Wales is often referred to as the "Land of Song". We’re traditionally known for our male voice choirs, such as the Treorchy and Morriston Orpheus choirs who are famous throughout the world. 

Much older is the tradition of instrumental folk music. The harp has been closely associated with Wales for a very long time, and the triple harp is uniquely Welsh. Other Welsh instruments include the crwth and the pibgorn. Although folk music suffered a decline in popularity during the 19th and 20th centuries, it has since seen a revival. The main instruments played today are the harp and the fiddle.

Wales also has a long tradition of folk song. One kind of Welsh song is cerdd dant - an improvised performance in which poetry is sung to one tune against the accompaniment of (usually) a harp to a different tune.

In the mid- to late 1990’s new Welsh music became fashionable, with the chart successes of bands including Manic Street Preachers, Catatonia and the Stereophonics. Around this time, groups such as Super Furry Animals and Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci rose to popularity, and artists such as Tom Jones and Shirley Bassey had something of a renaissance.

The Welsh music industry is currently in good health, with many lesser known groups and labels such as Ankstmusik and Crai. A large alternative and punk scene has also sprung up from the Valleys towns in south Wales in recent years. Lostprophets and Funeral for a Friend are probably the best known internationally.

The BBC National Orchestra of Wales is orchestra-in-residence at St David's Hall, Cardiff, and it also presents a concert series at the Brangwyn Hall, Swansea. The orchestra tours throughout Wales and internationally.