Dame Shirley Bassey, Sir Tom Jones and Bonnie Tyler are just some of the musicians who have called Wales their home.
This week, the talents of the land of music are on full display in one of the Europebiggest music and poetry festivals, the National Eisteddfod.
But concerns have been raised about the future of the country’s arts sector due to funding cuts.
Proposals from Welsh National Opera (WNO) would see its orchestra go part-time and musicians’ salaries cut by 15%.
More than 11,000 people signed a petition calling for the proposals to be scrapped.
It’s not uncommon for the arts to face cuts – but should the land of Sir Tom Jones be doing more to protect its musical reputation? Photo: ITV/Rachel Joseph/Shutterstock
‘Can’t we save these jobs?’
Llinos Owen, 42 years old, has been the orchestra’s subprincipal bassoon since 2022.
Originally from Pwllheli in Gwynedd, Mrs Owen was excited to return to live in Wales.
But she told Sky News she may now have to move elsewhere to continue her career.
“I am going Glasgow next week to audition for a position up there because there isn’t enough freelance work in Cardiff,” she said.
“It’s not like living Londonor the Leeds-Manchester corridor or between Glasgow and Edinburgh where there is a lot of freelance work and more full-time bands that need freelancers.
“In Cardiff, it will not be sustainable for all orchestra members to be able to compensate for this shortage of income with more music work locally.”
Wales’ reputation as the land of music was “hugely” at risk due to cuts to the arts sector, according to Owen.
“Wales, the land of music, such a musical nation, is being left as a kind of cultural desert due to massive underfunding,” he added.
Ms Owen said she wanted the Welsh Government to “unlock some emergency funding” to help maintain the orchestra at its current capacity.
She added: “Can’t we save these jobs until there is a better future on the horizon?”
Llinos Owen
Naomi Pohl, general secretary of the Musicians’ Union (MU), told Sky News that the union was “very concerned” and urged the Welsh Government to listen to its members and “intervene”.
“The funding gap is not huge in the context of Wales’ overall budget for arts and culture, but the impact will be very significant,” she said.
“When you have new governments, you have new ministers, there is always the opportunity for someone to see things differently and hopefully make that change.”
A Welsh government spokesperson said it had “acted to mitigate the full scale of budgetary pressures” on the arts sector, but had to prioritize funding for “essential public services” such as the National Health Service.
A protest was held by members of the Musicians’ Union in Cardiff in June. Photo: PA
Cuts seen as “inevitable”
MU members voted last month in favor of potential strike action. The WNO said it was “disappointed” with the result, but respected the decision.
It added that it had suffered funding cuts and had to make changes to ensure it remained “financially sustainable in the future”.
A spokesperson said colleagues were being supported through the process which they felt was “inevitable” due to the savings the company needed to make.
“We are committed to securing our long-term future as Wales’ national opera company,” they added.
Sky News reached out to the Arts Council of Wales for a response but no one was available.
Keep up with the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
‘We have to prove that we are the land of music’
Elsewhere, the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (RWCMD) announced last month that the junior conservatoire provision would come to an end.
David Ingham, 18, from Swansea, has been studying at the conservatoire for several years.
He said the music education offered was something “you can’t get at school.”
David Ingham
“Going to a junior conservatory makes it a lot easier for [young people] go to a conservatory to study more because it’s the same type of education,” he said.
“We may be the land of music, but we have to prove it. We have to have these opportunities.
“Music should be a really important part of our society, and it has traditionally been for many years. But I think it’s probably not that much anymore.
“And it’s deeply unfair that if you live in London you have five choices of where you would like to study music as a teenager or as a child, and in Wales you now have none.”
Campaigners have called on the RWCMD to maintain its junior conservatory provision. Photo: David Ingham
‘The art scene is on life support’
Bryony Black, 46, is the mother of one of the children who attended the junior conservatoire.
His 15-year-old son, Solomon, who had a scholarship, was studying violin through eighth grade.
“Unfortunately, the impact on the future of where he goes with this is quite dramatic. We still don’t know exactly what we’re going to do,” she said.
“With regards to the provision of alternative conservatories, we are actually looking at Birmingham or London and even with a possible grant, we are still looking at massively higher travel costs. Furthermore, the additional time it takes when you consider that it was already doing a six-hour day.”
Although it has not been felt for some years, Black, who lives in Blaenau Gwent, said the impact on emerging professional musicians in Wales would be “drastic”.
“Art is always the one that takes the first hit, but it has gone from tightening its belt to putting in new grooves and it will simply die,” she said.
“Not only does there need to be a renaissance, but it’s like the entire art scene is alive right now.”
Bryony Black with her son Solomon
Ms Black said there was “no struggle” within the college to negotiate with the government and try to secure the future of the provision.
The RWCMD said in a statement that it had not made the decision to “softly” end youth provision at weekends.
A spokesperson for the college said a statutory staff consultation was held due to the “challenging financial context currently affecting higher education institutions”.
They added that the current model of weekly activity was “financially unsustainable” but that they would “continue to deliver sustainable project work” for under-18s and would keep the Welsh Government “fully informed” as new proposals were developed.
Read more on Sky News:
Edwards mural removed
Former rugby star banned from driving
Wrexham star appears in Ryan Reynolds film
The Welsh government said the country’s cultural, arts and sporting institutions are “an integral part of our society and our well-being”.
“With a total investment of £13 million between 2022 and 2025, our National Music Service ensures that all young people aged 3 to 16 have access to musical activities, including instrument and vocal lessons,” the government added.
This story originally appeared on News.sky.com read the full story
