Operations Team
Trac Cymru's Director and CEO, Danny KilBride, has overall responsibility for developing the organisation, and delivering our vision for Wales' indigenous, traditional arts. As well as our work with music education and engagement projects, Danny leads on developing international markets, developing CPD for our professional sector and business mentoring for Wales' folk industry.
He's an active Musicians' Union member, serving on the Live Committee. He regularly attends WOMEX, Folk Alliance International, Showcase Scotland and English Folk Expo, is a founder of the European Folk Network and a Trustee of Celtic Neighbours. He has been a national adviser to Wales' Arts funding body, the Arts Council of Wales, and serves on the Welsh Government Stakeholder panel.
Above all, Danny is a musician. His first professional concert was in his mother's folk band when he was 8 years old and he's been performing ever since. He's featured on over 20 CDs, performed on live TV to 5,000,000, toured the UK, Europe and the US.
To hear his music, search for Taran, Yr Hwntws, Carreg Lafar, and Rag Foundation.
He's an active Musicians' Union member, serving on the Live Committee. He regularly attends WOMEX, Folk Alliance International, Showcase Scotland and English Folk Expo, is a founder of the European Folk Network and a Trustee of Celtic Neighbours. He has been a national adviser to Wales' Arts funding body, the Arts Council of Wales, and serves on the Welsh Government Stakeholder panel.
Above all, Danny is a musician. His first professional concert was in his mother's folk band when he was 8 years old and he's been performing ever since. He's featured on over 20 CDs, performed on live TV to 5,000,000, toured the UK, Europe and the US.
To hear his music, search for Taran, Yr Hwntws, Carreg Lafar, and Rag Foundation.
Blanche has been with Trac Cymru since 2004 when she joined as Administrator, the first ever full-time professional post supporting the folk and traditional music sector in Wales. Before joining the organisation her background was in information, management, and magazine production.
During her time with Trac Cymru she's looked after finances, fundraising, information and communications, compliance, project development and project management including setting up Trac Cymru's flagship event the Big Experiment/Arbrawf Mawr all-age folk weekend and running it for ten years.
She's a singer and musician with her own duo.
Simon has worked in arts development for over 20 years and is particularly passionate about diversity and inclusion. In recent years he has been a senior executive within 2 charities supporting performers with learning disabilities, Blue Apple Theatre and Openstorytellers. Previously he worked as a senior manager at Salisbury Centre with responsibility for developing the charity’s engagement work and participation programme, and before that he was a director of Coventry Artspace where he spent 10 years developing community projects across the city. He has also had spells working as a freelance visual artist and as a lecturer at various universities and colleges.
Simon has led the strategic development of complex income streams for the various organisations he has worked for, working within the frameworks of major grant funders and many smaller trusts, as well through commissioned contracts and donations campaigns.
Although Simon says his primary skillset is his drawing and painting skills, he is also a musician and plays various instruments to different standards, including acoustic and electric guitar, ukulele and drums.
Seren joined Trac Cymru in 2022, as a marketing and communications officer. Her role is to keep our social media platforms up to date with any events, announcements, general promotion and marketing, as well creating promotional and communications content.
Before joining the organisation Seren graduated from The University of South Wales in Fashion Promotion, and went on to gain experience in several roles that included social media marketing, content creation and design.
Seren has a huge love for Welsh folk and traditional music and has been involved in the folk scene for most of her life due to her parents being Welsh musicians. She loves to attend folk gigs and festivals, and has done from a young age.
Although Seren isn’t a performer or musician herself at the moment she does love to sing, and has performed Welsh folk songs in public venues in the past.
RWCMD graduate Jordan Price Williams has carved a niche for himself as a leading exponent of a new generation of traditional style cellists in Wales. A member of VRï, NoGood Boyo, Pendevig and Elfen, Jordan has performed across the world and received multiple awards and nominations. Jordan is a true multi-instrumentalist; the cello, double bass, whistle, harmonium, piano and the occasional bagpipe all playing a vital role in his career. He is also a singer, performing almost exclusively in the Welsh language.
Jordan joins the Trac Cymru team to co-ordinate the Avanc project, Wales’ national Youth Folk Ensemble who will be performing at venues and festivals in Wales and Scotland throughout 2022.
Trustees
Marlene was head of Accounting and Finance at the Glamorgan Business School at the University of Glamorgan, and is a singer.
Catherine has a degree in Accounting and Finance. She has considerable experience of voluntary work with young people and skills development.
Keith is a retired University lecturer and farmer. A fiddler and dancer, he's a stalwart of the Ceredigion traditional music and dance scene.
Sarah is an organiser of Wales' interceltic festival Cwlwm Celtaidd. She has been in the traditional Welsh music and dance scene for any years and dances with Dawnswyr Pen y Fai. Before retiring she was Deputy Head of a large primary school in her home town of Bridgend.
Jim is an author and lecturer in marketing at the University of Glamorgan with a longstanding interest in music.
With a background in carnival, dance and theatre in her native Trinidad, Mary-Anne has been a performer for 40 years and an educator through performance for 35 years. She has lectured and led workshops on performance throughout Europe.
She is a founding member of the crwth and voice duo, Bragod, whose speciality is medieval Welsh bardic music and poetry. She is a freelance performer for theatre, film and on the techno music scene.
She is a founding member of the crwth and voice duo, Bragod, whose speciality is medieval Welsh bardic music and poetry. She is a freelance performer for theatre, film and on the techno music scene.
After working in industry in Malaysia, USA and Britain, Peter took early retirement and worked with charities in the West Midlands. He has been a trustee and Treasurer of an Arts Therapy charity in Birmingham who offer trained therapists in the fields of Music, Dance, Art and Play. Having spent 20 years living in Powys he and his wife moved down to Cardiff in 1990.
Patrons
Kevin Brennan is Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Folk Arts, Labour MP for Cardiff West and Shadow Minister for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport and Arts & Heritage.
Huw Stephens is a radio presenter with shows on BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio Cymru, and a founder of the Swn festival.
Dafydd Iwan is the ultimate iconic Welsh folk/protest singer and one of the founders of Sain Records, Wales' largest record company
Respected performer and songwriter and a long-standing friend of trac, Frank currently presents BBC Radio Wales' folk roots and acoustic music show, Celtic Heartbeat
