Music as Therapy
This concert will benefit the work of charities such as Music as Therapy International and Musicians Without Borders who are working with social workers, youth leaders and teachers in the Bethlehem area of the West Bank. The goal of this work is to enhance the skill set of these educators so they can use music to help children and young people reach their full potential. Therapeutic music groups are already helping children find creative ways of expressing and communicating their emotions as well as having positive effects on their educational achievements. More funding will enable us to provide equipment such as specialised musical instruments, training and support to develop this work.
Liz Coombes is a Cardiff based Music Therapist who has been working on Music Therapy projects in Palestine since 2009. Liz is course leader of the MA in Music as Therapy course at the University of South Wales and is developing links with her Palestinian projects to enrich the students experience.
http://www.musicastherapy.org/what_we_do/international_projects/project_beit_sahour.html
Cwmbach and Censtra
Founded in 1921Cwmbach Male Choir celebrates over 90 years of singing and has had the privilege of sharing the concert platform with world famous artists at prestigious venues -Paul Robeson, Sir Geraint Evans, Stuart Burrows, Dame Gwyneth Jones, guitarist John Williams, to name but a few.The choir has won many competitions and in the last 40years has toured worldwide. Highlights include its first tour in 1961 singing in Hungary, being the first Welsh choir to sing behind the ‘Iron Curtain’. A tour of Johannesburg and Cape Town South Africa in 1997 and its involvement with the ‘Arandora Star’ memorial events in the UK and Italy. A choir with a social conscience and a sense of International Community it has given generously time and money raising many thousands of pounds for charity. Not only are they performing free of charge for this concert they are also part sponsoring the Cenestra choir tour to the UK.
Cwmbach and Cenestra Male Choirs met in 1988 at the Cork International Music Festival in Ireland. Encouraged by their relationship with Cwmbach, Cenestra Male Choir was formed in 1992. Going from strength to strength, at one stage reaching number 19 of the Musica-Mundi world rankings for the top 50 male choirs, the only African Choir to feature in the rankings. The link between the choirs has remained strong.
http://www.cwmbachmalechoir.co.uk/