The 2019 Presteigne Festival programme brings together a wide variety of diverse musical elements with an important American strand running throughout.

The festival welcomes two exciting composers-in-residence - from the UK, Cheryl Frances-Hoad, "a remarkable talent" said The Times, and from the United States, composer and virtuoso harpist Hannah Lash, "striking and resourceful ... handsomely brooding", The New York Times. Also included is a mini-feature of works by iconic Pulitzer Prize-winning compose Aaron Copland.

The festival continues to actively promote the work of living composers with a collection of specially commissioned pieces from Mark David Boden, James Francis Brown, Freya Waley-Cohen, Cheryl Frances-Hoad, Harriet Grainger, Hannah Lash, Gregory Rose, Adrian Williams and 2018 Royal Philharmonic Society Emerging Composer, Liam Mattison (a work for percussion and piano).

Well-known for its fresh and innovative mix of styles and genres, the 2019 festival is no different, with important works by Barber, Bartok, Beethoven, Britten, Debussy, Dvorak, Gershwin, Prokofiev, Schubert, Schumann, Vaughan Williams and Walton included in the music programme.

A carefully balanced collection of supporting events extends the American theme still further. The Festival opens with a celebration of Richard Rodgers: The Sound of His Music, realised by Lee Blakeley and Damian Thantrey; other events include Sarah Gabriel's hugely entertaining one-woman show, Dorothy Parker takes a Trip, a trio of American movies, talks from Stephen Johnson, Ian Marchant and Nick Murray, literature with Fiona Sampson, Welsh art with Peter Lord and more besides.

Artists appearing include the Albion Quartet, pianists Tom Poster and Siwan Rhys, virtuoso flautist Katherine Bryan, French clarinettist Rozenn le Trionnaire, string players Mathilde Milwidksy (violin), Alice Neary (cello), Sarah-Jane Bradley (viola) and Hannah Lash (harp), soprano Elizabeth Cragg and exciting young percussionist George Barton. A specially formed Presteigne Festival Chamber Choir will be directed by Philip SUnderland and the ever-popular Festival Orchestra will appear three times under artist director George Vass.

Online and postal booking are already open, with box office reporting almost a third of tickets already sold. For full programme details and to book, visit presteignefestival.com.