Llangollen Festival has launched the ‘Musical Encounters’ scheme with the Arts Council of Wales. Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod will provide management for the scheme which will see some of the Festival’s adjudicators work with Welsh choral directors during the year, with the aim of improving choral directing in Wales.

The scheme is run by Wales Arts International, as part of the Arts Council of Wales, which works to promote knowledge about contemporary culture from Wales and encourage international exchange and collaboration.

Mervyn Cousins, Executive Director of Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod commented “Our involvement comes as part of the Festival’s extended approach to outreach from Llangollen, using our immediate contacts as a conduit for development in Wales. We have worked closely with Harry McIver and Anthony Owen Hicks of Wales Arts International along with Einion Dafydd, Senior Music Office of the Arts Council of Wales in setting up the ‘Musical Encounters’ scheme and are looking forward to putting the project into action”.

The scheme will run from this July 2009 until the end March 2010, whereby Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod will provide three days of mentoring for choral musical directors from Wales, one preliminary day with Mervyn Cousins and Peter Broadbent in the autumn, followed by a two day event in March 2010 with international musical directors who are also adjudicators at Llangollen International Eisteddfod. The aim of these workshops will not only be to develop the directing and conducting skills of Welsh choral conductors but also provide an opportunity for further development of technical abilities, repertoire-specific understanding and appropriate networking in the future. The ‘Musical Encounters’ scheme will provide specific linkages with top-level contacts at home and abroad and present an opportunity for further developments and projects with other conductors in the future.

Nick Capaldi, Chief Executive of the Arts Council of Wales said "We are delighted to be working in partnership with Wales Arts International and Llangollen International Eisteddfod supporting the Music Encounters scheme. Wales has a rich choral heritage and we hope the scheme will further develop the directing and conducting skills of talented Welsh choral conductors".