BBC Concert Orchestra leader Nathaniel Anderson-Frank makes his Royal College of Music debut with a riveting concert of string works, including the vivid Sea Sketches by Grace Williams.

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RCM String Orchestra

Royal College of Music

When harp lessons were announced at a school assembly, Mared Pugh-Evans’s hand shot up immediately. She later recalled in an interview that she had always been very well-behaved — it was simply in her nature — but that moment may have been the most mischievous thing she had ever done. Little Mared was six at the time, and her father was the headmaster of her primary school. And that headmaster looked pretty stunned on the podium — perhaps mentally calculating the family budget, since a good harp can easily cost many tens of thousands of pounds. In Mared’s case, however, the investment more than paid off: by eleven she was already proving herself in competitions, and she has since earned numerous awards. The crowning moment came in 2024, when King Charles III appointed her “The King’s Harpist” — a royal position that had been reinstated by the then Prince of Wales in 2000. Back then, it went to Catrin Finch, the very harpist whose concert the young Mared had once listened to in rapt fascination, sparking her own love of the instrument. A “full circle” if ever there was one!

Mared Pugh-Evans

Lukaskirche Lucerne

Join the NYOS Development orchestra for an enchanting evening at Perth Concert Hall. This July, they celebrate British orchestral voices, performing works from Holst, Grace Williams, and Elgar. Opening with a mystic dance for the spirits of earth, fire andwater, Holst’s The Perfect Fool conjures scenes of sorcery and mischief through vivid orchestration and bold musical gestures. Grace Williams’ symphonic poem Penillion follows, a lush evocation of Wales’s verdant landscapes and proud folk tradition. Turning a corner in the programme, Elgar’s fin-de-siècle masterstroke Enigma Variations closes the performances. A cornerstone of the British orchestral repertoire, Elgar’s variations distil the personality of his inner circle through richly expressive, often playful musical ideas. This promises to be a rousing showcase of Scotland’s brightest young musicians.

NYOS Development Orchestra 2026

Perth Concert Hall

Two exciting young musicians are the stars of our seventh Friday concert : cellist Anastasia Kobekina and conductor Nil Venditti, making their debuts with the Beethoven Orchestra. The Turkish-Italian conductor Nil Venditti has selected a program of opulent, large-scale orchestral music, juxtaposing English and Italian works from the pre-World War II era: the festive Concert Overture by the recently rediscovered Grace Williams from 1932 and Ottorino Respighi's Feste Romane from 1928. Anastasia Kobekina has been the rising star of the cello scene in recent years.

Large images

Beethoven Hall

Although written during her years in London, it is a longing for the seaside of her hometown of Barry that inspires tonight's concert opener, Grace Williams' Sea Sketches. Violinist Akiko Suwanai returns to perform Saint-Saëns elegantly dramatic, songfully melodious and deeply contrasting Third Violin Concerto, before we turn to Elgar's iconic Enigma Variations, all under the baton of our Principal Guest Conductor, Jaime Martín.

BBC NOW - Enigma

Brangwyn Hall

Nina Tso-Ning Fan Plays The Lark Ascending

Wooddale Church

St. Andrew's Lutheran Church

St. Paul's United Church of Christ

2025/2026 March Concert

Albert Hall Conference Centre

BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime Concert. Dark and stormy drama from Ravel and Williams, transcendence from Vaughan Williams – and Britten's 'musical espresso'.

Vaughan Williams and his Circle: Geneva Lewis

LSO St Luke's

Dive into the charming world of Grace Williams' "Fantasia on Welsh Nursery Tunes," a delightful tapestry of British folk melodies, be mesmerized by 2024 MASNO Concerto Winner Zhu Wang's electrifying performance of Grieg's Piano Concerto in A Minor, and be captivated by the intrigue and sheer beauty of Elgar's Enigma Variations.

The Enigma Variations

Orpheum Theater

BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime Concert. Love, loss and the depths of the sea are explored in this exquisite programme of British songs.

Vaughan Williams and his Circle: Kitty Whately & William Vann

Jess Walter, New York Times best-selling author, brings us his own witty, irreverent, and lyrical take on Britten’s “Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra” (aka “The Inland Northwesterner’s Guide to the Orchestra”).

Masterworks 5: Stolen Melodies

Martin Woldson Theater

A French conductor and violinist with Spanish roots, Sonia Ben-Santamaria has forged an original career at the crossroads of artistic excellence and transmission.

Christmas Concert

Le Sonambule

Salle Georges Brassens

Opéra Comédie

Four British female composers from different generations and with highly diverse styles: English conductor Jamie Phillips unites top-notch, energetic female power in "Women's Voices/UK." This is especially true of the youngest composer, Laura Bowler. Described in the media as a "provocative, triple-threatening composer-performer," she is considered a "rising star" in the scene. Her work is multidisciplinary, socially critical, and typically expansive.

Women's voices / UK

Stadtcasino Basel

A celebration of Britain’s land- and sea-scapes. Hear the soaring flight of Vaughan Williams’s The Lark Ascending as well as the many moods of the North Sea as it meets Suffolk shingle in Britten’s Four Sea Interludes from ‘Peter Grimes’.

Great British Classics

Royal Albert Hall

Dive into an enchanting underwater adventure with Symphony Under the Sea. In celebration of World Ocean Day, this program brings the magic and mystery of the sea to life through music. From the sweeping waves of classical masterpieces by Mendelssohn and Saint-Saëns, to the beloved melodies of The Little Mermaid and Moana, this concert captures the wonder of the ocean in a way that’s both exciting and immersive. With pre-concert activities like an instrument petting zoo and resources for family, this sensory-friendly concert designed for music lovers of all ages, will transport you on a symphonic journey beneath the sea.

MyDSO Sensory-Friendly Concert

Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center

Quasi improvisatory melodies weave with rhythmic accompaniment, reminiscent of folk songs being accompanied by harp, in Grace Williams' Penillion. Meditative lyricism bends to rousingly fiery dances in this enchanting concert opener, conducted by our much-loved Conductor Laureate, Tadaaki Otaka. 

BBC NOW - Fireworks of Passion

Soaring melody, quirky bravado, and fiendishly tricky virtuosity radiate in Bruch’s passionate Violin Concerto. From soloistic fireworks to its rich orchestral backdrop there is little wonder this concerto remains a favourite with soloists and audiences alike, and to perform we’re delighted to welcome back violin sensation, Eldbjørg Hemsing. Similarly passionate is Rachmaninov’s Third Symphony – striking climaxes give way to soulful solos, forceful marches to thunderous celebration, all based on one musical motif skilfully transformed and developed throughout.

Fireworks of Passion

Wales Millennium Centre

Quasi-improvisatory melodies weave with rhythmic accompaniment, reminiscent of folk songs being accompanied by harp, in Grace Williams’ Penillion. Meditative lyricism bends to rousingly fiery dances in this enchanting concert opener, conducted by our much-loved Conductor Laureate, Tadaaki Otaka.

The Young Artists Concerts offer a platform for young musicians. The series is organized in cooperation with the German Music Council.

Hiraeth. duo51saiten plays Strauss, Schubert, Messiaen and more

NDR Konzerthaus | Kleiner Sendesaal

Expressing the effects of global warming and the collapse of historic ecosystems, Cecilia Darmström’s ICE depicts through music the earth fighting for existence, and how we could rewind this process. British composer Ninfea Cruttwell-Reade’s Piano Concerto receives its world premiere with BBC NOW regular, Clare Hammond at the keys before we turn to the series’ namesake, Grace Williams. One of her earliest works, and believed to be the first symphony ever written by a Welsh composer, her dramatic First Symphony is inspired by fifteenth century Welsh rebel, Owain Glyndŵr.

'Grace' 2025

Grace

Celebrate the beginning of a new year with a journey through classical masterpieces. Delight in the haunting beauty of Mozart's Symphony No. 25, renowned for its dramatic intensity and exquisite melodies.

A New Year's Celebration at Saffron Hall

Saffron Hall

Kensington Symphony Orchestra returns to Sinfonia Smith Square on Monday 25 November, when soprano Monica McGhee joins the group for a performance of Mahler’s Symphony No.4 (1899-1900).

Mahler’s Fourth Symphony

Smith Square Hall

### Mahler's Symphony No.4 - Kensington Symphony Orchestra

**Date:** Monday, 25 November 2024  
**Time:** 7:30 PM  
**Venue:** St John’s Smith Square

Join the Kensington Symphony Orchestra (KSO) for an enchanting evening of classical music at St John’s Smith Square. Under the baton of conductor Russell Keable, the orchestra will present a captivating program featuring works by Andrea Tarrodi, Grace Williams, and Gustav Mahler.

**Programme:**
- **Andrea Tarrodi:** *Serenade in Seven Colours* (2013)
- **Grace Williams:** *Sea Sketches* (1944)
- **Gustav Mahler:** *Symphony No.4* (1899-1900)

**Soloist:** Monica McGhee, soprano

The evening will open with Andrea Tarrodi’s *Serenade in Seven Colours*, a vibrant piece for woodwind and percussion inspired by Mozart’s *Serenade for 13 Winds No.10, Gran Partita* and the jazz compositions of Miles Davis and Gil Evans. This kaleidoscopic showpiece transitions from shimmering textures to an explosion of color.

Next, the orchestra’s string section will perform Grace Williams’s *Sea Sketches*, a five-movement work that evokes the life and beauty of the sea. Written during World War II, this piece reflects Williams’s longing for her home in Barry, South Wales.

The highlight of the evening will be Mahler’s *Symphony No.4*, featuring soprano Monica McGhee. This four-movement symphony, known for its tuneful opening and the evocative scherzo depicting Death playing the violin, culminates in the finale with the song *Das himmlische Leben* (The Heavenly Life), presenting a child’s vision of heaven.

Don’t miss this opportunity to experience one of the finest non-professional orchestras in the UK, as they bring to life these masterful compositions.

Mahler's Symphony No.4

St. John's Smith Square

Opening with Barry-born Grace Williams’ overture Hen Walia, which takes its inspiration from folk tunes, in particular the lullaby Huna Blentyn, we move on to Elgar’s quintessentially British and sumptuous song cycle, his Sea Pictures – a vivid musical portrait of the sea and its changeable characters. To perform this sensational work we’re delighted to be joined by Cardiff Singer of the World finalist Beth Taylor.

Pictures of Britain

Bangor University

Aberystwyth Arts Centre

Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson is one of the most acclaimed soloists in the classical music world. With his warm touch and passionate musicality, he attracts huge audiences. This season, he is the Artist-in-Residence at the Concert Hall.

Víkingur plays Brahms

Stockholm City Hall

With his Symphony No. 7 Beethoven permanently realigned Western music’s fundamental relationship with rhythm. In the process, he created some of the most compelling music of his age.

Prom 32: Beethoven’s 7th Symphony

With his Symphony No. 7 Beethoven permanently realigned Western music’s fundamental relationship with rhythm. In the process he created some of the most compelling music of his age. Young Italian-Turkish conductor Nil Venditti places this momentous symphonic dance alongside music by a composer from the generation after Beethoven, one who picked up the master’s baton and ran with it: Louise Farrenc. The first half spotlights two Welsh composers born less than 40 years apart. Grace Williams’s jaunty Concert Overture, written in her mid-twenties, came ‘highly recommended’ after its entry in a Daily Telegraph competition in 1932–3. And Sir Karl Jenkins, one of the most popular composers of our time, wrote his Stravaganza especially for tonight’s soloist, Jess Gillam.

Prom 32: Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony

Join the BBC Symphony Orchestra, mezzo-soprano Helen Charlston and conductor Ben Palmer for a slow travel journey around the world by foot, boat and train, Friday Night is Music Night style. Presented by Petroc Trelawny.

Friday Night is Music Night with the BBC Symphony Orchestra

BBC Maida Vale Studios

This afternoon we welcome Martyn Brabbins to Salford for a programme of five 20th-century works by British composers.

Twentieth Century Treasures

MediaCityUK

Striking a balance between the light-hearted and the noble, Elgar’s Enigma Variations is an ingenious collection of musical sketches of his friends and an astute self-portrait.

Enigma Variations

Grace Williams shows an early insight to the highly individual music she would compose in later years in tonight’s concert opener, her showcase for strings, the Elegy. From the dramatic Praeludium to its introspective Adagio, Nielsen’s Violin Concerto is a thrilling journey through harmony, gesture and mood, and we’re delighted to welcome the winner of the 2016 Nielsen Violin Competition, the Bulgarian virtuosi Liya Petrova as soloist.

Rachmaninov 2 with Martyn Brabbins

### Kosmos Ensemble at Assembly Hall, Worthing

**Date:** Sunday, 3 March 2024  
**Time:** 2:45 pm  
**Venue:** Assembly Hall, Worthing  
**Conductor:** John Gibbons  
**Leader:** Julian Leaper  

**Program:**
- **Parry:** Lady Radnor’s Suite
- **Walton:** Touch her soft lips (Henry V)
- **Igor Shamo:** Accordion Concerto
- **Grace Williams:** Sea Sketches
- **Errolyn Wallen:** Triple Concerto
- **Astor Piazolla:** Libertango

**Event Description:**
The mesmerising Kosmos Ensemble, known for redefining the relationship between classical and world music, will perform at the Assembly Hall in Worthing. This unique trio, featuring violinist Harriet Mackenzie, violist Meg-Rosaleen Hamilton, and accordion player Miloš Milivojević, brings a passion for improvisation and a diverse repertoire to the stage.

The program includes Errolyn Wallen’s dazzling Triple Concerto, composed especially for the ensemble, and Igor Shamo’s Accordion Concerto, showcasing Miloš Milivojević as the soloist. Grace Williams’s Sea Sketches, reflecting the coast around her birthplace in South Wales, and Parry’s Lady Radnor Suite, composed for the pioneering conductor Lady Radnor, will also be performed. The concert will conclude with Astor Piazolla’s vibrant Libertango.

**Tickets:**
Tickets are available for purchase. Don't miss this opportunity to experience the unique and captivating performance of the Kosmos Ensemble.

For more information and to buy tickets, visit [Kosmos Ensemble's website](www.kosmosensemble.com).

Kosmos Ensemble

Assembly Hall Theatre

We celebrate 90 years since William Mathias’ birth with his Holiday Overture, written in 1971 specially for BBC NOW. We then move on to Karl Jenkins and the UK Premiere of his saxophone concerto, Stravaganza, written for tonight’s soloist, the sensational Jess Gillam. It wouldn’t be St David’s Day without any singing, so BBC National Chorus of Wales and the National Youth Choir of Wales take centre stage in Jenkins’ Dewi Sant, and a medley of your favourite Welsh tunes.

St David's Day Stravaganza

Grace is our new series showcasing female composers and emerging Welsh talent, and in the inaugural concert of the series we’re delighted to welcome BBC NOW violinist, turned conductor, Emilie Godden to conduct the opening work.

'Grace' 2023

BBC National Orchestra of Wales and conductor Nil Venditti return to Brecon and Newport this September with a programme of Busoni, Bellini, Mendelssohn and our very own Grace Williams’ rhapsodic Violin Concerto with the prodigiously talented Geneva Lewis.

Visions of Italy

Theatr Brycheiniog

The Riverfront

“To compose music is to do something off the beaten track, even if you're a man. But if you're a woman composer it is considered very odd indeed." So said Welsh composer, Grace Williams, who followed in Morfydd Owen’s celebrated footsteps to show her detractors that musical talent is gender blind. Sadly, Williams’ work is still not given the attention it deserves, but today the BBC Philharmonic unearth a seldom-heard gem from a film score Williams composed in the late 1940s. The feature film, Blue Scar, depicts ordinary lives touched by the nationalisation of the coal mines and in her score for it, Williams conjures an atmosphere of melancholy beauty. In Blue Scar: Mountain Scene, we hear Williams’ gift for painterly observation, a talent which must have impressed her tutors at the Royal College of Music. It was here that she studied with Ralph Vaughan Williams in the 1920s, about a decade before Ruth Gipps attended.

The BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Jaime Martín present Holst’s epic suite The Planets alongside works by Grace Williams and Dora Pejačević.

Prom 32: Holst’s The Planets

Myth, Fantasy & Folklore

First Presbyterian Church of Oakland

Triple Concerto for Saxophone, Horn and Cello

Koningin Elisabethzaal

Charting its own path, “Rossini to Rococo” takes us on a musical journey of contrasting styles and eras. Rossini’s Overture to “Le Cenerentola” opens with operatic flair, followed by Casarrubios’ newly commissioned “Concerto for Cello No. 2” performed by internationally acclaimed cellist Amit Peled. Grace Williams’ “Sea Sketches” offers a shift in atmosphere to the contemporary before Tchaikovsky’s “Rococo Variations” bring the stage alive with world premiere choreography by Madison Ballet alongside Peled on cello. Graceful yet dynamic, this program moves seamlessly between stage, sea and soaring melody.

Masterworks III - Rossini to Rococo with Cello & Ballet

Overture Center for the Arts

It’s a 100% home team tonight, with Royal Northern Sinfonia, their Principal Guest Conductor Nil Venditti and Artistic Partner Maria Włoszczowska stepping up to the solo violin spot.

Dvořák’s Eighth Symphony

The Glasshouse International Centre for Music

Royal Northern Sinfonia, their Principal Guest Conductor Nil Venditti and Artistic Partner Maria Włoszczowska stepping up to the solo violin spot.

Grace Williams

Events

Upcoming events

Nov 20, 2026

Triple Concerto for Saxophone, Horn and Cello · Antwerp Symphony Orchestra

26 - 27 Feb, 2027

Masterworks III - Rossini to Rococo with Cello & Ballet · Overture Center for the Arts

May 21, 2027

Dvořák’s Eighth Symphony · Royal Northern Sinfonia

May 22, 2027

Dvorák's Eighth Symphony · Royal Northern Sinfonia

Past events

Sep 30, 2026

RCM String Orchestra · Royal College of Music

Sep 8, 2026

Mared Pugh-Evans · Lucerne Festival

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