Hay Castle Events

We are very pleased to be taking part in h.Art this year with three artists exhibiting inside Hay Castle.

We have the following artists:

Maggy Roberts - paintings in the Café Gallery

Philomine Wales - prints in the Printmaker in Focus Gallery

Billie Charity - photographs on the 2nd floor Sculpture Gallery

9 days of joyful inspiration, unique finds, and the chance to buy direct from the creator. Meet them in their creative habitats, pop up shows in lots of unexpected places and galleries. Many artists only open their work spaces once a year, giving you a rare insight into their creative lives and their individual practice. You can chat, just browse, buy, or commission direct.

Peter Florence chairs a discussion with author Stephen Johnson and viola player Alan George of the Fitzwilliam Quartet.

A transformed piano, a transformative hour. This is a concert without announcements or explanations, a pure, deep listening experience to immerse you fully in all of the incredible, diverse, rich and surprising sounds and textures from inside a piano – in amongst the more familiar pianistic resonances, melodic turns and chordal depths, though now heard from a different angle: a vertical grand piano reaching 2.4m into the air.

Kate Bliss, a regular face on BBC antiques programmes and an independent jewellery and fine art valuer is hosting a free ‘drop-in’ Valuation Day for jewellery and silver as well as other antiques and contemporary fine art.

Have you recently inherited items you know nothing about? Do you have jewellery you never wear? Kate offers a unique opportunity to find out more about your valuables including their potential value.

A Fellow of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain, Kate has over 20 years experience valuing single items to unique collections and whole house contents. Whether it’s the right time to realise some assets or simply de-clutter, Kate will provide you with a verbal consultation and arrange items for sale if suitable.

Drop-in for a free valuation in the Clore Learning Space 10am to 4pm

Life drawing takes place in the Clore Learning Space every other Monday from 11am until 4pm.

PLEASE NOTE LIFE DRAWING SESSIONS ARE NOW FORTNIGHTLY


Please bring your own materials

The sessions cost £18 for the full day from 11-4pm and £12 for a morning or afternoon session only.
The morning session starts at 11am so please arrive at about 10.45am
The afternoon session starts at 1:45pm so please arrive at least 10 mins beforehand

Next sessions will be:
Mon 07 Oct
Mon 21 Oct

We are delighted to announce an autumn concert from the brilliant Solstice Collective, who have been our quintet in residence for the last year.

The Solstice Collective are a group of graduates from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama who specialise in 20th century wind quartet repertoire and classical improvisation. Together, they have worked for the past 4 years to push the boundaries of their instruments and curate programmes that audiences would not have heard before. They strive to break the boundaries of traditional wind quartets by creating a unique blend through improvised soundscapes. Join then on the 28th September at 7:30pm for a programme of Frank Bridge, Jean Francaix and self composed music.

The performance will be around 40 minutes long with a short interval. Refreshments will be available.

Print Club is run by our resident printmaker - Aidan Saunders - AKA Prints of Hay.

Aidan is away until September 30th and so no Print Club until then.

This fortnightly Print Club will take place in our Clore Learning Space every other Monday for the Autumn Term between 4pm and 6pm

The idea is to provide a place for any other people who are looking to develop their printing skills including students working on their GCSE 2nd year, A levels, BTEC or Foundation course - with a friendly atmosphere where ideas and the joy of printmaking can be shared by all.

Print Club costs £6 per session - Some materials will be provided and there will be access to the printing press when accompanied by Aidan.

This club will develop according to the needs and requirements of the members of the group - so why not come along and become a part of Print Club.

DONATIONS FOR MATERIALS ARE MUCH APPRECIATED - WE HAVE A DONATION BOX

• The Norman baron.
• The lady who entertained the Duke of Beaufort.
• The Sheriff of Breconshire who sold the castle to his son for £5.
• The mercer whose descendants were all called Richard or Henry.
• The vicar who turned down promotion to continue to stay in the castle.
• The dowager lady whose granddaughter lived to be 111 years old.
• The fisherman.
• The fairground operator.

Come and make a foraging basket which you can use to collect fruit, vegetables or flowers.

This workshop runs all day with breaks for tea and coffee and lunch.
Please feel free to bring a packed lunch or have lunch in our cafe.

All materials provided.

Hay Shantymen are a rollicking bunch of landlubbers from the east coast of Wales.

Their roots might be on the banks of the river near Hay-on-Wye but the Hay Shantymen travel countrywide, singing traditional shanties and other foot-stomping seafaring songs in seaside pubs and at summer festivals. Among recent highlights are Hay Festival, Falmouth and Bristol Shanty Festivals, and Latitude.

Hay Shantymen was founded in 2016 by Fiona Evans and continues under the expert musical leadership of Grant Olding. They are united by strong friendships, a love of singing, the sea and good beer - not necessarily in that order.

Hay and District Dial a Ride are celebrating 30 years of service and this is a fundraiser for the amazing work that they do in supporting people in the area. Established in December 1994, they help overcome transport problems for members, young or old, with disabilities of all kinds and also those who simply do not have access to a car or to public transport as long as they are living within a 9 mile radius of Hay-on-Wye.

The aim is to help our customers maintain an independent lifestyle, reducing loneliness and social/rural isolation and enabling residents to feel part of a thriving community. They are more than just a transport service, access to health and community services is a vital part of physical and mental health and wellbeing.

This event is for adults only (18+)

'A storyteller lost in the underworld makes a bargain for their life. Now the underworld gods have come calling to collect. The price must be paid. The spirits of the damned must be summoned. Tales of woe must be heard.'

'Will the offering be accepted?'

This Halloween you are invited to Hay Castle for an evening of dark storytelling with Kestrel Morton who spins their bewitching spell of spoken word to appease the hungry underworld gods and make payment for their debt.

Join us for the ritual.

There will be blood. There will be death.

There will be curses. There will be Necromancy.

Kestrel Morton is a queer, non-binary storyteller based in South Wales and usually found bewitching audiences with tales blending traditional legends into new myths woven for the world we face today. They've performed across the UK including at the Brighton Fringe, the Scottish International Storytelling Festival, and Beyond the Border. Most recently seen at Hay Castle this year as part of The Ragged Storytelling Collective with their touring show Binderella.

This show is 18+ as there are graphic descriptions of violence, murder and cannibalism. It will last approximately 90 minute with a 20 minute interval.