Great pleasure was experienced by those who attended last year’s Abergavenny Eisteddfod through the joy of hearing musical talent of high standard.
The Gala Concert held in the Borough Theatre at 7.00 pm on Saturday 21st June 2014, which was the culmination of the adult eisteddfod, was opened by three talented young performers who had been selected by the adjudicators of the young people’s eisteddfod for the quality of their performances.
Since its revival in 2002 this eisteddfod, which is a bilingual event with Welsh and English holding equal status in all but the few Welsh language competitions has grown in reputation and is an important cultural event in south east Wales.
This year’s Abergavenny Eisteddfod will held on two days: 14 March for children and young people and 20 June for adults. The list of competitions is extensive and caters for a wide range of talents including singing, music, dance and drama. New competitions for young people this year include a story and mime competition, and a humorous duet. Entries are now closed for many of the categories, though there is still time for adults to enter. The deadline for adult entries (literature and stage competitions) is 22 May. Updates will be posted on the new Twitter feed @EisteddfodAberg.
Medals are awarded to the top 3 performances in each competition on 14 March, and there are new, increased cash prizes at the young people’s eisteddfod. Another benefit to competitors is the valuable feedback received from the expert judges’ adjudication, which is of great value to those starting their careers.
The talent displayed at the Abergavenny Eisteddfod over the past 12 years augers well for 2016 when Abergavenny will play host to the National Eisteddfod (Eisteddfod Sir Fynwy a Cyffiniau) the largest competitive cultural event amongst all the nations of Europe and it attracts over 150,000 people to a wide variety of events. Competitions at the National Eisteddfod will have to follow its strict Welsh language rule but there is now plenty of time for non Welsh-speaking singers to gain some knowledge of the language and to perfect their pronunciation in order to compete equally in the musical events. Poets and writers also have the opportunity to test their skills and there is no language requirement for instrumentalists nor dancers. In order to give local residents some tasters of the cultural blend of an eisteddfod the local working party is currently planning a series of events leading up to the arrival of the National in 2016.
There will be 2 more local eisteddfodau in Abergavenny before the National arrives and there is now the potential and incentive to build on current success. Hence the organisers look forward to another successful event this year with a large representation from our talented local people, young and not quite so young alike.
