P R E S S
reviews
Buzz Mag
"[It] had the influence of dance/club music, giving the percussionists a workout in her Tourmaline. A type of stone may have influenced the music; certainly, it had charm and gusto."
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff, UK
Tourmaline
Seen and Heard International
"String techniques were cleverly and eclectically appropriated in an engaging and immediately attractive manner. One might actually observe that [...] it was positively catchy. The composer herself described her intention to provide a “joyous sprint through an off-kilter landscape”, and this delineation of purpose was amply achieved."
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff, UK
Tourmaline
The Guardian
* * * *
"The sonic explosions were akin to the sparks that start bush and forest fires"
UPROAR Ensemble
Arnolfini, Bristol, UK
we watch it burn
The Telegraph
* * * *
"A marvellous day of opera at St Pancras that never once hit the buffas"
Royal Opera House
St Pancras Station, London, UK
The Parting Place
The Guardian
* * * *
"The pieces, though, were all new, themed to the venue and intended to draw in passing, unsuspecting audiences..."
Royal Opera House
St Pancras Station, London, UK
The Parting Place
Broadway World
"The Royal Opera House celebrates International Women's Day with performance at St. Pancras International"
Royal Opera House
St Pancras Station, London, UK
The Parting Place
The Guardian
* * * *
"Her assurance in handling the textures was more than evident."
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff, UK
Creatures of Dust and Dreams
Colin's Column
"... its exuberant and spiralling start turning into a subtle and varied web of sounds (including multiphonics) and expressions."
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff, UK
Creatures of Dust and Dreams
Seen and Heard International
"... microtones are a dangerous tool in the hands of a composer... Here they became fully justified as an evocation of the ideas of dust and dreams, forming dimly glimpsed shapes which emerged from the textures only to dissolve again."
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff, UK
Creatures of Dust and Dreams
Zibeline
“Its dazzling start [with] its menacing percussion and double bass ostinato… The last notes exploit unexpected timbres to evoke with arresting realism…”
Ensemble Télémaque
PIC, Marseille, FRANCE
A soul is more than a body is more than a number is more than
Buzz Mag
* * * * *
"Lewis' instrumental compositions served as a sonic backdrop... Atop a hill we listened via headphones, akin to a silent disco - the intimacy added to the performance's gravity and grandeur."
Daniel Morden, Hugh Lupton & Sarah Lianne Lewis
Beyond the Border Storytelling Festival, Dinefwr, UK
Stars and their Consolations
Musical Opinion
"There was a poised, formal beauty in the score's repeated phrases and fragile textures. The final section's inventive use of whistling and humming [...] brought the piece to an ethereal and haunting conclusion."
The Berkeley Ensemble
St David's Hall, Cardiff, UK
Sunflowers in Autumn
The Guardian
* * *
"... it was the players’ quiet whistling that added an intriguing extra texture before fading to an end."
The Berkeley Ensemble
St David's Hall, Cardiff, UK
Sunflowers in Autumn
Cambrian News
"... a meditation on the poignancy of Beethoven’s impending loss of hearing. Climbing higher and higher on the top E string, the violin at the work’s conclusion evoked the strange sounds the composer might have been hearing internally."
Mary Hofman & Richard Ormrod
Coleg Meirion Dwyfor, Dollgellau, UK
Until the thread breaks
The Guardian
* * * *
"... transported the ear to a world of its own"
UPROAR Ensemble
Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, UK
mind the gap
Weeping Tudor Productions
* * * *
"... a transgressive few minutes, with pristine dissonance and an eerie ambiance."
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff, UK
Is there no seeker of dreams that were?
interviews and articles
The Guardian
St Pancras station to become an opera hall for International Women’s Day
Rail passengers to be treated to new train-themed micro-operas by female composers based on travellers’ tales
Royal Philharmonic Society
Introducing the new 2021-22 composers
We are pleased to announce the seven composers newly joining the 2021-22 RPS Composers programme, representing some of the brightest, most exciting voices in the UK.
South Wales Guardian
Over 65 artists part of Beyond the Border 2021 Festival at Dinefwr Park
Acclaimed storytellers Daniel Morden and Hugh Lupton have joined forces with one of Wales’ most exciting new composers, Sarah Lianne Lewis, to create a visceral, moving and profound storytelling experience.
Nevis Ensemble
Lochan IX | Salt-Starred Waters
Salt-Starred Waters was composed by Sarah Lianne Lewis, performed by Gabriela Jaros, and commissioned by Kim McAllister.
BBC
Instrumental Insights: Sarah Lianne Lewis, Composer Affiliate
She was named as our new Composer Affiliate during the recent BBC NOW Prom, but how did Sarah Lianne Lewis become a composer and what’s she most looking forward to about working with the orchestra?
Ty Cerdd
BBC NOW appoints Sarah Lianne Lewis as Composer Affiliate
Sarah Lianne Lewis is to become the new Composer Affiliate of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.
Colin's Column
A Prom Full of Firsts for the BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Ryan Bancroft will make his debut as BBC NOW Principal Conductor at the first ever Prom performed from BBC Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff, on 8th September at 7.30pm. Ivor Novello Award winner, Gavin Higgins, to be announced as new Composer in Association and Sarah Lianne Lewis as new Composer Affiliate.
Wales Arts Review
Preview | UPROAR: Wales' new music ensemble
Wales’ new contemporary music ensemble, Uproar, is about to present its second performance studded with premieres and following a successful inauguration in 2018.
Ty Cerdd
CoDI Interview: Sarah Lianne Lewis
The CoDI Move composer talks about some of the inspirational experiences that have helped shape her work.
UPROAR
Meet the Composers - Part 1
UPROAR talks to Sarah about her work and what inspires her.
Wild Plum Arts
PRS For MUSIC collaboration
In March, six composers from across the UK and a range of specialisms were selected to take part in the Wild Plum Songbook, an innovative new career development initiative.
Bangor University
Ysgol Bro Lleu pupils to feature in Festival
Pupils will be using body percussion to create their own compositions at top festival in north Wales. 9 and 10 year old pupils from Ysgol Bro Lleu, Penygroes have been invited to take a significant part in an event at the Bangor Music Festival.
North Wales Chronicle
Sarah Lianne Lewis debuts latest work in Rhyl
The second première in unmissable series celebrating the work female Welsh composers is set to usher in the year with more incredible classical music.
RSNO
New members for RSNO Composers’ Hub
Scotland’s national orchestra welcomes five emerging composers to fourth nurturing initiative. Five emerging UK composers have been selected to benefit from the Royal Scottish National Orchestra’s RSNO Composers’ Hub.
Wales Arts Review
Music | UPROAR: A Preview Guide
An exciting development in contemporary classical music in Wales will take place this week in Cardiff, when ten composers active here will have commissions performed by a new ensemble.
Cardiff University
Tŷ Cerdd announce selections for CoDI composers career development
Fourteen Welsh and Welsh-based composers have been selected to participate in Tŷ Cerdd’s new CoDI Composer Pathways initiative, offering them unique career development opportunities.
Sound and Music
George Butterworth Award Winner 2018
The George Butterworth prize is awarded annually to a UK-based composer, for an outstanding new work created through one of Sound and Music’s composer development programmes. We’re delighted to announce that this year’s winner is Sarah Lianne Lewis, for her work Blossoms in bloom are also falling blossoms.
Ty Cerdd
The music that made me
Composer Sarah Lianne Lewis selects some of the most important music in her life.