Funding awarded to boost traditional music across Wales

Nation.Cymru staff

Seventeen projects across Wales have secured funding to help preserve and promote traditional music in local communities.

The funding from Cronfa Tradd, a Tŷ Cerdd scheme run in partnership with Arts Council of Wales, comes as a direct response to the Traditional Music Review, which highlighted the need for development of traditional music at a grassroots level.

The successful projects reflect a wide range of traditions and approaches to community music-making.

In Port Talbot and the Afan Valley, Calon Afan will expand traditional Welsh music activities through workshops, community sessions and work with tradition bearers.

Established musicians Patrick Rimes, Ayoub Boukhalfa and Awen Blandford have secured support for projects exploring Welsh traditional music, North African drumming traditions and community participation.

Meanwhile, Youth4Change Wales and WOW Wales One World Choir will develop projects promoting cultural exchange through world music traditions.

Three Mentrau Iaith – Maldwyn, Abertawe and Conwy – will strengthen traditional music activity through Welsh-language community programmes, school projects, folk clubs and music sessions.

Elsewhere, Caroline Murphy will establish the Llangollen Trad Lab as part of the Llangollen Fringe, while Angharad Owen and Canolfan Gerdd William Mathias will deliver projects aimed at widening young people’s access to traditional music.

As well as receiving funding, participants will take part in a year-long programme of shared learning, meeting regularly to exchange ideas, discuss progress and share experiences. Organisers say the sessions are intended to build stronger links between projects working in different parts of Wales.

Catryn Ramasut, Director of Arts at Arts Council of Wales, said the funding would help strengthen traditional music at a community level.

“We talk a lot about resilience and connection in the sector, but it’s projects like these that actually build it — workshops in communities, young people discovering their musical traditions, tradition bearers passing on what they know.

“The Traditional Music Review made a clear case for this kind of investment, and seeing it take shape — from Port Talbot to Llangollen, from Welsh folk clubs to North African drumming — is genuinely exciting.

“This is what a thriving, connected traditional music sector looks like.”

Breadth

Jordan Price Williams, Traditional Music Development Manager at Tŷ Cerdd, said the applications demonstrated the breadth of traditional music activity taking place across Wales.

“It has been great to see the range of ideas that came forward through Cronfa Tradd.

“The selected projects reflect the variety of work taking place across Wales, and I’m looking forward to seeing how they develop over the coming months.

“A key part of the programme is bringing participants together to share ideas and experiences, and I’m excited to see what comes from those conversations.”

More information about Cronfa Tradd is available here.