Welcome to the Gower Festival

We look forward to welcoming you to great concerts in a wonderful environment.

This year sees 50th anniversary of the founding of the Gower Festival. Since then the Festival has brought music and art of the highest quality to this area of Southwest Wales. Now, as well as our traditional Summer fortnight held in our ancient, atmospheric Gower churches, we also present Spring and Autumn entertainments. These include ‘big band’ and jazz with poetry evenings and visual art events where food and drink are served in a relaxed setting. As always, we present internationally acclaimed artists, while we keep the ticket prices spectacularly low by attracting generous sponsorship.

As you navigate the web site, clicking images will reveal further information.

I am thrilled to present to you the 50th Anniversary of the Gower Festival. And what a line-up of artists will take part!

Many Welsh artists will perform, all of whom have an international reputation.

Coming from La Scala, Milan to us is the renowned star, Sir Bryn Terfel. We celebrate his return appearance at the Festival, where he last performed in 1989.

The Gower Festival is a unique event in the classical music calendar, one of the few that takes place in a different venue every night. The intimate, magical setting of the old Gower churches produces some amazing concerts.

Ticket will go on sale earlier this year, in March, to meet public demand.

We look forward to a summer full of musical offerings for everyone. Do come and enjoy!

Gordon Back

Artistic Director

gordon back

Artistic Director

Next year’s festival will be held from
1-12 July.

International acclaimed performers will include...

Leon McCawley

Fiddlesticks Ensemble

Jane Austen 250

Joe Dunthorne

Lumas Wind Quintet

Heath Quartet

An evening with Martyn Brabbins

Comedy Genius of Rainer Hersch

2026 FESTIVAL DETAILS below

We are honoured to have Sir Karl Jenkins as our President. Brought up in Penclawdd and educated at Gowerton Grammar School, he is one of the most frequently performed living composers.

“It is a privilege for me, as President, to be able to welcome you to the Gower Festival, my ‘local’ festival, having been raised on the beautiful Gower Peninsula. There is an exciting programme for you to enjoy, with concerts in the historic churches of Gower.”

Sir Karl Jenkins CBE

President

Sir Karl Jenkins CBE

President

Llŷr is an internationally recognised concert pianist. He has been the recipient of many awards and is the official accompanist to the Cardiff Singer of the World. He has delighted Gower Festival audiences with his sensitive, meticulously performed recitals.

“The Gower Festival represents the best of the British summer festival tradition, great music for friendly and appreciative audiences in the most beautiful surroundings. I always look forward to returning with much anticipation.”

Llŷr Williams

Patron

Llŷr Williams

Patron

Catrin is an internationally renowned harpist. In 2000 she was appointed for a term as Royal Harpist to Charles, Prince of Wales. She has developed an eclectic approach to the instrument with her recent international collaborations.

“Performing at the Gower Festival on many occasions has always been a special experience for me. I am therefore thrilled to be invited to be a Patron of this outstanding Festival.”

Catrin Finch

Patron

Catrin Finch

Patron

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Benefits of becoming a Friend include the advance booking for July concerts, much appreciated as many concerts, particularly at smaller venues, sell out quickly.

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Latest news

Tickets on sale for a new 2026 Gower Festival event

John Suchet OBE

‘In search of Beethoven’

We are delighted to announce a great kick-off for our 50th Anniversary this year, on Wednesday 15th April, 7.30 pm, at the King Arthur Hotel Avalon Suite.

From Sir Karl Jenkins: As President of the Festival, I shall be delighted to launch our 50th birthday celebrations in April, by introducing John Suchet OBE and his illuminating talk ‘In search of Beethoven’.

‘In Search of Beethoven’ stands apart as a deeply personal account of Suchet's relationship with the great composer. He charts a journey from Beethoven's early years in Bonn to his dying days in Vienna, following in the composer's footsteps and interweaving his own story.

Drawing on research from Cambridge University and the Max Planck Institute, Suchet offers fresh insights into Beethoven's heritage, health struggles, and pivotal life events, such as his interactions with Mozart.

Suchet draws on his own life and career as a foreign correspondent and news anchor to show how Beethoven’s music has accompanied him through the best and worst of times, delivered in an inviting, engaging and endearing way typical of this master storyteller.

John Suchet's book about Beethoven will be sold at £7 (~40% off RRP) and signed by him, after his talk. Bar drinks will be available from 6.30 pm, when the doors open; food only available in the hotel as normal.

22-01-26

Don't MISS OUT
Buy your
Tickets now!

Save the dates ...Gower Festival 29th June - 12th July 2026.

A PROGRAMME OF INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED ARTISTs IN OUR 50th ANNIVERSARY YEAR

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To celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the Gower Festival, we welcome the return visit of Sir Bryn Terfel. He first appeared here in 1989 as a student and now is widely regarded as one of the leading classical musicians in the world. The concert will be his only Welsh recital in his 2026 season, a concert not to be missed!

photo: Mitch Jenkins 03-11-25

2026 programme

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Festival Friends have priority booking before tickets are sold to the general public.

Recognised world-wide as one of the leading singers of his time and as a brilliant actor, Bryn Terfel returns to Gower to celebrate the Festival’s fiftieth anniversary. People still recall Bryn’s first appearance here back in 1989. We can be sure that this evening’s concert will be every bit as memorable.

Monday 29 June 7.30pm

THE PRESIDENT’S CONCERT
AN EVENING WITH
‍SIR BRYN TERFEL

Monday 29 June 7.30pm

Capel y Crwys, Three Crosses
SA4 3PU

With pianist Jâms Coleman and bass-player Sam Becker, star saxophonist Jess Gillam weaves a fantastic programme from jazz favourites by Gershwin and Sidney Bechet to the musical energy of the baroque. Shades of folk too. Something for everyone to enjoy.

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Wednesday 1 July 7.30pm

A woman with glasses holding a saxophone.

JESS GILLAM TRIO

Wednesday 1 July 7.30pm

Avalon Suite, King Arthur Hotel,
Reynoldston SA3 1AD

One of the UK’s leading quartets, admired for the precision and vitality of their playing, the Carducci play quartets by Mendelssohn – the young composer’s tribute to Beethoven – and Debussy. A fascinating contrast in style.

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Thursday 2 July 7.30pm

A group of people standing next to each other.

CARDUCCI STRING QUARTET

Thursday 2 July 2.30pm

Church of St Mary the Virgin, Rhossili
SA3 1PL

Champions of Shostakovich’s music, the Carducci play his Third Quartet, written in the shadow of the Second World War. They are joined by cellist Thomas Carroll for Schubert’s sublime Quintet in C major.

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Friday 3 July 7.30pm

CARDUCCI STRING QUARTET with THOMAS CARROLL (cello)

Friday 3 July 7.30pm

Church of Ss Rhidian and Illtyd,
Llanrhidian SA3 1ER

Acclaimed Welsh pianist Llŷr Williams returns with an inspired programme. Mozart’s late Sonata in F is followed by Schumann’s romantic fantasy Kreisleriana and Brahms’s masterful Variations and Fugue on a theme by Handel.

Saturday 4 July 7.30pm

LLŶR WILLIAMS (piano)

Saturday 4 July 7.30pm

St Peter’s Church, Newton
SA3 4RB

First prize-winner in the Paganini and Menuhin Competitions, Simon Zhu plays Bach’s famous Chaconne for solo violin and a group of Caprices by Paganini. He is joined by Gordon Back in Ravel’s jazz-inspired Sonata for Violin and Piano and works by Schubert and Wieniawski.

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Tuesday 7 July 7.30pm

SIMON ZHU (violin) and
‍GORDON BACK (piano)

Tuesday 7 July 7.30pm

St Peter’s Church, Newton
SA3 4RB

‘A leading force in the global jazz scene.’ With Will Sach (bass) and Sam Jesson (drums), pianist Joe Webb takes inspiration from ’90s guitar bands and his own cultural roots in Wales, creating a sound both familiar and refreshingly original.
Not to be missed.

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Wednesday 8 July 8.00pm

A black and white photo of a man in a turtle neck sweater.

JOE WEBB TRIO

Wednesday 8 July 8.00pm

Avalon Suite, King Arthur Hotel,
Reynoldston SA3 1AD

Mexico’s leading guitarist and an ambassador for his country’s culture, Morgan Szymanski is already a firm favourite with Gower audiences. He has a wide repertoire, from European music old and new to the music of Latin America, including pieces written for Morgan himself.

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Thursday 9 July 2.30pm

MORGAN SZYMANSKI (guitar)

Thursday 9 July 2.30pm

St Mary’s Church, Pennard
SA3 2AD

The venues for Morgan Szymanski’s concerts, St Mary’s Pennard and St Teilo’s Bishopston, are two of Gower’s most beautiful small churches, ideally suited to the intimate sound of the acoustic guitar. For all who love the instrument and its music, these will be magical occasions.

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Thursday 9 July 7.30pm

MORGAN SZYMANSKI (guitar)

Thursday 9 July 7.30pm

St Teilo’s Church, Bishopston
SA3 3JT

Wales’s leading harpist, Catrin Finch is also a gifted composer. Her programme this evening includes pieces from her brand-new album, Notes to Self – music, she says, that comes ‘deep from my heart’. Perfect for a summer’s evening.

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Friday 10 July 7.30pm

A woman with blonde hair playing a harp.

CATRIN FINCH (harp)

Friday 10 July 7.30pm

St Cenydd’s Church, Llangennith
SA3 1HU

Brilliant Chinese pianist Ji Liu makes a welcome return to Gower. Besides music by Prokofiev and Scriabin, he will play Chopin’s Twenty-Four Études, Opp. 10 & 25 – the first time that these wonderfully poetic pieces have been performed here.

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Saturday 11 July 7.30pm

A man in a suit and tie posing for a picture.

JI LIU (piano)

Saturday 11 July 7.30pm

St Paul’s Church, Sketty
SA2 9AR

Join with chapel, church, male-voice and community choirs for hymn-singing in Dunvant Chapel, home of the Dunvant Male Choir. Jonathan Rogers conducts, with soprano soloist Rebecca Evans and organist D.Huw Rees. ‘A foretaste of paradise.’

Sunday 12 July 6.00pm

CYMANFA GANU

Sunday 12 July 6.00pm

Dunvant Ebenezer Chapel, 1 Bryn Aeron,
Dunvant SA2 7UX

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Date

Become a friend‍

Benefits of becoming a Friend include the advance booking for July concerts, much appreciated as many concerts, particularly at smaller venues, sell out quickly.

download a form

Weathered wooden shipwreck posts protruding from sandy beach under dramatic cloudy sky at low tide.

gower festival venues

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St Paul’s Church,
Sketty SA2 9AR

St Paul’s church was built by the great industrialist John Henry Vivian (1785-1855) of Singleton Abbey, as a memorial chapel for his daughter-in-law, Jessie, who had died aged 22 in 1848. The Bishop of St Davids consecrated the building in 1850 as a ‘Chapel of Ease’ to St Mary’s Swansea. The architect was Henry Woodyer, a disciple of Pugin, and the design included Geometrical, Perpendicular and Decorated features. In 1851, however, to accommodate Sketty’s expanding population and the growing popularity of the Nonconformists, the chapel became an autonomous parish, separate from St Mary’s. During the next 100 years the church has been enlarged and enriched in response to practical need, changing fashions and the will of generous benefactors. Besides the Vivians, these have included the Glassbrooks of a coal and timber dynasty, and the Dillwyns.

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St Cenydd’s Church,
Llangennith SA3 1HU

The original c6th church settlement in a llan is thought to have been founded by Cenydd/Kyned/Kennith, who was also associated with a hermitage on Burry Holms. In 986 these were destroyed by Viking raiders. Early c12th Normans built a small priory cell, and then the Early-English style church, dedicated to St Cenydd, on the original site. Today this is Gower’s largest church. Initially linked to a Benedictine Priory in Normandy, from 1441 to 1838 the church was the property of All Soul’s College, Oxford. Hence College House nearby.
The ancient and important building has seen many changes in windows, doorways, stairways which can still be traced but major restoration took place from 1882 - 84 since the church was in such a ‘ruinous state’. This included raising the floor by four feet which made the tops of old cloister doorways the alcoves in the south wall.

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St Cattwg’s Church,
Port Eynon SA3 1NL

Port Eynon Church is dedicated to St Cattwg of Llancarfarn and is thought to have been founded in the C6th, by his missionary to Gower, St Cennydd. The present church dates from the C12th and the south doorway, in spite of changes through the centuries, has retained its original Norman form. The church was restored and enlarged in 1861, and there was further work in 1901, to accommodate the growing population and activities of this busy coastal village. The North transept became the ‘Schoolroom‘ but a recent project has seen a kitchen added, as well as comfortable seating for a meeting area and every Saturday morning it becomes the very popular ‘Caffi Cattwg’. The white marble statue in the churchyard is a memorial to three local men who were drowned and also a thanksgiving for the ten survivors in the 1916 ‘Janet’ lifeboat disaster.

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St Peter’s Church,
Newton SA3 4RB

St. Peter’s is said to be named after the c11th ruins of St Peter’s Well and monastic chapel in nearby Caswell Valley. Consecrated in 1903, as part of the parish of Oystermouth, it reflects the increasing population and wealth of late C19th Swansea as it spread on the edge of Gower. The church design in the decorated Gothic style was described as ‘ambitious’ although insufficient funds denied the building of a 90ft tower at the south east corner and the early building was thought to be plain. The church is constructed of greenish sandstone from Bridgend, with Bath stone carvings, particularly intricate inside. The interior has a richly appointed chancel. Today much of the beauty and warmth of the building lies in the works of art, given as memorials of/by people whose lives were woven into the fabric of the church and history of the area.

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Reynoldston Village Hall SA3 1AA

The original Hall in Reynoldston was a vestry hall built in 1887 by the church. It was called the Institute – a place to be used for meetings, Sunday School and as a Reading Room. Gradually less serious activities took place – concerts, inter- village draughts matches and fund raising events. In 1923 this was replaced by the present building, called the Church Hall and which, because of its central location, became the focus for organisations and entertainment not only locally but from all quarters of Gower. The building was purchased by the village from the Church in Wales in 1994 since which time, major improvements have been made to the building and its facilities. The Hall plays a key role in community life with over 8000 people annually attending societies, activities and events.

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Capel y Crwys,
Three Crosses SA4 3PU

Capel y Crwys is the largest chapel in Gower and, like each of the churches, is a Grade II listed building. c17th early Nonconformism in the peninsula survived by secret meetings in scattered farms and, among several groups in the Three Crosses area, it was at Cwm Mawr Farm that the first meeting room was built soon after the Toleration Act was passed in 1689. By 1788 it was decided to build the first Independent chapel on Gower next to the current site. In 1831 there was a rebuild but fifty years later even this could not meet the needs of the dramatic rise in population (both Welsh and English) following the opening of many small coal mines in the area. In 1886 it was decided to erect a new building to the design of John Humphrey, architect of Morriston Tabernacle, known as ‘the Cathedral of Welsh Nonconformity’. Further changes were made in 1912 with the addition of a new pulpit and organ as well as a large vestry for the many chapel and village activities.

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GOWERTON SCHOOL, CECIL ROAD,
GOWERTON SA4 3DL

The present Gowerton School has long established roots in the local community. The 1889 Welsh Intermediate School Act set up ‘intermediate schools’ between the primary level and the new University of Wales. In 1896 it was decided to locate such a school in Gowerton where bilingual industria Llwchwr met anglicised rural Gower By the late 1930’s, Gowerton Intermediate School on Talbot Street was so successful and crowded that it was decided to move the girls to a new site. One of the first pupils found the handsome, spacious building “awe-inspiring”. Later renamed Grammar Schools, the two schools continued until 1973 when they combined to become today’s comprehensive Gowerton School on the Cecil Rd site. In 1984 the Talbot Street school became the newly established welsh language medium Ysgol Gyfun Gŵyr. Both schools have flourished under inspired leadership and an outstanding ethos, building on the rich past and each establishing its own high reputation in Wales, academic and pastoral, not forgetting music and sport!

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ST MARY’S CHURCH,
PENNARD SA3 2EA

Pennard, in one of the best farming areas in Gower, long attractive to settlement, has seen several churches. The original is thought to have been dedicated to St Cenydd. In the C13th a church was built near Pennard Castle, but soon afterwards a great sand inundation created the Pennard Burrows. By the C16th this was finally abandoned and the present church of St Mary’s became the parish church on the site of an existing chantry or private chapel or even one of Gower’s mediaeval ‘lost’ churches. Numerous original features from this site plus parts of the Burrows church were incorporated into the new structure. All Souls, Oxford was the patron until 1838 when the title was transferred to Thomas Penrice of Kilvrough Manor who began some restoration after centuries of neglect. The embattled west tower is smaller than that in other local churches but recent restoration of white limewash to the whole building has made it a striking Gower landmark.

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Avalon Suite, King Arthur Hotel,
Reynoldston SA3 1AD

The Norman settlement of Reynoldston has always been an important meeting point in the centre of the peninsula, and the open land of the Higher Green an ideal location for a public house. The first known in the early c19th was called The Rising Sun because the front of the building caught the early morning sun; this was a single storey thatched-roof cottage. Its remains can be seen today in the accommodation block between the hotel and the car park. The King Arthur is thought to have been built in the 1870’s but the present appearance dates from the 1920’s when it was much enlarged. In 1991 there was a complete refurbishment by the present owners and the Avalon Suite created. Since its early days it has always been a popular venue for weddings, receptions, ploughing matches and harvest suppers etc. and it benefitted from events on the Higher Green from the annual September Fair to visiting circuses and to the Fatstock Shows which just over 100 years ago lead to the creation of the popular Gower Show before it moved to today’s location in Penrice Park.

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The Story of the Gower Festival

From its early years the Gower Festival has been concerned to foster a wide range of music in idyllic settings...

READ OUR HISTORY OVER THE PAST
40 YEARS

Friends of the Gower Festival

We have some wonderful concerts and other events arranged for Gower Festival 2026.
Festival Friends have priority booking for the events in July.

Benefits of becoming a Friend

➢ Advance booking for July concerts. This benefit is much appreciated by Friends as many concerts, particularly at smaller venues, sell out quickly.

➢ Regular Festival email updates.

➢ Acknowledgement in the Festival Programme.

➢ Opportunities to help with the running of Festival events and to attend the Society’s Annual Meeting.

Annual membership costs only £15 per household.

You can join in one of four ways:

♦ Contact Maggie Harries, 2 Copley Close, Bishopston, Swansea SA3 3JL UK

♦ Email: friends@gowerfestival.org

♦ Download a Gower Festival application form

♦ Pick up an application form at any festival venue.

Gower Festival Friends 100 Club

Don’t miss your chance to support the Gower Festival Society and win cash prizes for yourself!
There are three prize draws per year - July, November and March.

➢ 1st Prize per draw £100

➢ 2nd Prize of £50

➢ 3rd Prizes of £25 (the number of 3rd prizes is dependent on the number of tickets sold per year).
Last year the 100 Club raised over £600 for the Gower Festival - a significant contribution towards the cost of a concert.

The cost of a share is only £12 per year - that’s just £1per month. You may take out more than one share if you wish.

You can join in one of three ways:

♦ Contact Maggie Harries, 2 Copley Close, Bishopston, Swansea SA3 3JL UK

♦ Email: friends@gowerfestival.org

♦ Pick up an application form at any festival venue, or download an application form.

useful links

Gower Festival secretary at info@gowerfestival.org
Friends of Gower Festival secretary: friends@gowerfestival.org

Information about Swansea and Gower including, walks, what's on, accommodation:
‍www.visitswanseabay.com/
‍destination/gower-peninsula
Swansea Classical Guitar Circle: www.swanseaguitars.co.uk

Welcome to the Gower Festival

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WATCH THE KARL JENKINS
DOCUMENTARY ON BBC4