Gŵyl Beaumaris Festival 2025 – May 21st to 27th

The Beaumaris Festival is celebrating its 40th birthday in May, and festivalgoers are in for a real treat with this year’s programme that has something for everyone as it swings between classical & hot jazz, poetry & hit songs from the musicals, opera & the Beaumaris Brass Band, young artists recitals, choral evensong, topical talks – and a whole lot more in between making this an event not to be missed.

The National Poet of Wales, Hanan Issa, visits the festival for the first time, as does the former Welsh Royal Harpist Alis Huws. Fans of the musicals can catch an evening of show-stopping hit songs as Broadway meets the West End, performed by three amazing singers – Mared Williams, Glain Rhys, and Steffan Rhys Hughes – who have all starred in West End shows including Les Mis & Phantom of the Opera.

This years resident artist is the extraordinary Andrew Logan, who will be bringing his art and jewellery to Beaumaris. Soprano Eiry Price joins the London Welsh Male Voice Choir in a concert of Welsh choral favourites, and soprano Erin Gwyn Rossington and baritone Jeremy Huw Williams sing with the Welsh Chamber Orchestra conducted by Anthony Hose; the orchestra plays works by composers who didn’t live to be 40, including Mozart and Gershwin. If hot jazz is your thing, then The Ben Holder Trio hits the spot as they swing between jazz standards and the Hot Club repertoire of Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli.

After their outstanding debut at the 2024 Festival, the Liberata Collective returns to perform Mozart!s sublime opera La Clemenza di Tito. Using authentic baroque gestures and instruments, this is a unique opportunity to experience live opera as it would have been performed originally.

The festival has always striven to introduce and promote up-and-coming young talent with its series of young artists recitals. The young pianist from Llandudno, Ellis Thomas, who first performed at the festival aged 15, returns for a fifth time to accompany baritone Jeremy Huw Williams in a vocal recital including songs by Philip Hattey; Hatteys life and recordings are recalled by his daughter, Rosamund, in the opening festival talk.

The award-winning young pianist Tomas Boyles gives a solo recital and accompanies the BBC Young Musician oboist, Ewan Miller. With topical talks, a schools performance, and a young musicians showcase, featuring talented students from Canolfan Gerdd William Mathias in Caernarfon, festival visitors really will be spoilt for choice.