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Focus Wales teams up with Trac Cymru and Tŷ Cerdd on Welsh Music Abroad initiative
By Chris Cooke | Published on Wednesday 8 March 2023
Showcase festival Focus Wales has announced that it is teaming up with Trac Cymru and Tŷ Cerdd / Music Centre Wales to launch Welsh Music Abroad, a new initiative that will aim to “celebrate and promote Welsh music worldwide”.
The three organisations said in a statement that, having collaborated for many years, work on this new initiative began earlier this year. The launch of Welsh Music Abroad comes ahead of the Welsh music showcase Focus Wales will host at South By Southwest in Austin, Texas next week.
Commenting on the initiative, Focus Wales co-founder Andy Jones says: “Sharing our experience, knowledge and collective networks, our aim is to create increased international opportunities for all artists and industry working within the music sector in Wales, to further their artistic development, and ultimately create more sustainable careers for those wishing to work within the sector”.
Meanwhile Tŷ Cerdd Director Deborah Keyser adds: “Supporting Welsh artists to develop their craft and meet new audiences is central to our work at Tŷ Cerdd. We’re committed to creating inclusive pathways to international opportunities through our close connections with global networks – and our recent collaboration with Focus Wales and Trac Cymru has amplified that work. It feels the right time to launch Welsh Music Abroad, as a strong statement that we are working together to support artists’ mobility and sustainability”.
And Trac Cymru Director Danny KilBride says: ”For three SMEs in a small country, the only way we can work effectively is in partnerships – be that with each other or with Welsh and international organisations. In each of our sectors we’ve built up a huge knowledgebase of how to help our emerging and established musicians and music businesses. It’s never about export alone. It’s always about an exchange – of values, of music and culture. Like our football team’s motto ‘gorau chwarae cyd chwarae’, we play better when we work as a team”.
There is more information about the new initiative at welshmusicabroad.com
