Press Releases
Community opera seeks participants on Anglesey
Date:
2016-11-03Work to reconstruct one of the medieval courts of the Princes of Gwynedd, Llys Rhosyr on Anglesey, is well underway at St Fagans National History Museum, near Cardiff. Next year the people of Anglesey will be invited to participate in a brand new opera inspired by the medieval prince Llywelyn the Great. To hear more about the project, a series of workshops has been organized for locals this November at venues across the island from Tuesday 8 to Friday 12 November. (To book a place, please contact Ceri Williams at Oriel Ynys Môn on 01248 752189.)
The large-scale community project, organized by Amgueddfa Cymru, aims to encourage local choirs, schools, adult groups and historical societies to join professional soloists, actors and instrumentalists to perform in this exciting opera which will première near the original Llys Rhosyr site on Anglesey. The opera will tour around Wales in 2017 with a final performance at the reconstructed Llys Llywelyn in St Fagans once the building is complete.
A Welsh and English language opera will be created and there will be a series of events for the local community held over the next year from discussions and heritage workshops to theatre classes, opera taster sessions, costume making workshops and even equestrian activities.
Owain Rhys, Community Engagement & Participation Manager for Amgueddfa Cymru, said, “The aim of this project is to engage with the local community on Anglesey and get them involved in this exciting project. With the reconstruction work of Llys Llywelyn taking place at St Fagans, we want to share our exciting new understanding of how life at Llys Rhosyr was lived. By performing near the original site in Newborough, those participating will be able to get inside the head of Llywelyn himself; our community opera is a great way of doing this.”
Director and librettist Peter Morgan Barnes, who’s leading on the project, said, “The free autumn workshops are taster sessions demonstrating how much fun the rehearsal process will be. No previous experience of opera or music is required – we’re encouraging everyone to get involved. It’s going to be fantastic experience - a chance to discover and actively participate in opera!”
The reconstruction of the great hall from Llys Rhosyr in Anglesey, north Wales, built around 1200 AD, is one of the most exciting and challenging archaeological projects attempted in Wales. With nine-metre high stone walls and a thatched timber roof, the building of the court will provide apprenticeships and trainee placements to work with our Historic Buildings Unit. Once completed, schools and community groups from across Wales will, for the first time, be able to stay overnight at the site.
Building work continues at St Fagans National History Museum as the site undergoes the biggest redevelopment project in the history of the Museum. This has been made possible by funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), the Welsh Government and other supporters. St Fagans was awarded the largest grant ever given by the HLF in Wales in 2012 to help tell the stories of life in Wales over 200,000 years and more.
ENDS
For further information please contact Lleucu Cooke on (029) 20573175 or Lleucu.cooke@museumwales.ac.uk