Legendary Gypsy Jazz violinist lends support to community campaign

Described as the one of the world's leading classical folk musicians, Tim Kliphuis numbers among his fans the Dutch royal family, and is currently touring the USA.

So why has he turned his attention to the tiny rural village of Salem, near Llandeilo, in Carmarthenshire?

It was completely by accident that I came across their campaign" said Tim. "We were urgently looking for a Carmarthenshire venue local to Llangadog where we'd played past year to 200 people. Salem Memorial Hall got in touch to say they'd love to host us, and were raising funds for their project. We said we'd be delighted to help!"

Our values are strongly aligned " said Aled Williams, community volunteer. "Tim has campaigned to bring attention to the climate crisis, and our project is born out of a desire for community resilience and address issues arising from the climate emergency. Bringing people together is what we're trying to do here - through live music, community get togethers - where all generations feel welcome."

On Thursday 13th March the Tim Kliphuis Trio will perform at Salem Memorial Hall, raising vital funds for a new community hub - cafe, shop and community garden for the village.

"We're hugely looking forward to the event: said Tim. "This area is very special to me as a dear friend of mine lives locally and I've always loved coming here to play. So it's a great opportunity to support the community and connect with old friends."

Tickets for the events are on sale from www.ticketsource.co.uk/salem-gar

For more on the project to improve and extend Salem Memorial Hall visit: www.salemgar.org/future-salem