FEBRUARY AT ST DAVID’S HALL

THIS month can mean only thing and that’s the 40th anniversary of St David’s Hall!

The venue had already been thriving for several months when it was given the Royal seal of approval. On Tuesday 15 February 1983, the Queen Mother officially opened the National Concert Hall of Wales with the unveiling of a commemorative plaque - which is still located next to our Level 3 Stage.

Plus to celebrate the occasion, we will be hosting a day of free activities as a little thank you to our fantastic, loyal patrons on Saturday 18 February including Welsh Music Prize winners Adwaith and The Gentle Good, Cardiff jazz and swing group Year of the Dog, the Mavron Quartet (St David’s Hall Ensemble in Residence) and a Comedy Club featuring hilarious Welsh comic, Robin Morgan. Elsewhere that anniversary weekend is sensational tenor and BBC Radio Wales presenter Wynne Evans (Fri 17 Feb) in Beyond Compare and beloved Great British Bake Off judge Prue Leith (Sun 19 Feb) with Nothing in Moderation.

As usual there’s a healthy helping of rock and pop starting with the Grammy Award-winning Richard Marx (Thurs 2 Feb) Tubular Bells - The 50th Anniversary Celebration (Fri 3 Feb) and The Musical Box (Weds 15 Feb) relive the iconic music of Mike Oldfield and Genesis, while there are other huge names in Belinda Carlisle (Sat 4 Feb) and Suzanne Vega (Sun 26 Feb). Our Roots Unearthed season resumes with ‘The Welsh Springsteen’ Martyn Joseph (Tues 7 Feb) and Bellowhead lead singer Jon Boden (Tues 21 Feb), while our contemporary series nightmusic kicks off again with The Ashwell Trio (Tues 14 Feb).

The Cardiff Classical Series continues as the BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales (Sun 12 Feb) are joined by virtuoso violinist James Ehnes for a spellbinding performance of Brahms’ Violin Concerto, while the Philharmonia Orchestra (Sat 25 Feb) joins forces with the world’s hottest cellist, Sheku Kanneh-Mason for a captivating interpretation of Ernest Bloch's Schelomo. Our classical offering doesn’t stop there as the Royal Welsh College Symphony (Weds 8 Feb) returns with vibrant selections from Sibelius, Grace Williams and Douglas Lilburn. Plus, there are serene Lunchtime Concerts from cello and piano duo Maciej Kułakowski & Jean-Sélim Abdelmoula (Tues 7 Feb), and acclaimed Cardiff organist Jeffrey Howard (Tues 21 Feb)

Opera fans are in for a real treat with the stunning grandeur of Verdi Aida (Weds 1 Feb), and TEDxCARDIFF (Sat 11 Feb) comes to its biggest ever venue with inspiring talks and ideas worth spreading. Last but by no means least is Julia Donaldson’s magical tale Zog (Weds 22 - Thurs 23 Feb) with four fun-filled shows live on stage - the perfect way to keep your tiny tots entertained during the half-term holidays!