The History of the Festival

In 1971 Bruno Schrecker, then the 'cellist of the Allegri String Quartet, purchased The Old White Lion in Llanfyllin, to use as a holiday home.

Peter Carter, emeritus leader of the Allegri String Quartet, takes up the tale:
"At first he invited a few friends to visit, and to play informally in the Church, but this soon grew to a more formal series of concerts centred on the Allegri as resident artists. The Church has proved an almost ideal venue for chamber music, with a beautiful acoustic and ambiance. On a summer evening, the audience have the opportunity to relax in lovely surroundings, and listen to beautiful music."

By the early eighties, the Festival was already well-established, and the Allegri have been joined over the years, not only by well-established colleagues such as James Campbell, William Bennett and Rian de Waal, but also by some of their students. Those who were there will not soon forget the electrifying evenings when the Allegri were joined by the Roff Quartet from Oxford.

More recently, the Allegri chose to bring their 50th Anniversary year to an end at Llanfyllin. They were joined by ex-Allegris James Barton, David Roth, Roger Tapping, Keith Lovell, Patrick Ireland and Bruno Schrecker, as well as pianist and long-standing collaborator Rian de Waal, who joined them in Dvorak and Brahms during the first weekend.

Details of the programmes of the past three years are available in the Archive.