This summer, National Trust Wales’ lawns and gardens will come alive with the sound of music with an array of live theatre and musical performances.
National Trust Wales’ special places have a long history with music. Over the many years of its beautiful manor houses and castles, thousands of guests have been serenaded at garden parties, banquets and lavish soirees.
This summer will be no different with visitors enjoying everything from lakeside concerts at Stackpole to acapella recitals on the lawns of Dyffryn Gardens. There will also be open air theatre nights at Bodnant Garden, Erddig and Powis Castleto enjoy. Budding performers can also try their hand with musical workshops inspired by nature from local musicians at Penrhyn Castle.
Every visit to one of these special placeshelps the National Trust care for them for future generations to enjoy.
Visithttps://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/search?type=event&query=Walesto find out more.
SOUTH WEST WALES
Between the 1920s and 1950s, Stackpole was a popular venue for performance, hosting regular dances and activities in the old Stable block adjacent to the Mansion. This summer, Stackpole are putting on their first Lakeside Concert which will include a quartet, singers,a show choir and more.
Stackpole Lakeside Concert
7 July, 14:30 – 19:00
Book online, Adults £12 and Children £4
Enjoy an afternoon of music on the lawn at the lakeside concert at Stackpole Court this summer. Pack a picnic or treat yourself to a cream tea and relax with live performances from local jazz and choral musicians.
Following a tragedy in the Rhys family, Richard 9th Baron looked to transform Dinefwr and Newton House into an arts and music venue. The house played host to three Dinefwr festivals in the 1960s. Many famous faces participated in the festivals including jazz singer Cleo Laine, Welsh composer Alun Hoddinottcomposed special pieces for the festivals and in 1968 an opera by Malcolm Williamson was specially commissioned for the festival.
GWLEDD Food Festival
22 and 23 June, 10:00 – 17:00
Booking not needed, normal admission prices apply
Dinefwr’s food festival has a new look for 2019. GWLEDD, meaning feast, will be a feast for the senses with the focus on local produce. This year ‘s festival will feature a special performance from Beyond the Border International Storytelling Festival.
SOUTH EAST WALES
Dyffryn Gardens, Vale of Glamorgan
In 1891 the estate was sold to John Cory who moved from Devon with his very religious family. They had an enormous organ installed in the Great Hall which gave it an ecclesiastical feel and the familyhosted musical performances in the evenings. Due to its lofty heights the acoustics are outstanding and has been used as a musical venue many times over the years.
Summer Music Nights
19, 26 July, 2, 9,16,23 and 30 August, 17:00 – 20:00
Booking not needed, normal admission prices apply
Stay late and enjoy the evenings whilst being serenaded with beautiful summer music in the gardens. Different artists will perform each week throughout the summer, please check the website for details closer to the time.
Spectrum Singers Summer Concert
12 July, 19:30 – 21:30
Booking essential, £15 for adults and £10 for children
Join local choir Spectrum Singers for an evening of a cappella over the ages, from its roots to pop, jazz and some of our most celebrated living composers. Specialising in a cappella Spectrum Singers is a Penarth-based chamber choir, now in its fifth season under the dynamic musical direction of David Hutchings. The concert will be in the great hall.
NORTH WEST WALES
In the late 1800s and early 1900s the McLarens were prominent in the world of business, industry and politics as well as horticulture. They entertained high profile guests at the house and the famed gardens hosted many parties. Laura McLaren (Lady Aberconwy) who inherited the estate in 1895 created many (unpublished) sketches and plays which were performed by family and friends.
The Secret Garden – Evening Theatre
12 August, 18:30- 22:00
Booking essential, online or call 0344 2491895
Outdoor evening theatre production of the classic children’s story. Bring a rug, sit, open your picnic and enjoy.Front Lawn, Bodnant Garden
Music has always been a powerful part of the communities around Penrhyn Castle, both in proud celebration and in protest. From the Côr y Penrhyn (Male voice choir), formed in the 1880s from the blue slate galleries at Chwarel Penrhyn (Penrhyn Quarry) to the Ladies Choir, born from unrest, who sang in solidarity with strikers during the 1900-03 Penrhyn Great Strike and raising money to feed their families shut out from the quarry by Lord Penrhyn.
Voices Stage: Musical Workshop
21 July – 25 August, 10:30 – 16:00
Booking not needed, normal admission prices apply
Let your inner composer out every Sunday during the Summer holidays! Join in at Penrhyn Castle for special musical workshops and performances. Led by local musicians get inspired by nature and our history to create music, words and performance.
NORTH EAST WALES
Powis Castle and Garden, Welshpool
For the last few years Powis has given visitors the opportunity to sit back and relax in their famous gardens to enjoy outdoor screenings of some classic films.
Outdoor Theatre: Treasure Island
12 July, 19:00 – 21:00
Booking essential, Adults £16 and Children £11
Join Chapterhouse Theatre Company for this brand-new adaptation of everyone’s favourite swashbuckling pirate adventure: Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island. Please bring your own blanket or low-backed chair.
Outdoor Theatre: Much Ado About Nothing
6 August, 19:00 – 21:00
Booking essential, Adults £16 and Children £11
Come along to a performance of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, a rip-roaring comedy of quarrels deceptions and a frustratingly foolish man called Dogberry.Don’t miss this much-loved comedy, brought to life by The Three-Inch Fools in the picturesque Edwardian formal garden.
The Yorke family loved to entertain and were born performers putting on plays and concerts for their many guests. Philip Yorke II put all his savings into buying the organ in the music room when he was just 15 years old in 1865.The last squire was well known locally for his virtuoso skills in playing the musical saw.
Wuthering Heights Outdoor Theatre
12 June, 18:00 – 21:30
Booking essential, Adults £16 and Children £11
Join Chapterhouse Theatre Company for an evening of outdoor theatre in Erddig’s walled Rose Garden and be transported to the Yorkshire moors for this tale of passion and revenge. Event is wheelchair friendly, check website for ticket prices.
The Brothers Yorke
6 July – 8 September, 14:00 and 15:30
Booking not needed, normal admission prices apply
Full of humour and pathos, The Brothers Yorke brings to life two very different brothers who both struggled to rescue Erddig. This 30-minute play by award winning playwright and writer Peter Read tells the story of the last two squires of Erddig; Simon and Philip.
The Secret Garden Outdoor Theatre
13 July, 18:30 – 21:30
Booking essential, Adults £16 and Children £11
This summer join young Mary Lennox on a journey of discovery as she is sent to her uncle’s house in the countryside, where mysteries and secrets lurk around every corner.Join friends and family as you picnic in the beautiful rose and relive this enchanting tale of secrecy and curiosity in what will be one of the highlights of the summer.
Pride & Prejudice Outdoor Theatre
9 August, 18:30 – 21:30
Booking essential, Adults £15 and Children £11
Brought to life by award-winning writer Laura Turner, this adaptation has been a favourite of Chapterhouse audiences for years and will be a joy to perform in the company’s 20th year of touring. Join friends and family as you picnic in the beautiful rose garden and lose yourself in this unforgettable love story.
Back in the 17th century the Myddelton family commissioned the production and performance of Masques, a form of festive, courtly entertainment common in that century. In more recent times the castle was tenanted by the Howard De Walden family, who were keen supporters of Welsh theatre and music and used to host yearly family pantomimes at Christmas time.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail Outdoor Cinema
1 August, 19:00 – 23:00
Booking essential, Adults £14
King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table embark on a surreal, low-budget search for the Holy Grail, encountering many, very silly obstacles.Bring a blanket or camping chair and watch Monty Python and the Holy Grail on a giant cinema screen under the stars!
Theatre at the Castle – Richard III
15 and 16 August, 18:00 – 22:00
Booking essential, Adults £15 and Children £7
Chirk Castle will welcome LADs theatre to Chirk Castle, for two evening performances of Shakespeare in the castle courtyard.The LADS is a small, friendly and supportive ‘amateur’ group with a big personality and even bigger aspirations. Since 1992 they have brought live theatre to the Llanymynech and Oswestry area.
Mr Magnolia Outdoor Theatre
27 August, 14:00 – 15:00
Booking essential, Adults £12 and Children £10
Join Mister Magnolia on his wacky adventures, filled with Folksy Theatre’s bold characters, live music, puppetry and audience interaction, it’s a day out not to be missed! Based on the book by the legendary Quentin Blake.Bring along your picnics, blankets and folding chairs.
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