The Welsh Sinfonia is a professional chamber orchestra based in Cardiff and is a full member of the Association of British Orchestras. It employs between 15 and 35 musicians, led by Robin Stowell. The Principal Conductor and Artistic Director is Mark Eager [1].
It was relaunched in 2009 after serving choirs and choral societies for 20 years, and now concentrates on exploring the ever-widening chamber music repertoire, from the 16th Century to the present day.
The Welsh Sinfonia performs regularly in a popular Cardiff series of concerts, and tours Wales taking chamber music to smaller venues and areas where live classical music provision is limited. It also works closely with schools offering an interactive education programme.
The Welsh Sinfonia has commissioned and performed many new works for chamber orchestra; recent works include Damian Rees ‘Happily Ever After’, Eilir Owen Griffiths ‘The Emoticons of Time’ [2] (Percussion Concerto) and Rhian Samuel ‘The Path through the Woods’ (Recorder Concerto). There are developing links with emerging Welsh musicians including the Official Harpist to the Prince of Wales Claire Jones, percussionist Dave Danford and world-renowned recorder soloist Pamela Thorby.