I don't think this has made an appearance yet, but should be of interest...


A message from Robin Huw Bowen:
The Wales Arts Council has agreed to fund a special training project we are organizing, on an exceptionally generous level.

Through Prosiect Telynor Cymru 2016, Clera will be organizing a programme of workshops for harpists all over the country this year to teach them to play in the Welsh Gypsy style, a unique and special aspect of Welsh folk harp tradition.

A great-grandson of Abram Wood himself, John Roberts 'Telynor Cymru' ('The Cambrian Minstrel') was a famous harpist and impresario during the 19th century, who performed on the Triple Harp, and with his nine sons, he formed the first official Welsh 'folk group' (or 'Clerorfa'!) called 'The Original Cambrian Minstrels' to perform Welsh music all over Wales and the Borders. The Gypsies had a particular way of playing dance music, and this was passed on through the family as an unbroken oral tradition right down to Telynor Cymru's own great-grand-daughter, Eldra Jarman. You all know, I'm sure, just how lucky I have been to benefit from Eldra's generosity in passing the tradition on to me.

2016 will be the 200th anniversary of Telynor Cymru's birth, and the project's aim during 2015 is to create enough 'Gypsy harpists' to perform the music in 2016.

The Welsh Arts Council are very supportive of the project, and have agreed to fund it almost to the maximum possible, namely £30,000. This money (along with a sizeable contribution from our own funds and income from the participants) will pay for organizing and running the programme of workshops, and for setting up a special web-site, which will act as a resource-base for the teaching, and as an advert, diary, and newsletter about the project activity. Already this year, I (and Meinir Olwen) have been in Stiwdio Sain recording the melodies, and filming my cute, elegant (!) hands slowly fingering the notes, emulating the method of teaching by ear. The work of designing the web-site is going ahead, and we hope to launch soon.

We will also soon be sending out the invitation to harpists for them to join the programme, so if you are interested, send us an e-mail, and pass the information on to any harpist you know of who might be interested! The hard work of making the application to the Arts Council has paid off once again, so let's do it justice, and ensure we make the very best of this great opportunity to put Welsh folk harping back on the map!

> Click here for further information
> Watch this space!
> For Wales,
> Robin
>
>
> www.telynor.cymru    www.clera.org     www.sesiwn.com

Sian, west wales