The classical music festival is held just over the Shropshire border near Newtown, Powys.

A series of talks, lectures and performances together with specially-curated exhibitions of memorabilia and photographs and archive films will give visitors a fascinating insight into the festival and its founders, sisters Gwendoline and Margaret Davies, in the 1930s.

The exciting programme for year's festival, which runs from June 13-28, has been specifically designed by artistic director Rhian Davies to recreate the atmosphere of Gregynog in the 1920s and '30s when such noted composers as Henry Walford Davies, Edward Elgar, Gustav Holst and Ralph Vaughan Williams all visited.

Apart from world class headline concerts, the festival will delve into the history of Gregynog and the Davies sisters with Heritage and Discovery Days on June 14 and 21 respectively and a reminiscence session on Friday, June 20. Tickets for the morning and afternoon events at both the Heritage and Discovery Days are available at the attractive all inclusive price of £10 for each day

Heritage Day from 10am to 4pm will open with a talk by Dr David Jenkins from the National Waterfront Museum, Swansea, who is returning to his home village to speak about the creation of the Davies family's wealth. Dr Rhian Davies will then speak on the 'Master of Gregynog Music', Henry Walford Davies and the first Gregynog Festivals.

In the afternoon, harpist and singer Gwenan Gibbard will give an iIllustrated presentation on Dora Herbert-Jones, who assisted Holst and Vaughan Williams with folksong arrangements for the Gregynog Choir, followed by tea with ices in the style of the 1930s festivals.

The evening concert at 7.30pm will feature prominent British tenor Andrew Kennedy accompanied by The Badke Quartet, providing vocal chamber music inspired by Mid Wales and the Borders, including 'On Wenlock Edge' by Vaughan Williams and Peter Warlock's 'The Curlew'.

The Reminiscence Session at 2pm on Friday, June 20 creates another opportunity for members of the local community to share memories of previous Gregynog Festivals, following the great success of this event last year.

Discovery Day runs from 9.30am to 4pm on June 21, opening with a presentation by David Vickers, controller of Gwasg Gregynog, on the world famous Gregynog Press, which will be open to visitors throughout the day for printing and bookbinding demonstrations and displays.

Undeg Griffiths from the National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales in Aberystwyth will be screening rare archive footage of the Davies sisters from 11am followed by a lunchtime performance by Newtown Silver Band.

Professor M. Wynn Thomas, from the Department of English at Swansea University, then takes centre stage to start the afternoon with a pre-concert talk on the Herbert family of Montgomery. Highlight of the afternoon will be the eagerly awaited festival debut of Classic FM artist and Baroque specialist Elin Manahan Thomas accompanied on lute by David Miller. The concert will feature works by Dowland, Purcell and Schubert, interspersed with solos from the lute book of Edward, Lord Herbert of Cherbury, who lived at Montgomery Castle.

Discovery Day ends with a performance by leading French pianist Pascal Rogé of 20th-century French repertoire to complement the Davies sisters' art collection. Rogé has agreed to appear at Gregynog as one of only two UK performances this summer.

Three musical compositions by Vaughan Williams and Sir Henry Walford Davies, which have strong Gregynog connections, will also receive their world première performances at the festival.

"Artistic planning for the 75th anniversary Festival has been driven by original research to identify a wealth of previously undocumented materials in public and private collections about Gregynog's rich musical life," said Dr Davies.

"All events have been created especially to honour Gwendoline and Margaret Davies as patrons and practitioners of the arts and the programme offers a unique opportunity to enjoy a feast of rare repertoire in the setting for which it was written. We look forward to welcoming local people as well as visitors from across Wales, England and overseas to this year's exciting festival."

Tickets are now on sale at Theatr Hafren, Newtown (Tel: 01686 625007) and more information is available at www.gwylgregynogfestival.org