For more than 30 years we have promoted arts and educational activities, integrating them into the community of Presteigne and the surrounding area of mid Wales and the borders.
Our exciting programme of events includes performances by well known musicians, inspiring talks, films, and workshops for children and adults. BECOME A FRIEND OF MID BORDER ARTS
Music Lessons is a book about the cathartic power of music. For award-winning author and composer Stephen Johnson, there have been moments when music has confronted him with life-changing insights. Some of those have been hard to accept, but once accepted they have opened up new possibilities of thinking, feeling and living. Through an exploration of seven pieces – by J S Bach, Beethoven, Lili Boulanger, Bruckner, Rachmaninov, Sibelius and Wagner – Johnson considers the lives and the intentions of the composers who created them, and how they have affected him personally.
Three leading poets – Samantha Wynne Rhydderch, Michèle Roberts and Mari Ellis Dunning – will read from their most recent work in what promises to be a lively and enjoyable event. They will also take part in a panel discussion, chaired by Nicholas Murray – co-publisher of Presteigne-based poetry imprint Rack Press – to discuss contemporary poetry written by women.
Dr Sioned Davies introduces us to Lady Charlotte Guest, one of the most formidable women of the 19th century. Originally from Lincolnshire, she married the ironmaster John Guest and moved to Dowlais, South Wales, where she became a successful businesswoman and an educational reformer. She is best remembered for her translation into English of the tales of The Mabinogion. Her journal, which she kept for almost 70 years, gives a fascinating insight into the world of the 19th century. Interwoven with descriptions of balls at Buckingham Palace and riots at Merthyr are the tensions, the questions, the doubts and the joys of this extraordinary woman.
Jo Comino, long-time cinema writer and reviewer, programmer, teacher and now marketing manager for Borderlines Film Festival, introduces the first film in a season devoted to the celebrated New Zealand director Jane Campion ahead of tonight’s screening.
In the Cut (2003) is a taut psychological thriller starring Meg Ryan, Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Kevin Bacon. Adapted by Campion from Susanna Moore’s novel, the film focuses on an introvert New York English professor who becomes personally entangled with a detective investigating a series of gruesome murders in her Manhattan neighbourhood.
Classified 18 (suitable only for those aged 18 and over)
Composer, educator and Festival Vice-President Thomas Hyde leads an engaging panel discussion with composers Cheryl Frances-Hoad, Electra Perivolaris, Lynne Plowman, Claire Victoria Roberts and Mathilde Wantenaar. They talk about their new violin and piano works – musical responses to Prokofiev’s charming Five Melodies, originally imagined as soprano vocalises and later reworked for violin and piano by the composer himself.
The Velvet Violin returns with a relaxed, cabaret style evening that features songwriter/accordionist/singer Louisa Jones and clarinettist and saxophonist Ewan Bleach performing as Whiskey Moon Face as well as the actual band Little Rumba, rather than just a picture of them on the website (sorry about that) and of course the legendary Velvet Violin Quiz.
Described as “one of Wales’s leading composers” by Wales Arts Review, Claire Victoria Roberts is a vocalist, violinist and composer taking traditional Welsh song in a new direction.
In collaboration with virtuosic strings, she performs folk songs and traditional music from both Wales and Argentina (where, in Patagonia, there is a Welsh- speaking community.) The music blends lush harmonies with vocal improvisation and lilting melodies.
Join BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award winner Maddie Morris, described by Jim Moray as “leading the next generation of socially conscious songwriters” on their autumn tour for an intimate and thought-provoking live experience.
Maddie’s music explores how personal narratives in song can hold deep political importance. Folk songs have always told stories, but Maddie makes their mark by turning storytelling into action, creating work that is both deeply personal and quietly transformative.
As the year tilts toward winter and the clocks go back, join award-winning author/storyteller Daniel Morden for an afternoon steeped in folklore. Hear tales gathered from misty hills, moonlit crossroads, and the timeless storytelling traditions of these islands.
Oliver Bullough is an award-winning author and journalist who writes about financial crime. His latest book, Everybody Loves Our Dollars, tells the story of the world's efforts to stop money laundering, and the reason why they've failed.
Described by KLOF Magazine as “one of the most exciting and accomplished English folk acts on the scene right now”, this outstanding trio can hold audiences in the palm of their hand. The trio have been heralded for their lively performances and skilled delivery of traditional material, playing with verve, energy and their own inimitable style. Though grounded in tradition, they are keen to push new boundaries by exploring fresh approaches and writing their own compositions.
Mid Wales Opera presents a full evening of Italian opera, opening with Puccini’s brilliant, one-act comedy Gianni Schicchi. Brimming with energy and including one of Puccini’s best-loved arias “O mio babbino caro” this jewel of a piece is followed by a second half feast of popular Italian music presented by MWO’s 15-strong company of singers and musicians.
Mae Opera Canolbarth Cymru yn cyflwyno noson lawn o opera Eidalaidd, gan agor gyda chomedi un act wych Puccini Gianni Schicchi. Yn orlawn o egni ac yn cynnwys un o ariâu mwyaf poblogaidd Puccini “O mio babbino caro”, dilynir y perl hwn o ddarn gan wledd yn yr ail hanner o gerddoriaeth Eidalaidd boblogaidd a gyflwynir gan griw o 15 o gantorion ac offerynnwyr OCC.
