Commissions Concert & Beethoven Archduke Trio

Saturday, 16 October, 7:30pm – Virtual Concert 

Iwan Llewelyn-Jones (piano)

Sara Trickey (violin)

Sara Trickey enjoys an exciting and diverse career as a solo violinist and chamber musician. Noted for her “fiery and passionate” performances (The Strad) and her “beautifully refined tone”
(Musical Opinion), she performs at many of the major UK festivals and venues, including in the
Presteigne, Alwyn, Oxford May Music, York, Ashburton and Wye Valley Chamber Music festivals.
She plays regularly with pianist Dan Tong with whom she has recorded the Schubert Sonatinas to
critical acclaim (“Irresistible!” – Barry Millington). A CD of Fauré and David Matthews has recently
been released by Deux-Elles. She also made a world premiere recording of Mathias’ violin sonatas
with Iwan Llewelyn Jones.

Sebastian Van Kuijk (cello)

Alys Mererid Roberts (soprano)

Alys is a Soprano from Rhoslan near Criccieth. Alys was a Vice Chancellor’s Scholar for music at Durham University and then went on to complete an MA in Vocal Studies at the Royal Academy of Music followed by the Royal Academy Opera programme. She has sung Chocholka and Pepík (The Cunning Little Vixen), Edith (The Pirates of Penzance), Annina (La traviata), Tweedledee (Will Todd’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland), and Tiny Tim / Fan (Will Todd’s A Christmas Carol) at Opera Holland Park, Polly Peachum (The Beggar’s Opera) and Shepherd Boy (Tosca) at Mid Wales Opera, Yum Yum (The Mikado) Josephine (H.M.S. Pinafore) at Charles Court Opera, Adina (L’elisir d’amore) at Opera’r Ddraig, Semichorus (Pwyll ap Siôn’s Gair ar Gnawd) and Muse (Stephen McNeff’s Hedd Wyn) at Welsh National Opera, and covered Slave (Salome) at English National Opera.

Cyfansoddwyr – Composers

Joseph Davies

Joseph Davies is a Cardiff-born, London-based composer hailed as “one of the brightest of rising stars” (Bernard Clarke, RTÉ) whose music has been performed and broadcast throughout Europe and the USA. Commissions include several pieces for the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. He has been a lecturer in composition at the RWCMD since 2013 and is published by Birdsong and Chester Music.

Bethan Morgan-Williams

Bethan Morgan-Williams (1992-) is a composer who writes quirky, rhythmically-intricate music. Described

as “marvellously oblique and obscure” [5against4] while being “rooted in something ancient and folky” [The Telegraph],

Bethan’s music finds motivation in the apogee of musical performance.

Pwyll ap Siôn

Pwyll ap Siôn is a composer, musicologist and Professor of Music at Bangor University. His music has been performed by some of Wales’ foremost musicians, including Bryn Terfel, Llŷr Williams, Iwan Llewelyn-Jones and Elin Manahan Thomas. His community opera Gair ar Gnawd was performed at Ffwrnes Theatre, Llanelli, in a production commissioned by Welsh National Opera to a libretto by Menna Elfyn in 2015. His song-cycle Chaotic Angels, a setting of poems by Gwyneth Lewis, was premiered by soprano Celine Forrest and the WNO orchestra under Lothar Koenigs at St. David’s Hall in 2016. He has also authored and edited several books and contributes regularly to Gramophone magazine. 

Sarah Lianne Lewis

Mae Sarah Lianne Lewis yn gyfansoddwraig Cymreig. Mae ei cherddoriaeth yn o feiddgar a dychmygus, ac yn archwilio’r byd naturiol a’n bodolaeth ddynol, wedi’i lywio gan safbwynt benywaidd anabl. Ar hyn o bryd mae hi’n Gyfansoddwr Cysylltiedig â Cherddorfa Genedlaethol Gymreig y BBC, Cyfansoddwr RPS 2021-22, a Chymrawd Classical:NEXT 2022.