Free lunchtime concerts return to Brecon Cathedral

Brecon Cathedral's Lunchtime Recital Series returns on Friday 17 April, with concerts every Friday at 1pm through to 18 September. Admission is free, with a retiring collection.

The 2026 series opens with something out of the ordinary: Lithuanian musician Emilija Karaliūtė playing the kanklės, a traditional Baltic plucked instrument rarely heard in Wales. The programme then ranges across organ, piano, voice, chamber music, and jazz — what Matt McVey, assistant director of music at Brecon Cathedral, calls "a good eclectic mix".

Among the highlights is Roshan Din, a choral scholar at the cathedral, appearing as a tenor on 8 May. On 1 May, a concert billed as "Strings and Songs" is followed later in the month by the Gwent Chamber Orchestra on 29 May. The series continues through the summer with soloists including celloist Callum Young, guitarist Cai Charles, soprano Jodie Lambert-Tandy, and organists Richard Cook and Jon Pilgrim, who closes the series on 18 September.

Vocal octet Contrepoint performs on 17 July as part of the Brecon Choir Festival, with tickets priced at £10 and that concert starting at 12.30pm. The 22 and 29 May concerts — harpist Ben Creighton Griffiths and the Gwent Chamber Orchestra — also start at 12pm. All other concerts are free and begin at 1pm.