The inaugural Wales Folk Awards was a triumph as The Trials of Cato, Vri, Calan and Gwilym Bowen Rhys performed to a packed hall at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff.
BBC folk show presenters Frank Hennessy and Lisa Gwilym hosted the celebration on April 11th at the prestigious BBC Hoddinott Hall. Guests from the world of music and the arts, including DJ Janice Long, joined the evening to present some of the awards.
Frank and Lisa’s shows will have special editions with full coverage of the evening’s events:
Celtic Heartbeat https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0079gm3 on BBC Radio Wales, 7pm Sunday 15 April, and Sioe Werin Lisa Gwilym https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0bbz54c
on BBC Radio Cymru, 8pm 17 April.
Wales Folk Awards Winners 2019
Best Emerging Artist / Band: The Trials of Cato
“One of the real discoveries on the folk circuit in recent times” – Mark Radcliffe, BBC Radio 2
Trials Of Cato -Photo credit:John Morgan
Best Solo Artist: Gwilym Bowen Rhys
Singer extraordinaire, musician, writer and rock-star turned folk star
https://www.gwilymbowenrhys.com/
Best Original English Language Song: Here Come The Young by Martyn Joseph
A song for our times by this internationally-respected singer-songwriter
Best Original Welsh Language Song: Bendigeidfran by Lleuwen
Lleuwen’s song is a response to our increasingly fragmenting world: “We need bridges to unite us. In love”.
Best Instrumental Track: Dawns Soïg / Dawns y Gŵr Marw by Alaw
One original tune, one traditional by the group who wowed audiences at the BBC Folk Prom
Dylan Fowler of Alaw accepting the trophy – Photo credit: John Morgan
Best Album: Tŷ ein Tadau by Vrï (main image)
Debut album from this chamber folk trio who are impressing audiences all across the UK
Best Traditional Welsh Song: Ffoles Llantrisant by Vrï
It’s those chamber folkies again, but this time they’re singing
Best Live Act: Pendevig
“An electric reaction // the line and beat of living roots” This Welsh folk supergroup put on a dazzling live show which was later broadcast as a TV special for New Year’s Eve
Best Group: Calan
Calan have been in the forefront of contemporary traditional Welsh folk for some time, and have toured Welsh music around the world
The Folk Prize for the best collection of three original tunes went to Huw Roberts of Anglesey, well known for his playing of the iconic Welsh instruments the triple harp and the crwth as well as the fiddle.
The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Roy Saer for his many decades of work and scholarship with the traditional songs of Wales. Roy began collecting and recording Welsh folk songs in the 1960s and his collection is at the heart of the St Fagans National Museum of History folk song archive.
Two Carmarthen craftsmen made the trophies – blacksmith Aaron Petersen and woodturner Rob Hopkins. Based on 18th-century rushlight holders, each one is unique and uses locally sourced wood. The trophies have quite a folk family connection – Aaron’s father is blacksmith David Petersen who led the Welsh Delegation at Lorient Interceltic Festival for many years, and his nephew Sam is a member of trac’s Youth Folk Ensemble of Wales.
The Awards were launched to celebrate the many talented performers lighting up the Welsh folk and traditional music scene, by a partnership which includes BBC Radio Wales and Radio Cymru, trac (Wales’ Folk Development organisation), the Arts Council of Wales, and significant individuals from the Welsh folk scene. The awards evening was kindly sponsored this year by the British Council Cymru Wales.
More information on the Awards can be found on trac’s website at www.trac.wales