“WE’RE delighted to be returning to Gregynog with chamber and early music concerts that are perfect for summer evenings in the Music Room,” said Gregynog Festival artistic director Dr Rhian Davies as the festival returns home this weekend.

After last year’s festival celebrated the centenary of the Welsh composer Morfydd Owen, with events at venues throughout Wales and beyond, this year’s event is mainly centred at Gregynog Hall, in Tregynon.

But first there are opening concerts at Aberystwyth and Llangadfan this weekend featuring the chamber-folk trio VRi with music from their debut album ‘Ty Ein Tadau’ which won Album of the Year in the Welsh Folk Awards.

VRi are Patrick Rimes (from the band Calan), Jordan Price Williams and Aneirin Jones.

For the Gregynog Festival, they showcase the album in the context of two remarkable 19th-century portraits interpreted by Peter Lord.

VRi will also be playing some new tunes drawn from the collection of Dr Meredydd Evans and Phyllis Kinney at the National Library of Wales.

This Saturday, June 22, they will play at the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth, at 7.30pm; and they will be back on Sunday, June 23 at Pontcadfan, Llangadfan, following afternoon tea at 2.30pm at Cwpan Pinc.

The concerts at Gregynog Hall start on Friday, June 28, at 7.30pm with the Odysseus Piano Trio paying tribute to the Aberystwyth Trio appointed by Walford Davies in 1919 as the first resident chamber ensemble at any university in the world.

The French baroque ensemble A Nocte Temporis, the rising stars of the early music world, are making their Wales début appearance with a beautiful programme of Bach arias for tenor, flute, viola da gamba and harpsichord, at 7.30pm on Saturday, June 29.

The final concert and last festival event will be at 2.30pm on Sunday, June 30, when the organist Meirion Wyn Jones plays music by Walford Davies and other Aberystwyth composers, at the Baker Street Bethel Chapel, Aberystwyth.

The festival box office is open at www.gregynogfestival.org, and 01686 207100.