The artistic director of Aberystwyth Musicfest has chosen some highlights of the upcoming festival, which takes place from 26 July-2 August.

Iwan Teifion Davies said: “As well as headline concerts with opera superstar Sir Bryn Terfel, and a rare performance of Arwel Hughes and Saunders Lewis’s opera Serch yw’r Doctor, there will be numerous concerts presenting different kinds of music.

“On 26 July, Sinfonia Cymru perform alongside N’famady Kouyaté, fusing West-African rhythms and melodies with classical and folk sounds.

“The 27th sees two concerts–the Welsh Chamber Orchestra in a programme including Mozart’s 40th symphony, and the Art Deco Trio, led by Iain Farrington, performing jazz-inspired arrangements of classical favourites.

“At lunchtime on 28th Aberystwyth academic Andrea Hammel is joined by Christian Leitmeir (University of Oxford) and myself to explore the refugee experience through story and music by Julia Kerr – mother of Judith Kerr, author of The Tiger Who Came to Tea.

“On 29th, chamber group Pocket Sinfonia present Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, Fanny Mendelssohn’s Overture in C major and Felix Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, using both modern and period instruments.

“Jane Austen 250 takes centre stage on the 30th. Actress Nina Wadia, soprano Claire Booth and pianist Andrew Matthews-Owen present a recital of Jane Austen’s words, illuminated by music she loved, by composers including Gluck, Handel, Haydn, Schubert, popular songs of the time, and extracts from Jonathan Dove’s underscoring of the letters between two sisters, My Beloved Cassandra.

“On the 31st, the concert is inspired by Hungarian violinist Jelly d’Aranyi, a favourite with Gregynog and Aberystwyth audiences from the 1920s-1950s and the first performer of numerous works by Bartok, Ravel, Vaughan Williams and Holst. The concert is presented by violinist Sara Trickey with an introduction by Dr Rhian Davies.”