Founder, Chief Executive Officer & Artistic Director (February 2010 – July 2015)
During 2010 I identified a gap in provision within Wales’ arts sector and, as a result, founded the music commissioning and producing company Sinfonia Newydd, providing a platform for over 40 established and emerging composers and music creators.
In addition to establishing a Board of Directors, I built, led, and managed a four-person creative and operational team. Demonstrating my ability and experience of developing and producing cross-artform work, the artistic programme included cross-artform collaborative projects featuring specially commissioned classical music alongside other art-forms. Project highlights included:
Cross-artform collaborative projects
- National Dance Company Wales (NDCW) (June 2014) – working with NDCW to initiate and nurture creative relationships between 2 Sinfonia Newydd composers/music creators and 2 NDCW choreographers, resulting in new music and new dance commissions created simultaneously for live performance.
- Artes Mundi (October 2012 and February 2015) – collaborating with international visual art exhibition and prize Artes Mundi resulting in composers/music creators commissioned to create new music inspired by the work of Artes Mundi prize shortlisted visual artists. Each work was performed alongside/within the visual artwork – Artes Mundi 6 featured the work of 6 composers/music creators at 3 venues across the city: Chapter Arts Centre, Turner House and National Museum Wales.
Credit: Alex Vann
Large-scale and complex classical music commissioning projects
- ‘A Percussive Explosion’ with Gabriel Prokofiev, Joby Burgess and Nonclassical (February 2014) – a contemporary music concert built around the Welsh premiere of contemporary classical composer/DJ Gabriel Prokofiev’s Concerto for Bass Drum and Orchestra featuring percussionist Joby Burgess. The concert also featured five world premiere performances of new work from emerging composers including a new commission for chamber orchestra and solo percussion group featuring young emerging percussionists led by Joby Burgess. Gabriel Prokofiev’s contemporary classical late-night event series and music label Nonclassical presented a post-concert contemporary classical DJ set.
- Sinfonia Newydd 2012 Festival (June 2012) – a 3-day festival of contemporary music in South Wales featuring 20 works including 15 new works/commissions/world premieres from 13 composers programmed across 4 events including festival themes: Celebrating 75 years of Philip Glass, and Commemorating 20 years since William Mathias.
- Sinfonia Newydd 2011 Festival (June 2011) – a 1-day festival of contemporary music in South Wales encompassing classical, jazz, electronic music installations and musical theatre including 40 new works/commissions/world premieres from 22 composers across 8 unique events.