Cardiff’s newest arts centre launches its opening season

3rd May 2011

...featuring Only Men Aloud, Penguin Café, Welsh National Opera, Cardiff Comedy Festival, the Richard Burton festival!

This summer sees the opening of the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama’s £22.5 million new facilities. The exciting and varied opening season showcases the best work, from exceptional emerging talent to the best international artists. There’s also a chance to come and have a look around the new building for yourself!

Opening Festival 23 – 26 June:

· Richard Burton mini-festival featuring unique events celebrating the great man’s achievements in radio, film, stage and recording. Events include a chat-show style evening where Claire Bloom, Victor Spinetti and Robert Hardy and others will share their memories of the actor and his work, and Jeff Wayne, creator of the musical version of The War of the Worlds, renowned for Burton’s spellbinding narration, takes the audience through this huge arena show

· Andrew Kennedy: Since his triumph in the 2005 Cardiff Singer of the World competition, Kennedy has established himself as one of the greatest singers of his generation. He sings at the Gala Evening to launch the Dora Stoutzker Hall

· Welsh National Opera Opening Residency: a special series of concerts in the new purpose built recital hall including Orchestra of Welsh National Opera, conducted by Lothar Keonigs and including his first UK performance of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony

· Jazz Sunday featuring Dave Stapleton Quintet and a rolling programme of live jazz sets and talks, free performances in the stunning new foyer

· Grand Finale Concert with Only Men Aloud – a rare opportunity to hear Classical Brit winners in an intimate and acoustic environment

· Explore! Come and share these fantastic new facilities- for free! Events include learning stage combat, playing loud percussion, and how to stage musical theatre.

Other events coming up include Penguin Café with their only Welsh date, and the International Piano Series featuring Noriko Ogawa. Cardiff Comedy Festival comes to RWCMD in July, as well as student productions including King Lear and The Sea by Edward Bond. 

Click here to download the full 2011 programme of events at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (pdf 1.2mb).

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