The spectacular coastline of Cardigan Bay in West Wales is a fine backdrop for this inspirational week of Living Music. Aberystwyth Arts Centre’s MusicFest is an enticing fusion of Music Festival and Summer School; of experience and learning; of performance and appreciation. The engagement of audience, student, and artist alike creates the unique community atmosphere of MusicFest – ‘refreshing, rewarding and thoroughly inspirational’.

The Summer School is unique in offering organised, structured chamber music opportunities and coaching, as well as superb learning experiences through the festival of concerts given by the tutors themselves (as resident artists all of them are leading performers as well as inspirational teachers). Based on the ethos of ‘ learning through listening, practice & performance’, courses are run for chamber music (string quartets, wind ensembles and mixed instrumentation), clarinet, saxophone, voice, harp, violin, viola, cello, composition, composing for films and television, conducting and Refresh and Inspire with Practical Psychology. Throughout the week the artists in residence can be found coaching ensembles, leading workshops, giving masterclasses and performing in the Festival concerts. Students also have the opportunity to perform in public and enjoy free entry to all festival events. For one week everyone lives, breathes and dreams music.

The daily evening and lunchtime festival concerts, together with student foyer performances and impressive student showcase concerts at the end of the week are powerful reminders of the rejuvenating effect of listening to live music of such a high calibre.