The opening concert for the 2013 World Music Expo (WOMEX) will be held at the Wales Millenium Centre’s Donald Gordon Theater in the UK on the evening of Wednesday, October 23rd. Cerys Matthews, a Welsh singer-songwriter and broadcaster, has been announced as the Artistic Director of the opening concert and will perform alongside other notable Welsh musicians, according to a press release by WOMEX.

The concert will feature the music of its host country with “a journey through Wales’ indigenous musical heritage, now blended with contemporary and world forms.” Welsh music has a rich and diverse background, with audible influence from Roman, Saxon, and Norman society, among others. The country commonly referred to as the “land of song” has strong roots in folk music stemming from the Celtic music of it’s neighboring countries, Ireland and Scotland.

“WOMEX Cardiff will place the music from Wales on the world stage alongside more established markets so that Wales’ authentic music traditions become more widely known internationally and are positioned beside music from our Celtic neighbours,” said Cerys Matthews in the press release.

WOMEX is acclaimed for it’s ability to intertwine musical performance and appreciation with innovation and networking through it’s various unique features.

The line-up selection for this year’s Showcase Festival, WOMEX’s musical performance component, will be determined by five esteemed members of the global community, commonly referred to as “Samurai” by WOMEX staff. The Conference portion of Expo, providing networking and discussion opportunities for attendees, will be directed by two “Samurai” of their own.

This year’s seven “Samurai” are a varied group representing four of the seven continents, including the UK’s very own Alan James, of the Welsh Music Foundation. The diversity of the selection committees highlights the primary aim of the World Music Expo of spreading world music.

– Cristiano Lima