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| Welsh Amateur Music Federation | |
|---|---|
| Name | Welsh Amateur Music Federation |
| Formation | 1920s |
| Type | Non-profit music organization |
| Headquarters | Cardiff, Wales |
| Region served | Wales |
| Leader title | President |
Welsh Amateur Music Federation is an umbrella organization supporting amateur choral, orchestral, wind, brass, and folk ensembles across Wales. It liaises with national bodies such as Cadw, National Library of Wales, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Arts Council of Wales, and regional associations like Gwent Music and Carmarthenshire County Council to promote performance, participation, and preservation of repertoire linked to figures including Sir Henry Walford Davies, Sir Karl Jenkins, William Mathias, Gareth Glyn, and Sian Phillips. The Federation works alongside venues and events such as St David's Hall, Wales Millennium Centre, Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, Urdd Eisteddfod, and National Eisteddfod of Wales.
The Federation was founded in the interwar period amid movements associated with Welsh Nationalist Party (Plaid Cymru), Coal Exchange, Cardiff, and community initiatives influenced by personalities like David Lloyd George, Ivor Novello, Tom Jones (singer), Dafydd Iwan, and institutions such as Trinity College, Carmarthen, University of Wales, Aberystwyth, and Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Early links included touring ensembles tied to Great Western Railway routes and partnerships with philanthropic trusts such as the Welsh Church Act 1914 beneficiaries and the Gorsedd of Bards. Postwar expansion intersected with programs under Ministry of Health (United Kingdom), National Youth Orchestra of Wales, and regional arts schemes from Mid Glamorgan County Council and Clwyd County Council.
Governance follows a charitable structure comparable to Wales Arts International, Voluntary Arts Network, and National Federation of Music Societies, with a board incorporating representatives from National Assembly for Wales, City and County of Swansea, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, and legal advisors versed in Charities Act 2011. Executive officers have come from backgrounds at Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Cardiff University School of Music, Bangor University, and administrative partnerships with Arts Council England and Heritage Lottery Fund. Committees mirror models used by English Folk Dance and Song Society and Federation of Brass Bands.
Membership includes choirs, orchestras, wind bands, brass bands, chamber groups, and folk ensembles from areas such as Gwynedd, Powys, Neath Port Talbot, Torfaen, Pembrokeshire, and Isle of Anglesey. Affiliated ensembles range from community choirs linked to St Fagan's National Museum of History to brass bands with histories connected to South Wales Miners' Federation and orchestras drawing players from Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra, Swansea Philharmonic Choir, Wrexham Choral Society, and youth groups like National Youth Choir of Wales. Partnerships extend to cultural bodies including Welsh Language Commissioner, Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg, and heritage groups at Castell Coch.
The Federation organizes concert series, commissioning schemes, touring initiatives, and archive projects engaging with venues such as Royal Albert Hall, Wales Millennium Centre, St David's Hall, and international festivals including Edinburgh International Festival and Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod. Programs include collaborative commissions referencing works by Joseph Haydn, Edward Elgar, Gustav Holst, William Walton, and contemporary Welsh composers like Grace Williams and Alun Hoddinott. Administrative workshops draw trainers from Royal Opera House, BBC Proms, London Symphony Orchestra, and educators from Royal Academy of Music.
The Federation runs competitive and non-competitive events in the style of National Eisteddfod of Wales, Urdd Eisteddfod, and Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, with adjudicators from International Music Council, Royal Philharmonic Society, and figures associated with BBC Cardiff Singer of the World, BBC Young Musician, and BBC Proms. Events take place in towns like Bangor, Newport, Wales, Abergavenny, Llanelli, and Aberystwyth and often feature repertoire tied to Welsh Hymn Tune Tradition, settings of texts by Dafydd ap Gwilym, works premiered at St David’s Hall, and commissions linked to Swansea Festival of Music and the Arts.
Education initiatives partner with schools and conservatoires such as Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Cardiff University, Bangor University, Aberystwyth University, and youth organizations like Urdd Gobaith Cymru and National Youth Orchestra of Wales. Outreach projects work with community centers under councils including Cardiff Council, Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council, Pembrokeshire County Council, and health partnerships with NHS Wales. Workshops reference pedagogues from Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Royal College of Music, and mentors from Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme.
The Federation presents awards modeled after honors such as the CBE, MBE, Royal Philharmonic Society Awards, and regional cultural prizes akin to those given at the National Eisteddfod of Wales and Wales Arts & Business Awards. Recipients have included conductors, composers, and administrators associated with BBC National Orchestra of Wales, National Youth Orchestra of Wales, Sian Edwards, Adrian Boult, and composers linked to BBC Radio 3 broadcasts. External recognition has come from bodies like Arts Council of Wales, Heritage Lottery Fund, and international partners at European Festival Association.
Category:Music organisations based in Wales