Tŷ Cerdd x Eisteddfod 2025

CYM

Medal y Cyfansoddwr

The joyful conclusion of Eisteddfod week for Tŷ Cerdd was the award of the 2025 Composer’s Medal to Sarah Lianne Lewis. Over the past seven months Tŷ Cerdd,  along with composer-mentor Pwyll ap Siôn, have supported three composers, selected by open call, to develop new pieces specially for a trio from Sinfonia Cymru. The three new works, by Sarah Lianne Lewis, Jonathan Guy and Owain Roberts, were written in response to Islwyn Ffowc Elis’s epic novel Wythnos yng Nghymru Fydd – and received their world premieres on the Pavilion stage in the last ceremony of the Eisteddfod.

Judges Richard Baker, Lleuwen Steffan and Graeme Park selected Sarah for the medal – presented in association with the Welsh Music Guild – following some challenging deliberation. You can watch the performances on S4C Clic for the next month – the composers came up with three outstanding pieces. Tŷ Cerdd plans to publish all of them, so keep an eye on our website for those new titles.

---

Tuag Opera

Another of our artist-development pathways came to fruition at the Eisteddfod: on Friday evening, singers Llio Evans, Dafydd Allen, Jeremy Huw Williams and pianist Rhiannon Pritchard performed six new operatic segments created by six writer-composer pairings brought together on our creative development pathway, in partnership with Music Theatre Wales. The artist partners were composer Sarah Lianne Lewis with writer Beca Davies; Madame Ceski (Francesca Simmons) with TeiFi (Teifi Emerald); Andrew Cusworth with Kayley Roberts; Nathan James Dearden with Siwan Llynor; Eadyth Crawford with Anna Sherratt; Lowri Mair Jones with Gwenno Gwilym.

---

Llwyfan Encore

Our friends from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama brought two ‘Discover Welsh Music’ recitals to the Encore stage. Students Owain Rowlands, Rhian-Carys Jones and Rhys Archer enchanted us with several Meirion Williams songs, as well as music by Dilys Elwyn-Edwards, Brian Hughes and David Vaughan Thomas. Their pianist throughout was the incomparable Zoë Smith.

Our Affricerdd event, also at the Encore stage, showcased Global Majority artists with Welsh-language songs. Frances Bolley performed her single ‘I Siarad’ which was developed for Affricerdd last year and recently released on Sionci, and also joined forces with Eadyth for a few more tunes; and Lily Webbe brought her newly written song from this year’s project, which will be released on Sionci in the coming months.

Rhys Trimble showcased his Ynys Dywyll album – out now – and was joined by Emily Sherratt on keyboard. The hidden currents, voices, and spirit echoes of Ynys Môn were channelled through Rhys and Emily directly onto the Maes in Wrexham. All proceeds raised from CD and booklet sales went to the Ynys Môn food bank.

Beyond our own events we had some time to explore the Maes and experience some work by friends. Particular highlights were: community opera Gresffordd: I’r Goleuni Nawr by Jon Guy and Grahame Davies, performed by NEW Sinfonia with professional soloists and community choir; and Gwilym Bowen Rhys’s performance in Tŷ Gwerin in association with the National Library of Wales, with whom he’s been working to uncover and reimagine Welsh folk song.