollen in 2002 and I’m really looking forward to going back to what is a very special festival. “The Sounds of South America concert will be a fitting tribute the courage and the endurance of the original settlers whose legacy lives on today.”Ĭatrin’s career took off after she was named Royal Harpist to the Prince of Wales in 2000, a traditional position revived after a century-and-a-half. She has done so much to take harp music to the world and she is a wonderful classical musician and performer. “It’s always a pleasure to see a musician such as Catrin Finch take to the Eisteddfod stage. He said: “It’s wonderful that the Welsh community in Patagonia continues to thrive a century-and-a-half after it was first established. There are now many as 5,000 people in the Chubut area who still speak Welsh, and in recent years there has been a significant revival of interest in all things Welsh.Įilir Owen Griffiths, the Eisteddfod’s musical director, is delighted the anniversary of the Welsh outpost will be celebrated at the festival which starts on Tuesday, July 7, and runs until Sunday, July 12. He also considered Vancouver Island, in Canada, but eventually settled on Patagonia before around 150 people set off from Liverpool on May 28, 1865. The migration was masterminded by non-conformist minister Michael D Jones, from Llanuwchllyn, near Bala. The work has been written by composer Hector MacDonald, a fourth generation Welshman who comes from Chubut Province in Patagonia where descendants of the original settlers cling on to their Welsh identity. The concert at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod on Wednesday, July 8, where the piece will be performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales will also star former royal harpist Catrin Finch. Photos by In the Barrel Photography.World premiere of work to celebrate 150th anniversary of PatagoniaĪ new work to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Welsh colony in Patagonia in South America will have its world premiere in North Wales. Carrie Carr, Davide Casaroli, Beth Murphy Photos by In the Barrel Photography Suzanne Devine and Ali Grosslight Photos by In the Barrel Photography David Heikka, Joe Lucas Founders Hector and Emma Finch welcomed guests and shared sentimental stories about the history of the brand and more. Over 35 designers enjoyed dinner prepared by chef Arturo Avallone in an exclusive gallery that features magnificent lights by he U.K.-based brand. showroom in honor of Hector Finch’s 25th anniversary. On November 11, Harbinger and California Home+Design hosted an intimate dinner at the L.A. Out on the Town: Celebrating 25 years of Hector Finch Author: Lindsey Shook
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