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Entertainment

St Davids Cathedral Music Festival promises a spectacular line-up

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AFTER a pause last year, the beloved St Davids Cathedral Music Festival is set to make a grand return this May, bringing a vibrant mix of international talent to Pembrokeshire. The festival, a staple in the cultural calendar, will coincide with the May half-term week, offering six days of musical excellence.

The 2024 festival will open with a dazzling performance by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales on May 25. The orchestra will treat audiences to Mathias’s Festival Overture and Brahms’ Second Symphony. Adding to the splendour, award-winning violinist Inmo Yang will grace the stage with his rendition of Sibelius’ Violin Concerto.

This year’s festival will also introduce several new performers. The Choir of Royal Holloway is set to debut on May 27, enchanting attendees with choral arrangements of orchestral classics. Local talent is also in the spotlight, with Pembrokeshire-born horn player Simon Lewis performing alongside Trio Preseli on May 26, showcasing works by Welsh composer Anthony Randall.

Adding a touch of environmental consciousness to the festival, clarinet virtuoso Emma Johnson returns on May 28 with her Orchestra for the Environment. Their repertoire will include pieces by Mozart, Tchaikovsky, and Johnson’s own composition, ‘The Tree of Life’.

The festival will kick off with the 150-strong Children’s Festival Chorus on May 24, captivating audiences with their youthful energy and a live band. Throughout the week, the cathedral musicians will feature prominently in several concerts, with the highlight being the full Cathedral choir performing Choral Evensong live on BBC Radio 3.

Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased online, over the phone, or at the box office. Entry for under-18s is free with an accompanying adult, with other tickets starting at £8. Early booking is encouraged to secure seats, although last-minute tickets may be available at the door.

Simon Pearce, the artistic director, expressed his enthusiasm for the festival’s return, hoping that it will draw a large crowd to celebrate the rich musical heritage and the serene setting of the cathedral. All cathedral services, including festival ceremonies, will be open to the public free of charge, making it a perfect family-friendly event.

PROGRAMME OF EVENTS

Friday 24th May

6.00pm: Festival Launch Concert with Children’s Chorus

The 2024 Festival kicks off with a performance by the Festival Children’s Chorus, led by Mathew Wright MBE, Artistic Director of the Barnsley Youth Choir. Matthew is a member of the international jury representing the World Choir Games and in 2023 was appointed as a representative for Great Britain on the World Choir Council.

8.30pm: Vox Angelica and Vicars Choral by Candlelight

Join Vox Angelica and the Vicars Choral of St Davids Cathedral Choir for their annual late-night concert. Expect light-hearted songs and anthems, perfect for a late spring evening.

Saturday 25th May

11.00am: Coffee Concert – Choristers Unplugged!

The Cathedral Choristers ditch the cassocks and present a programme of their favourite popular and musical theatre songs. One not to be missed!

7.00pm: BBC National Orchestra of Wales

The BBC National Orchestra of Wales return for their annual performance at the Festival. Conductor Dinis Sousa leads the orchestra in William Mathias’ ‘Festival Overture’, in the composer’s 90th anniversary year. Violinist Inmo Yang joins the orchestra for Sibelius’ popular Violin Concerto in D minor. The programme concludes with a staple of the classical repertoire, Brahms’ 2nd Symphony in D Major. This annual performance is one of the highlights of every Festival programme, and this year’s promises to be no different.

Sunday 26th May

Choral Services: 11am Choral Eucharist, 4pm Choral Evensong

St Davids Cathedral Choir sing the services for Trinity Sunday.

7.00pm: Preseli Trio

The dynamic Preseli Trio join us from Santiago de Compostela in Spain, with strong links to Pembrokeshire. The trio, consisting of Soprano, Horn and Piano, are champions of contemporary composers and the work of Welsh composer Anthony Randall. Simon Lewis, the horn player, hails from Pembrokeshire, and named the trio after the rolling hills of our beautiful county. Join them for their debut UK performance, including the UK premiere of a new work by Galician composer Fernando Buide.

Monday 27th May

11.00am: Coffee Concert – St Davids Cathedral Choral Scholars

Join our fabulous choral scholars, Lucy Dunn, Alto, George Webb, Bass and Nathanael Laidlaw, Bass, in a recital of arias, art songs and lieder.

Choral Service: 5pm Choral Evensong sung by the Cathedral Singers

7.00pm: Orchestral Classics for Choir with The Choir of Royal Holloway

The Choir of Royal Holloway is now well-established as one of the leading collegiate choirs in the UK. This crack team of 24 choral scholars and director, Rupert Gough are known internationally for their highly engaging performances and vast catalogue of stunning recordings, particularly in collaboration with Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo. In their Festival debut, they present a programme of popular orchestral music arranged for chorus, including Vaughan Williams’ ‘Variations on a Theme of Thomas Tallis’, Ravel’s ‘Pavane une infante defunte’, and a new mass setting based on Peter Warlock’s ‘Capriol Suite’ by George Arthur. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to hear this wonderful choir in Britain’s smallest city!

Tuesday 28th May

11.00am: Coffee Concert – Young Musician of Dyfed

We’re delighted to announce that pianist Raphael James, winner of the 2024 Young Musician of Dyfed, will be performing in this morning recital. Full programme details to be announced soon, including music by Rachmaninov, Schubert and Chopin. The Recital will also include the first public performance of ‘Barbarica’ for harp by promising young composer Gerard Coutain – performed by the young professional harpist Nia Evans.

7.00pm: Emma Johnson with the Orchestra for the Environment

Join clarinettist Emma Johnson, winner of the 1984 BBC Young Musician of the Year, and her orchestra in a programme of music celebrating the beauty of our natural world. Expect classics in the repertoire such as Mozart’s Ein Kleine Nachtmusik, and Paul Reade’s ‘Suite from the Victorian Kitchen Garden’ complimented by Emma’s own composition ‘Tree of Life’, inspired by a wish to say something about the climate emergency.

Wednesday 29th May

4.00pm: Choral Evensong live on BBC Radio 3

St Davids Cathedral Choir sing the office of Choral Evensong live on BBC Radio 3, on the eve of Corpus Christi. Please be seated by 3.45pm.

8.00pm: Alaw

To round off the 2024 Festival in style, dynamic folk trio Alaw treat us to a concert full of soulful folk songs and toe-tapping melodies and dances. A joyful concert not to be missed!

Community

Conservation area consultation for Cresswell Quay approval expected

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PLANS to hold a public consultation on making one of south Pembrokeshire’s most scenic estuarial villages, home to a CAMRA award-winning pub, a conservation area are expected to be backed by the national park.

At the July 24 meeting of Pembrokeshire Coast National Park’s meeting approval is sought to initiate public consultation for designating Cresswell Quay as a Conservation Area.

Cresswell Quay, home to the Cresselly Arms, is “one of the most scenic villages within the National Park and is highly significant as a very early coal port, retaining several buildings of architectural importance,” a report for members states.

There are some 500 conservation areas, defined as “areas of special architectural or historic interest, the character of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance” across Wales, 14 in the national park.

The report for Park members adds: “The designation of a conservation area at Cresswell Quay would recognise the special architectural and historic interest of the village and would ensure that future development either preserves or enhances the character and appearance of the conservation area.

“The designation would introduce controls over the demolition of buildings which would require conservation area consent and affords greater protection of works to trees. Officers consider that part of the special interest of Cresswell Quay is the relationship between the village, the estuary and its wooded setting, which is unusual in a Pembrokeshire context.”

It adds: “To date, the Conservation Areas within the National Park have been designated inhouse. However, Cresswell Quay is the home of the Buildings Conservation Officer and to avoid any potential conflict of interest or wider public misconception, the public consultation will be undertaken by Linda Jones of Babb Architects, Whitland and Emily Holder, Conservation Assistant, supported by members of the Strategic Policy team.”

Initial engagement with key landowners and the three community councils of the area has already taken place, and a public drop-in event – if consultation is backed – is planned for early August.

Further information on the consultation will also promoted at events including the Pembrokeshire County Show and Martletwy Show.

Earlier this year the Cresselly Arms won the CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) pub of the year award for the whole of Wales.

The Cresselly Arms averaged 89 points out of a maximum 120 after surveys were conducted across the country by members of other branches.

The recommendation before Park members seeks approval for a formal consultation, as well as drafting a conservation area appraisal and management plan.

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Community

Landslide-hit coastal path expected to reopen in next few weeks

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A LANDSLIDE-HIT Pembrokeshire coastal path, delayed due to a further landslide, is expected to “God willing” reopen in budget by the start of August, councillors heard.

The coast path between Wiseman’s Bridge and Coppet Hall/Saundersfoot, known as the Tramway, experienced ‘substantial rock falls’ late last year and in January.

The January major fall happened at the Coppet Hall end of this section of path, while the November landslides were closer toward the Wisemans Bridge end of the path.

Pembrokeshire County Council has said that the work to stabilise the cliffs and tunnels so that the path can be re-opened is likely to cost around £600,000.

At the March meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet, members backed the works, with a hoped-for finish date of the start of the summer holidays.

However, the council recently said those works had now been delayed until early August “as a consequence of additional works required, including the occurrence of another landslip along the path,” with additional remedial works needed.

A question submitted to the July 18 meeting Pembrokeshire County Council, by Cllr Alan Dennison, will ask: “In the Cabinet meeting of March 11, the following was resolved: That the inclusion of the Saundersfoot to Wiseman’s Bridge cycle track cliff stabilisation works (‘the Scheme’) in the capital programme, at a capital cost of £600,000 in 2024-25, be approved, noting that this is a cost to be met by council funds unless external funding is secured to reduce this cost commitment. It is now paused pending further stabilisation works that are required.

“Can the Cabinet member confirm whether the land that has slipped is council owned or private land and if council, what further cuts will have to be made to services to fund the cost to stabilise the cliff?”

Responding, Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services Cllr Rhys Sinnett said that, despite the third rockfall “at no stage has the stabilisation work been paused or suspended”.

He told members the land in the third landslip was privately owned but had been historically maintained by the council, and it was expected the total works were still expected by be within the £600,000 cost; with more than £300,000 in grants already secured, and potentially more expected.

He told members that “God wiling” the pathway was expected to reopen at the start of August.

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Entertainment

The most anticipated releases of computer games in 2024

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Over the past decades, eSports has developed significantly and gifted us with many games that can be considered bestsellers. In 2024, we can expect a number of games that may also become popular and receive positive reviews from fans. The year promises a combination of innovative technologies, captivating stories, and new development ideas. These games have the potential to change the gaming landscape and introduce new mechanics that will help advance eSports. From expansive open-world adventures to innovative competitive games, 2024 is set to deliver an impressive lineup. Here’s a detailed look at what gamers can expect in the coming year.

Gaming Innovations on the Horizon

Technological progress plays a key role in the gaming industry. In 2024, we are witnessing a significant jump in graphics and gameplay mechanics thanks to new hardware capabilities, the release of new video cards and components, and creative approaches to development. Also, thanks to the integration of artificial intelligence into games, improved NPCs have been created that have their own intelligence, which increases the realism and interactivity of games. This development is expected to bring a more dynamic and responsive gaming environment. Furthermore, these innovations are impacting eSports platforms by automating certain functions, such as dota 2 schedule, as updates and real-time information affect the dynamics of gameplay. This automation not only simplifies tournament management but also improves the quality of viewing by providing more accurate and timely updates, which enhances the fan experience.

eSports Highlights and Upcoming Tournaments

Competitions and events are a crucial part of eSports. This year, the eSports scene is gearing up for outstanding tournaments scheduled throughout the year. Among them, the CS 2 Major and Dota TI are among the most prestigious and recognizable in the history of eSports. The International for Dota 2 will take place in September this year in Copenhagen. This tournament is the most anticipated in its discipline and boasts the largest prize pools in eSports. It features the top teams that have passed special qualifiers to compete in these events. For CS 2, notable competitions include the Major and the Esports World Cup 2024, which are among the most exciting CS 2 events this year. These events not only attract massive audiences but also ensure a high level of competition, making each match thrilling. Thus, eSports fans are ready to cheer for their favorite teams at the top eSports tournaments.

Major game releases of 2024

As always, fans eagerly anticipate the release of new and exciting games. One of the most awaited games is Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl. After the success of the first installments in this game series, fans have been waiting for a continuation, but the development of the new game was halted. The good news and surprise came with the announcement that this game will be released in 2024. Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl uses Unreal Engine 5 to create highly realistic graphics, immersing players in the game world from the very first glance.

Among the most interesting new releases this year are Helldivers 2 and Tekken 8. Helldivers 2 is a cooperative third-person shooter developed by Arrowhead Game Studios. This game quickly gained popularity due to its gameplay, with notable similarities to the movie Starship Troopers. As for Tekken 8, the game needs no introduction, as everyone is well familiar with its previous versions. Tekken 8 has improved graphics and introduced some new gameplay mechanics, making the game even more engaging.

The Influence of Community and Fan Engagement

In eSports, the role of the community and fan engagement continues to grow. Game developers are increasingly involving players and fans in the development process through beta testing and feedback sessions. This allows developers to hear the community’s opinions and improve the game accordingly. This collaborative approach helps strengthen the connection between developers and their audience. Additionally, fans create content such as mods and custom game modes, which enriches the gaming experience. These community contributions often make the game more interesting and extend its lifespan, creating a dynamic and evolving gaming environment. Media, bloggers, and streamers also play a significant role in engaging fans. The media publishes eSports news, while bloggers produce unique content and host streams. Together, these factors greatly enhance the popularity of eSports and place it on par with other sports.e life of games, creating a dynamic and evolving gaming environment.

Conclusion

In summary, 2024 is set to be an exciting year for the gaming community. With a wide range of anticipated releases, technological innovations, and significant eSports events, there is much to look forward to. The combination of cutting-edge developments and engaging gameplay mechanics promises to offer players unforgettable experiences across various eSports disciplines. As the year progresses, gamers and eSports enthusiasts will have the opportunity to enjoy new game releases, while teams will have the chance to participate in thrilling competitions. Gaming companies and organizations are ready to invest heavily to create intriguing new content, and the gaming community is prepared to cheer for their favorite teams. Whether you are looking to explore new games or watch high-stakes tournaments, 2024 has something for everyone.

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