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The BBC National Orchestra of Wales occupies a very special role as both a national and broadcasting orchestra, acclaimed not only for the quality of its performances but also for its importance within its own community.

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. During the 2008/09 concert season the Orchestra moved to their new state-of-the-art recording and rehearsal space, BBC Hoddinott Hall at the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff.

The Orchestra’s concerts are broadcast on BBC Radio 3, BBC Cymru Wales radio and television, and BBC 4. They enjoy close working relationships with programme makers, including recording the soundtrack to BBC Wales’s Doctor Who and Torchwood series.

The BBC National Orchestra of Wales’s dynamic Education and Community Department, extends the work of the Orchestra beyond the confines of the concert hall into schools, workplaces and communities.

Formed in December 1935 by Scottish composer and conductor Ian Whyte, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra is recognised as one of the UK’s leading orchestras. The winner of several awards, including a Royal Philharmonic Society Award (the only Scottish orchestra to do so) and three Gramophone Awards, its wide repertoire and flexible approach to format means it can perform a complex contemporary piece as a specialist ensemble alongside a major symphonic work. It has a busy broadcasting schedule on BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio Scotland and BBC Television and also records commercially.

Based at City Halls at the heart of Glasgow’s Merchant City, the orchestra takes live music to towns and cities across Scotland every season, is in demand at major UK festivals and plays every summer at the BBC Proms. It has appeared in many of the great musical centres of Europe and has toured the USA, South America and been twice to China, most recently in May 2008.

In Scotland, as well as being the leading supporter of living composers and new music, the orchestra is extremely active in the community with an innovative learning programme dedicated to bringing the inspiration of great music to people of all ages and backgrounds.

“Beamish’s music engages the ear, the imagination and now, more than ever, the soul.” The Daily Telegraph

Scotland-based composer Sally Beamish’s work embraces chamber, vocal, choral and orchestral music, and is performed and broadcast internationally; there are seven discs available on the BIS label, with more to follow. She has received commissions from the USA, Japan, Australia, Scandinavia and Europe.

Recent projects include a cantata, ‘The Lion and the Deer,' on poems by Hafez translated by Jila Peacock, which is released on the Avie label with Michael Chance, the London Mozart Players and the Portsmouth Grammar School Choice and ‘Under the Wing of the Rock’ for saxophonist Branford Marsalis. Her Second Cello Concerto, commissioned by the Minnesota and Hallé Orchestras, will be premiered by Robert Cohen in 2009. Future projects also include a Concerto for percussionist Colin Currie.  

Ashley Coombes

The critical plaudits which have greeted Mark Bebbington's performances and recordings have singled him out as a young British pianist of the rarest refinement and maturity. Increasingly recognised as a champion of British music, Mark has recorded extensively for the SOMM "New Horizons" label to unanimous critical acclaim.

Projects for 2009 include continuing releases for the SOMM label of twentieth-century British piano music, a critically acclaimed disc of Mozart Piano Concertos K413, 414, 415 with the Orchestra of the Swan and David Curtis, appearances in major concert series and festivals in the UK and within Europe (including a debut at the Husum ''Piano Rarities'' Festival in Germany) and London recitals at St John’s Smith Square and the Wigmore Hall.

‘Unequivocally great music, accessible, expressive and ravishingly beautiful.’ The Strad

Howard Blake is one of the most popular and prolific living English composers. Over an intensely active career he has written more than 60 film scores for film and TV, including ‘The Avengers’, ‘Flash Gordon’ (with Queen), ‘The Duellists’, ‘A Month in the Country’ and ‘My Life So Far’.

In 1982 he wrote the words and music for the animated Channel 4 TV film and CD of  ‘The Snowman’  with its song ‘Walking in the Air’, so much loved by children all over the world. Its concert version continues to receive many performances and the stage version runs every year at Sadler’s Wells Peacock Theatre in London. 

Howard has also composed many concert works, with his output amounting to over 600 opus numbers.  

Drew Farrell

 “an individual, and an exceptionally gifted one” Washington Post

Robert Cohen is firmly established as one of the world's leading soloists. His career takes him on major tours of the USA, Europe, Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the UK, performing with conductors such as Abbado, Jansons, Marriner, Masur, Muti and Rattle. He also retains a lively enthusiasm for chamber music which provides the bedrock of the Charleston Manor Festival which he has directed since 1989.

He has an impressive discography ranging from solo Bach to Gruber and has had many concertos written especially for him. He has also become increasingly active as a conductor and has directed the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, the Prague Chamber Orchestra and L’Orchestra Filarmonico di Torino.

In Spring 2009 Robert Cohen was awarded an Honorary Membership of the Royal Academy of Music (HonRAM) where he is a Visiting Professor.  

Gimell Records was set up by Peter Phillips and Steve Smith solely to record The Tallis Scholars.

The first Gimell recording was made on March 22nd and 23rd, 1980, in the Chapel of Merton College, Oxford. Single-artist labels have become commonplace in recent years: Gimell was the first, predicting the trend by at least a decade. This gave Peter Phillips and Steve Smith a head-start both in the technique of recording a cappella singing and in gaining irreplaceable experience with a single repertoire and one artist. This experience is unique and enduring, informing every one of the 50 discs which Gimell has produced. 

Gimell has a number of other firsts to its name. In 1984 it placed the first commercial order for Compact Discs with a UK manufacturer; in 1987 it won the Gramophone Record of the Year Award - the first independent label to receive this prestigious award and still the only recording of Early Music to do this; and now, with the Gimell website, it is the first to sell 5.1 Surround Sound downloads in the FLAC format. 

“With such an array of talent, imaginative programming and atmospheric scenery, it seems like a very attractive way to beat the credit crunch blues.” Classical Music Magazine

The first Greenwich International String Quartet Festival took place 17-19 April 2009 and was a highly concentrated long weekend of events of major international significance including concerts, masterclasses, talks, improvisation, experimental music, installations, competitions and archive film shows all housed in the historic and beautiful surroundings of Trinity College of Music at the Old Royal Naval College.

The Festival, a major celebration of the remarkable depth and versatility of the String Quartet, included performances by internationally renowned string quartets such as the Endellion, Smith, Wihan and Allegri String Quartets as well as the Brodsky, Elysian and Carducci Quartets. It is expected to become a major biennial event in London’s Classical Music Diary.  

"The Last King of Scotland" has the best and weirdest soundtrack I've heard all year.” Los Angeles Daily News

Alex Heffes is one of the UK’s leading film composers. Rising to international prominence with his score to Kevin Macdonald’s Oscar-winning ‘One Day in September’ Alex’s subsequent collaborations with Kevin include the acclaimed BAFTA-winning ‘Touching the Void’ and the Academy-Award winning film ‘The Last King of Scotland’. He also collaborated with director Tim Burton on his screen adaptation of ‘Sweeney Todd’ starring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. He recently scored the political thriller ‘State of Play’ starring Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck and Helen Mirren.

Alex’s scores have been nominated for BAFTA, Ivor Novello, European Film Academy and ASCAP awards.  

Simon Annand

Founded by Yehudi Menuhin in 1983, the Menuhin Competition is the leading international violin competition for young players under the age of 22. Over the last 25 years many of the participants and prize-winners have gone on to become some of the most exciting violinists. Among them are Tasmin Little, Nikolaj Znaider, Ilya Gringolts and Julia Fischer.

The Competition celebrated its 25^th anniversary in Cardiff, Wales in April 2008 and was hosted in partnership with the University of Glamorgan and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. 

“Christopher Nupen pioneered a style of filming music and music-making for television in which his excellence has rarely been equalled and never excelled …. His films will endure forever as reference documents to the executant’s art in the 20^th century and as constant sources of musical delight”  Jeremy Isaacs

Acclaimed music documentary maker, Christopher Nupen is renowned for the quality of his film making and for the enduring appeal of his film portraits. They have come to be recognised as classics.

In October 2006, Christopher Nupen set up his own DVD label – ‘The Christopher Nupen Films’ with the purpose of preserving on DVD this impressive catalogue of films. DVD releases available so far include portraits of Jean Sibelius, Nathan Milstein, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Jacqueline du Pré and Itzhak Perlman.  His films rank among the most enduring work that has yet been done for television. Sir Isaiah Berlin described some of them as being “At just about the highest level which television is capable of reaching.”  

Peter Phillips has made an impressive if unusual reputation for himself in dedicating his life’s work to the research and performance of Renaissance polyphony. He founded the Tallis Scholars in 1973, with whom he has now appeared in over 1600 concerts and made 50 discs, encouraging interest in polyphony all over the world. 

Apart from the Tallis Scholars, Peter Phillips continues to work with other specialist ensembles. Amongst others he has appeared with the Collegium Vocale of Ghent, the Netherlands Chamber Choir, the Choeur de Chambre de Namur, the Finnish Radio Choir, Musix of Budapest, the Studio de Musique ancienne de Montreal and BBC Singers.

In addition to conducting, Peter Phillips is well-known as a writer. For many years he has contributed a regular music column (as well as one on cricket) to The Spectator and has also written two books.

In 2005, Peter Phillips was made a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Minister of Culture.

Albert Roosenburg

'A fascinating festival...eclecticism rules' The Times

October 2007 saw the return to Cardiff of a highly individual festival devoted to ‘everything violin’. Red Violin is the brainchild of internationally acclaimed violinist Madeleine Mitchell, who devised the original event in 1997 to celebrate every aspect of the extraordinary instrument that has captivated hearts and minds for centuries.  

An inclusive and eclectic festival, Red Violin 2007 featured the fiddle in concerts, exhibitions, films, workshops and talks. Star performers included the young Latvian violinist Baiba Skride, Brecon-based Rachel Podger and Artistic Director Madeleine Mitchell.  Other Red Violin events included charismatic folk fiddling, mesmerizing Indian Carnatic violin, jazz violinists in informal settings and brilliant young violinists from some of the leading UK music colleges and the Yehudi Menuhin School.  

Situated in the heart of Cardiff, the capital city of Wales, St David's Hall is the National Concert Hall and Conference Centre of Wales. With its wide range of live entertainment, free exhibitions, conferences, participation workshops, two bars and a range of places to eat, helpful staff and relaxing surroundings, St David's Hall is a building to be enjoyed by day and evening throughout the year. 

Home to the annual Welsh Proms Cardiff, the world-class Orchestral Concert Series featuring the world's top orchestras, soloists and conductors and the famous bi-annual BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition, St David's Hall presents a multitude of live entertainment, including pop, rock, folk, jazz, rhythm and blues, comedy, children's shows, lunchtime concerts, musicals, light entertainment, dance, world music, films and classical music.

Since it was founded in 1995, the British independent CD label of classical music, SOMM Recordings, has captured everyone's imagination. Its aim is to share with its public the joy of classical music and the delight of discovering fresh repertoire, performed by artists of talent and scholarship. SOMM receives frequent accolades worldwide from collectors, music lovers, critics and the media for recordings of quality, style and originality.

In addition to its championing of British music and an unusual catalogue of choral music and song, SOMM and its artists are now working together to uncover newcomers of the repertoire in a variety of genres, styles and periods, from the unique to the extraordinary and from the early to the contemporary.

"The rock stars of Renaissance vocal music" New York Times

The Tallis Scholars were founded in 1973 by their director, Peter Phillips. Through their recordings and concert performances, they have established themselves as the leading exponents of Renaissance sacred music throughout the world. 

The Tallis Scholars perform in both sacred and secular venues, giving around 70 concerts each year. In April 1994 the group enjoyed the privilege of performing in the Sistine Chapel to mark the final stage of the complete restoration of the Michelangelo frescoes, broadcast live on Italian television. 

In 1998 they celebrated their 25th Anniversary with a special concert in London's National Gallery including a work by John Tavener, In the Month of Athyr, written for the group and narrated by Sting. Further performances were given with Sir Paul McCartney in New York in 2000 and with Vanessa Redgrave in Birmingham’s Symphony Hall in 2006.

Much of The Tallis Scholars reputation for their pioneering work has come from their association with Gimell Records, set up by Peter Phillips and producer Steve Smith. Their 50th recording of Victoria and Padilla’s Lamentations will be released in March 2009 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Gimell Records.

“Tarisio has managed to become a major player, finding top instruments and combining these finds with solid expertise .. so meteoric its rise has been that Sotheby's now regards Tarisio as its principal rival.” The Strad

Tarisio is one of the world’s leading sources of fine and rare stringed instruments. Launched in 1999 by three partners, Dmitry Gindin, Jason Price and Christopher Reuning, it brought a fresh approach to the instrument market, combining the excellent reputation and services of a traditional auction house with the efficiency and accessibility of online sales. Offering first-class expertise and guaranteed cataloging, it quickly earned the respect of musicians, collectors, restorers and dealers the world over. It now sells over 1,500 violins, violas, cellos and bows each year, with offices in New York and London, and recently opened a fretted strings department.

Thanks to its unrivalled expertise, Tarisio’s cataloguing is the most reliable in the business, and it is the only auction house to extend a guarantee of authenticity to every item catalogued by a particular maker.

Concerto finalist in the BBC Young Musician competition in 2002, Sarah Williamson also gave a highly individual performance of the Copland Clarinet Concerto with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Andrew Davis. She then went on to win second prize in the Eurovision Competition for Young Musicians in Berlin , again playing the Copland Concerto, with the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra. 

Sarah continued her studies at Le Conservatoire Superieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris graduating with the Premier Prix and a 'Laure at e', the highest honour. Sarah has performed at festivals across the UK and made her debuts at the Wigmore Hall and South Bank Centre. Currently based in Britain, Sarah continues to play regularly in France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Spain, Portugal and Switzerland, where she made her debut at the Tonhalle, Zurich.

Simon Tottman