BBC Proms at Theatr Clwyd in Mold: Words and Music with Sinfonia Cymru, Iwan Davies and tickets for the festival

BBC Proms comes to Mold with the Words and Music programme

BBC Proms at Theatr Clwyd is not a classic festival day with multiple stages, a long line-up of performers and a programme continuing late into the night. Instead, this is a single carefully shaped Prom within the wider BBC Proms 2026 season, set in a theatre and conceived as a combination of orchestral music, prose and poetry. "BBC Proms: Words and Music" takes place on Saturday 29 August at 16:00 at Theatr Moondance, the main venue within the Theatr Clwyd complex in Mold, North Wales.

For BBC Proms, this visit is significant because the 2026 season includes Mold as a host town for the first time. The programme is led by Sinfonia Cymru under the direction of Iwan Davies, while its thematic centre is formed by legend, folklore and The Mabinogion, the medieval corpus of Welsh stories combining myths, fantastical motifs and heroes. The music is not treated as a separate concert block, but enters into dialogue with texts in Welsh and English.

That is also why this event has a different rhythm from the major evenings at the Royal Albert Hall. Audiences are not coming for a single symphony or solo concerto, but for a dramatically connected sequence of words and sound. The performance lasts 90 minutes and has no interval, giving the experience a compact, continuous form. The concert will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3, while Sinfonia Cymru states that it will also be available via BBC Sounds.

It is worth securing tickets in good time, particularly because this is the first BBC Prom at Theatr Clwyd and a one-off performance.

A festival with roots in the 19th century, but a broader geography

BBC Proms dates back to 1895, when a series of concerts associated with impresario Robert Newman and conductor Henry Wood was launched at London's Queen's Hall. From the outset, the idea was to bring orchestral music closer to a wider audience and create a less rigid concert environment. The BBC became associated with the Proms in 1927, and over the decades the festival grew into one of the most recognisable summer series of classical music.

Although the Royal Albert Hall remains its best-known home, the 2026 season emphasises the expansion of the programme beyond London. Alongside concerts in London, the Proms also travels to other parts of the United Kingdom, including Bristol, the North East of England and Mold. That context is particularly important for the event at Theatr Clwyd: it does not attempt to copy the monumental atmosphere of a large London concert hall, but instead uses the local venue, Welsh literary heritage and a young orchestra as the starting point for a different kind of Prom.

In a season encompassing a broad range from classical repertoire to projects that cross genre boundaries, "Words and Music" occupies a place between a concert, a literary programme and a radio format. Its distinctive quality lies not in the number of performers, but in the way music and text are combined into a single narrative whole.

Sinfonia Cymru and Iwan Davies at the centre of the performance

Sinfonia Cymru describes itself as an orchestra of young professional musicians under the age of 30, from Wales and elsewhere. A line-up of 31 musicians has been announced for the performance in Mold. The ensemble normally performs classical repertoire, new compositions and collaborative projects, and frequently appears outside typical large concert halls.

Conductor Iwan Davies has worked with Sinfonia Cymru before, and his professional work spans opera, orchestral music and education. He studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the National Opera Studio in London, has worked with institutions such as Welsh National Opera, and in 2026 also leads projects connected with Musicfest Aberystwyth. Sinfonia Cymru presents him for this performance as the artistic director of that festival.

Most importantly, however, visitors should not expect the typical "conductor plus orchestra plus soloist" format. The published description of the event emphasises a sequence of music, prose and poetry. At the time this guide was prepared, a detailed list of all compositions and all readers within the 90-minute programme had not been published, so there is little point in constructing an imaginary repertoire in advance. What is confirmed is Sinfonia Cymru, Iwan Davies, the theme of legends and folklore, and the central role of The Mabinogion.

• Performing ensemble: Sinfonia Cymru.
• Conductor: Iwan Davies.
• Number of musicians Sinfonia Cymru lists for this project: 31.
• Thematic framework: legend, folklore, prose and poetry.
• Languages of the texts announced by the ensemble: Welsh and English.
• Duration: 90 minutes without an interval.
• Broadcast: live on BBC Radio 3.
• Accessibility: Sinfonia Cymru states that British Sign Language interpretation will be provided.

The Mabinogion as the dramatic backbone

The Mabinogion is not merely a decorative reference to "Welsh folklore". It is a collection of stories that has become one of the key points of reference for understanding the medieval Welsh narrative tradition. In the announcement for this Prom, it appears as the heart of the programme, alongside motifs of dragons, monsters, knights and other fantastical elements.

This opens up broad possibilities for a musical response. Rather than following a strictly chronological plot, the "Words and Music" concept allows different texts and soundscapes to follow one another according to theme, mood or imagery. For visitors who do not speak Welsh, this does not mean that they will be excluded from the experience: texts in both Welsh and English have been announced, while the musical layer has its own communicative power.

Theatr Moondance gives the Prom a more intimate setting

The event takes place in Theatr Moondance, the refurbished main theatre space within Theatr Clwyd. The theatre states that the venue has a capacity of 550 seats following the extensive reconstruction of the building. This is a considerably more intimate environment than the large arenas and concert halls often associated with festivals, which suits this programme: spoken text needs to remain clear, and the transition between narration and orchestra needs to feel immediate.

Theatr Clwyd was built in 1976 as a cultural centre for North Wales and today operates as one of the country's key producing theatre centres. The complex has undergone major redevelopment, and the refurbished Theatr Moondance reopened as part of a phased return of audiences to the building. The project covered not only the auditoriums but also public spaces, hospitality facilities, accessibility and energy efficiency.

For visitors, this means that attending BBC Proms does not simply involve entering the auditorium a few minutes before the start. The building is conceived as a cultural complex where time can be spent before the performance. Theatr Clwyd is situated on elevated ground above Mold, so the location itself gives the arrival a different feeling from entering a theatre on a densely built-up city street.

Tickets for this event are currently on sale. Since the performance has no interval, it is more practical to take care of anything necessary before taking your seat.

How to plan your arrival at Theatr Clwyd

The address is Theatr Clwyd, Raikes Lane, Mold, CH7 1YA. The theatre warns that road access has changed following the redevelopment and that the road immediately in front of the building is permanently closed to regular traffic. Drivers are advised to approach from the A5119, while those arriving from the direction of Raikes Lane need to follow the revised route towards the car parks.

The car parks beside the complex are not owned by the theatre but are operated by Flintshire County Council. Spaces are available in the underground and terraced car parks, and designated parking spaces for disabled visitors are also provided. There is a drop-off zone in front of the building with step-free access.

Theatr Clwyd recommends that visitors arrive at least 30 minutes before the performance begins. This is a sensible margin for this Prom as well, particularly for those visiting the complex for the first time and who still need to find the entrance, collect or open their ticket and locate their seat.

For those arriving by public transport, it is useful to know that bus route 28 connects Mold and Flint and has a stop called "Theatr Clwyd". Current timetable data from August 2026 shows that the route also operates on Saturdays. Since timetables can change, the return time after the concert should be checked immediately before travelling.

• Arrive at least 30 minutes early if you are unfamiliar with the complex.
• If arriving by car, check the revised road access following the redevelopment.
• Park only in designated spaces; accessible parking options are also available.
• For dropping off passengers with reduced mobility, there is step-free access in front of the building.
• If using the bus, check the current timetable for route 28 and the final departure after the performance.
• Allow for a 90-minute programme with no interval.

Mold before the concert is more than just a stopover

Mold, or Yr Wyddgrug in Welsh, is a historic market town in Flintshire at the foot of the Clwydian Hills. For visitors arriving early, it is particularly convenient that the BBC Prom takes place on a Saturday, as the street market in the centre of Mold is held on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Flintshire County Council lists more than 70 stalls along the High Street and towards Daniel Owen Square, offering food, fresh produce, clothing, plants and other goods. The market provides a reason to turn a visit to Mold into several hours in town before heading uphill towards Theatr Clwyd, rather than planning the journey solely around the start of the concert.

Visitors arriving from other parts of the United Kingdom or from abroad should plan the journey as a trip to North East Wales rather than as an excursion from central London. Mold is not a major transport hub, so it is useful to coordinate the intercity part of the journey in advance with a local bus, taxi or car.

Who might particularly enjoy this BBC Prom

"Words and Music" is likely to appeal most to audiences who enjoy events at the intersection of several formats. Classical music lovers will hear a chamber-sized orchestral ensemble of young professionals and a conductor with experience in opera and concert performance. Readers interested in literature and folklore will experience a programme in which the spoken word is not an addition, but one of the main pillars of the evening. Visitors interested in Welsh culture will also hear the Welsh language and a programme inspired by The Mabinogion.

For a first-time visitor to BBC Proms, this may be a more accessible introduction than a large symphonic evening with an extensive repertoire. The programme is compact in duration, has no interval and follows a clear thematic thread. At the same time, it is not conceived as a simplified or children's version of the festival. The combination of literary text and orchestral performance requires concentration, simply in a different way from a traditional concert.

For families with teenagers, there is also a wider context to the day: a BBC Young Composer workshop for ages 12 to 18 has also been announced in Mold for the BBC Proms season. This is a separate activity from the afternoon "Words and Music" programme, but it demonstrates that the arrival of the Proms in Mold includes an educational element rather than just a single performance.

It is worth securing tickets in good time and checking the latest information on the programme, access and transport before travelling. Most importantly, arrive expecting a different kind of Prom: not an evening built around festival spectacle, but a concentrated encounter between orchestra, language, folklore and theatrical space.

Sources:
- Theatr Clwyd - information on the "BBC Proms: Words and Music" event, Theatr Moondance venue, duration, broadcast and location.
- Sinfonia Cymru - information on the 31 musicians, Iwan Davies, Welsh and English readings, The Mabinogion and British Sign Language interpretation.
- BBC Proms / BBC archival materials - history of the Proms, its beginnings in 1895 and the development of the BBC's association with the festival.
- Classical Music - BBC Proms 2026 schedule outside London and confirmation of the first Prom in Mold.
- Theatr Clwyd - travel instructions, revised road access, recommendation to arrive early, parking and accessible drop-off.
- Theatr Clwyd - history of the building, redevelopment and reopening of the venue.
- Flintshire County Council - information on the Saturday market in Mold and more than 70 stalls.
- Bus Times / Traveline National Dataset - current data for bus route 28 and the Theatr Clwyd stop.