Gregynog Festival

Founded in 1933, Gregynog Festival is Wales' oldest classical music festival. Benjamin Britten gave a recital during our 1972 season with Peter Pears and Osian Ellis, and our 2013 season has been curated on the theme of Great Britten. On the Friday afternoon of Benjamin Britten's 100th birthday, we are proud to make a unique contribution to the worldwide centenary celebrations by presenting songs from Friday Afternoons in the North Wales location where the cycle was composed. The performers are the tenor John Bacon and pianist Helen Mills, both Live Music Now artists. We are grateful to Walshaw Lodge for making this event possible and to John Britten for permission to show his photograph of the pupils and staff of Clive House Preparatory School which was taken in 1938. The score of Friday Afternoons is dedicated "To R H M Britten and the boys of Clive House, Prestatyn, 1934". Robert Britten, John's father and the composer's elder brother, was the School's Headmaster and is pictured fourth from the left in the second row.