The History of the Festival

The Gwyl Gerdd Llanfyllin Festival was founded in 1971, when Bruno Schrecker, then the 'cellist of the Allegri String Quartet, purchased The Old White Lion in Llanfyllin, to use as a holiday home.

At first he invited a few friends to visit, and to play informally in St Myllin's Church, but these events 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 ambience. On a summer evening, the audience has 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.

The Festival continued to develop, and in 2009 we had another innovation, a family concert at Llanfyllin Workhouse and a Welsh premiere of a new work by Matthew Taylor. This year we have a world premiere of a song cycle by Taylor, and, in October, a harp gala.

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