Early Voices/Lleisiau Cynnar

Early Voices Wales (EVW) is a festival based in Llantwit Major, in the Vale of Glamorgan, dedicated to promoting Early Music in Wales and beyond. The organisation is supported by a strong and committed volunteer base, as well as by local communities who are keen to enjoy high-quality cultural events close to home, without the need to travel to larger cities. EVW’s mission is to champion early music as an essential part of our shared historical heritage and to make it accessible to all, fostering engagement, education, and enjoyment across diverse audiences.

Early Voices 2026 invites you to experience a vibrant celebration of music and storytelling from across cultures and centuries. Under the theme ‘Songs and Stories’, this year’s festival explores how music has always been a powerful way of sharing tales, myths, and memories, spanning medieval European, Finnish and Indian repertoires.

Set mainly in the beautiful medieval church of St Illtyd’s in Llantwit Major, with events also taking place in Cowbridge, the festival brings together internationally acclaimed performers, exciting emerging ensembles, and new artistic collaborations.

Alongside concerts, a programme of outreach and family events aims to inspire listeners of all ages, welcoming new audiences into the world of Early Music.

The 2026 programme features a rich line-up of international and UK-based artists, including the acclaimed Linarol Consort of Viols with soprano Héloïse Bernard (8 May), the vocal ensemble Bruegel Consort in a major late-medieval Marian programme (9 May), and the Finnish Ensemble Gamut! making their Welsh debut (10 May).

Resident ensemble The Vale Consort opens the festival (6 May), with further performances from The Fountain Singers (9 May), and a free family storytelling concert, offering audiences a diverse journey through sacred and secular music, myth, and storytelling across the medieval and Renaissance worlds (10 May).

Complementing this is a pre-festival cross-cultural event (25 April), Early Voices Connections, bringing together renowned storytellers Cath Little and Angharad Wynne with Indian classical singer Amruta Garud and festival director Anna Cristoni-Apel to celebrate the divine feminine, blending medieval Western music, Indian classical traditions, Welsh folk song, chant, poetry, and storytelling.