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This year’s annual conference will be chaired by Robert Lloyd, the ISM’s President for 2005-06. It will run from Tuesday 18 to Friday 21 April, and will be held at the Theatr Brycheiniog, Brecon, with accommodation and the annual dinner in the town’s Castle Hotel, about half a mile’s walk through the town from the Theatr. All catering other than breakfasts and the annual dinner will be provided by Tipple’n’Tiffin: their restaurant at the Theatr, specialising in organic local produce, is a favourite of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, of River Cottage fame. Throughout the conference, an art exhibition organized by the Museum of Modern Welsh Art at Machynlleth will be on display.

The programme will start after lunch on Tuesday 18 April with Robert Lloyd’s welcome and Presidential Address. After tea there will be a special extended session on the appreciation of Indian Classical Music by the distinguished Sarod player, teacher and composer Dr Rajeeb Chakraborty. Supper will be followed by a panel discussion on music education in Wales, led by Edmond Fivet, principal of the RWCMD, and Alan Price, head of South Powys Youth Music. There will then be a concert by the National Youth Wind Orchestra of Wales. A post-concert session on jazz – the Brecon Jazz Festival is an international institution – will be illustrated by an RWCMD student combo; students from the College will also be providing live music at other points during the conference.

Wednesday 19 April begins with the annual meeting of the Performers & Composers Section; and after coffee, there will be a talk on comparing and contrasting jazz and classical music by Paula Gardiner, jazz co-ordinator at the RWCMD. The Welsh theme will continue with a presentation on Penillion harp music by Dr Aled Lloyd Davies, with illustrations by Meinir Heulyn. After lunch, the annual meeting of the Private Teachers Section will be followed by a Composers’ Forum, chaired by John Hearne – PCS Warden in 1999-2000, and a Welshman who has made his home in Scotland – and including John McLeod (PCS Warden Elect), Professor Ian Parrott, Sarah Rodgers  and Richard Allain. After supper there will be a special public concert in Brecon Cathedral, conducted by David Gedge, the director of music: the programme will include a Mozart piano concerto and Mozart’s Requiem, in which conference participants can join the choir. There will then be a reception, sponsored by the RWCMD, in the Brecon Heritage Centre, which stands in the cathedral grounds; this will be followed at 11pm by candlelit Compline in the cathedral, sung by the choir.

Thursday 20 April kicks off with the annual meeting of the Music in Education Section, followed by the ISM’s annual general meeting. After lunch, coaches will take participants over the hills to Craig-y-Nos Castle, the home of Adelina Patti, where there will be a guided tour and tea. To quote from theatre historian David Wilmore’s article Curtains up, Your Grace, in the 22-29 December 2005 issue of Country Life:

‘Adelina Patti commissioned architects to design and construct a private theatre within her house at Craig-y-Nos. She and her husband, tenor Ernesto Nicolini … could afford the significant outlay that building entailed. The theatre was designed in 1891 by Bucknall & Jennings. It is a formal architectural response for two ‘people of the theatre’. It clearly indicates an intention to entertain and impress the house guests with private, but professional, theatricals. The theatre consists of a flat-floored ballroom, with a surprise in store – the floor can be manually tilted with an ingenious mechanism, allowing [it] to be converted into a raking stalls complete with perfect sightlines for an operatic performance. Although unique in this country, this was a typical feature of great 19th-century European opera houses. The auditorium has a delightful coved and panelled ceiling, and giant fluted Corinthian columns richly articulate the walls. The proscenium arch is flanked by columns and a central pedimented tablet containing the names of Verdi, Rossini and Mozart. The theatre also retains some of its original scenery, notably an act drop depicting Patti in full flow as Boadicea aboard chariot and horses.’

Back in Brecon, the Presidential Reception will be held in the Castle Hotel, and the annual dinner itself in the grand ballroom, with its superb views of the Brecon Beacons. Music before, during and after the meal will be provided by the Welsh a cappella group Serendipity, and the guest speaker after the dinner will be the eminent critic Rodney Milnes. The conference ends on the morning of Friday 21 April with an optional trip on the beautiful Monmouthshire Canal, down the Usk valley from the canal basin outside the Theatr to Brynich and back, lasting around 2½ hours.

Brecon is a delightful Georgian market town, set in glorious Border scenery. The Brecon Beacons and Black Mountains offer some of the best hill-walking in Britain. Not far away is the legendary ‘book town’ of Hay-on-Wye, and the Kilvert Country of Clyro and Bredwardine is also nearby. Natural and man-made attractions are all around. Spring is the perfect time to visit this delicious corner of the Marches.

Although only Full members can vote at the business meetings, the conference is open to all, whether members of the Society or not.

DATES
Tuesday 18-Friday 21 April 2006

VENUE
Theatr Brycheiniog, Canal Wharf, Brecon, Powys LD3 7EW
tel: 01874 611622 (Front of House/Box Office), web: www.theatrbrycheiniog.co.uk

ACCOMMODATION
Castle of Brecon Hotel, Castle Square, Brecon, Powys LD3 9DB
tel: 01874 624611, fax: 01874 623737, email: hotel@breconcastle.co.uk, web: www.breconcastle.co.uk

Space at the Castle Hotel is limited and will be allocated on a ‘first come first served’ basis.

The Castle Hotel is a comfortable hotel in the centre of Brecon. It is approx 10 minutes (½ mile) walk from the Theatr Brycheiniog. Participants who would like to stay somewhere different may come to conference as non-residents and book their own accommodation.

The following country house hotels are a short drive from the town:
Gliffaes, Crickhowell, Powys NP8 1RH, tel: 01874 730371, web: www.gliffaeshotel.com
Peterstone Court, Llanhamlach, Brecon, Powys LD3 7YB, tel: 01874 665387, web: www.peterstone-court.com

Alternatively, a list of reasonably priced guest & farm house accommodation in Brecon is available from ISM Head Office.

TRANSPORT
Nearest motorway: M4, Junction 24 or 32.
Nearest rail station: Abergavenny (transport between Abergavenny station and Brecon will be provided on request).
Full directions, a map and further details will be sent on receipt of booking.

CAR PARKING
There is a free car park at the Castle Hotel.
There is a pay and display car park at the Theatr Brycheiniog. Prices are 10p (up to 1 hour), 50p (up to 6 hours) or
£1 (over 6 hours). Evening parking is free.

ANNUAL DINNER & RECEPTION
The Presidential Reception & Annual Dinner will be held in the Ballroom at the Castle of Brecon Hotel.
There will be complimentary drinks at the reception and complimentary wine with the meal. Dress will be black tie.

BOOKINGS
Bookings will be accepted in order of receipt. The deadline is Friday 31 March 2006.

Residential bookings include accommodation; all meals, events and meetings; the Presidential Reception & Annual Dinner.
Non-Residential bookings include lunches and dinners; all events and meetings; the Presidential Reception & Annual Dinner.
Other bookings are available by special arrangement with the ISM.

CHARGES
Prices are per person. They include VAT at standard rate, where appropriate.