Arts Council of Wales, supported by the Welsh Government, has put together a strong programme of music acts and an award-winning exhibition. The main festival programme includes appearances by Only Boys Aloud, NoGood Boyo, harpist Cerys Hafana and Welsh language rock duo Alffa. They will also be performing at the Pavillon Brythonique alongside folk trio VRï, Gwilym Bowen Rhys, Lily Beau and a return for AVANC, the National Youth Folk Ensemble of Wales. The programme will also feature three collaborations as part of a project called Kan An Tann, with Cerys Hafana, Gwilym Bowen Rhys and Shamoniks (Sam Humphreys) and three Breton musicians, Léa, Nolween Korbell and Krismenn. An exhibition of work by Daniel Trivedy, Welsh Emergency Blankets, which one the Gold Medal at the National Eisteddfod in 2019, will be displayed in the Euro Celtic Art exhibition.
Antwn Owen-Hicks, Delegation Leader for Wales and project manager for the Welsh Government backed presence said: "Once again, we’re presenting a strong programme of artists that reflects the ongoing confidence and development in our music and culture. The programme has a strong focus on young people and collaborations with our cousins in Brittany, ahead of a shared showcase of music from Wales and Brittany at Celtic Connections in Glasgow in January 2023.”
UNESCO designated 2022 as the start of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages. The Arts Council of Wales is supporting the Welsh Government to raise the profile of the Welsh language and other indigenous languages by uniting with UNESCO to protect and celebrate the wide variety of indigenous languages around the world. Our programme at Lorient will feature Welsh language and Breton language artists, performing in a variety of styles and genres, to highlight our vibrant language.
The programme at the Pavillon Brythonique, shared with our Cornish cousins, provides visitors with an opportunity to listen to music performances throughout the day and into the late hours and to learn more about Wales, our culture and tourism opportunities.
AVANC is a project run by trac, Wales’ folk development agency, which is supporting the band’s performances at the festival, as well as running the Kan An Tann collaboration project.
The Wales in Lorient programme will be managed by Cardiff-based production company Orchard, who will also be making a one-hour programme about the festival for S4C.
Ends
Editor’s Notes
Wales will be represented in Lorient by:
Alffa
AVANC
Cerys Hafana
Gwilym Bowen Rhys
Lily Beau
NoGood Boyo
Only Boys Aloud
Shamoniks
VRï
AVANC & Kan An Tann
AVANC is twelve young traditional musicians who have come together to create Wales’ first National Youth Folk Ensemble, initiated and run by trac Cymru.
Kan An Tann is also a trac Cymru project, supported by the British Council in Wales and Tafwyl.
For further information: Tim Powell (Orchard) 07939 571553