Wednesday 12th October sees the launch of a book and CD as part of the Celtic Women project.
Celtic Women is an exciting project that has been taking place throughout Carmarthenshire this year, delivered in partnership between Community Music Wales and Creative Director, Cheryl Beer, funded by The Arts Council of Wales, Welsh Government and Big Lottery, with the aim of celebrating Celtic Women from past, present and future as well as giving greater access to new creative opportunities.
Since March 2011, over 350 people throughout the County have taken part in the Celtic Women Project, writing songs, poems & music, making digital stories as well as taking part in creative arts, celebrating Celtic Women past, present and future in workshops with Cheryl Beer.
Samples of the poems and lyrics, along with illustrations by local artists, have been published into a Celtic Women Book; insights into the many songs and musical pieces written have been edited onto a CD.
The book and CD are being launched at The National Botanic Garden of Wales on Wednesday October 12th at 1pm. It will be a wonderful afternoon of live music, song and dance in The Great Glasshouse, digital stories will be shown in the side room where The National Library of Wales, Virtual People’s Library, will be including Celtic Women as part of the Digital Heritage in the Community Project.
In addition to live music, song and poetry performance, Arts Care / Gofal Celf community dancers will be performing to a piece of improvised music recorded as part of the Celtic Women project by Women in Tune.
Creative Director, Cheryl Beer says:
‘Thanks to a partnership with Community Music Wales, it has been possible to create an amazing journey with so many local people and organisations supporting the event. Although I knew Carmarthenshire to be a hub of creativity, I could never have imagined that so many people of different ages and abilities would take part.
“We are so excited to be kindly invited by The National Botanic Garden of Wales to launch the book and CD in such a beautiful setting. VoltzArts Radio Station will be covering the event, along with Radio Tircoed’s Women’s Bits. Cadno Music have kindly lent us equipment and The Kazbar helped with marketing the workshops. Chantelle Rees from Llanelli Star has written about us for the Newspaper, keeping the community up to date, as well as securing a feature on the project in County Life Magazine. Arts Care Gofal Celf have been so supportive throughout the process, and we can’t wait to see the dancer’s interpretation of the music.
“They have been rehearsing all Summer. Not only do we have an inspirational book and CD of the work of the community, but culturenet are including a PDF of the book for The People’s Virtual Library on behalf of the National Library of Wales Cultural Heritage Project which means that people all over the world will be able to view our work. It has been an overwhelming response.’
The Project has already created a legacy with a Celtic Women Concert Series being hosted by The National Botanic Garden of Wales which starts Sunday November 6th in The Great Glasshouse and continues to support women performers twice a month, through until March 2012.
Date: Wednesday 12th October 2011 at 1.00pm in The Great Glasshouse, National Botanic Garden of Wales
For full details please email [email protected]
Funded by Community Music Wales, Big Lottery, Welsh Government & The Arts Council of Wales, supported locally by The National Botanic Garden of Wales & Arts Care Gofal Celf, as well as many other local organisations.
This video appears by kind permission of Laura Hackett, Dance Co-ordinator for Arts Care Gofal Celf
