Telyn Gymraeg Newydd

Overview

Funded by Ty Cerdd and produced by newCELF, Telyn Gymraeg Newydd brought together six composers to create new works for Welsh harp.

The project supported six composers in creating experimental scores for harp. Welsh harpist Rhodri Davies provided support at the start of the project with a workshop showcasing different approaches to scoring for harp. He also provided support to the harpists and composers in the composition workshops.

The project culminated in a public performance at St John's Church, Cardiff in association with SHIFT.

The project

Rhodri Davies first led a workshops showcasing alternate ways of writing for harp. These included graphic, text and intermedia scores. These were to give ideas for how to approach the pieces.

Composers then composed their pieces over the following months before coming together again to rehearse the works in progress in a joint workshop. There was then time for them to finish the compositions before they were played at St John's Church in Cardiff in February 2026.

Programme

Lowri Mair Jones The Ache of Possibility (when standing on the corner of Woodville Road)
Jerry Zhuo Cur
Natalie Roe Shades of Green
Lucy Clarke Clusters
Richard McReynolds + Natalie Roe Pluck
Richard McReynolds Flowey and Mount on the brink of time
Rhian Cristobel Flamborough Head

Composers

Six composers were commissioned to create new works for the project.

Rhian Christabel
Rhian Christabel is an acousmatic, electro-acoustic, soundscaping composer from Wales. Her journey so far has been driven by a passion for music and participation. After a career in opera directing and making music with young people and communities, she has finally found space to make her own work. Her compositional practice focuses on climate and community. >
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Lucy Clarke
Singer and composer Lucy Clarke began her musical journey at a young age as a member of Only Kids Aloud, performing in Roald Dahl’s City of the Unexpected under the direction of Tim Rhys-Evans. Over the past four years, she has continued to sing under Tim’s direction as a member of the National Youth Choir of Wales. Alongside this, Lucy has performed with the Birmingham University Singers, directed by Bob Chilcott, appearing with the BBC Singers and performing at the Royal Albert Hall in the BBC Proms alongside the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Kazuki Yamada. As a composer, Lucy has written orchestral and chamber works that have been performed at Cardiff City Hall and St David’s Hall, as well as performed by members of the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group (BCMG). She also actively writes and arranges for her acappella ensemble, The Uptone Girls, composing in a wide range of styles. Her arrangements have featured in national competitions such as the ICCA (International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella), showcasing her versatility and creative flair. As an emerging female composer with a passion for collaboration, Lucy is drawn to exploring the intricate relationship between voice, texture, and storytelling in contemporary music. She is delighted to present Clusters this evening with harpist Cerys Rees, an improvised piece based on a selection of cluster chords which follow a spiralling pattern. >
Lowri Mair Jones
Lowri Mair Jones is an award-winning composer based in Cardiff whose music spans chamber, orchestral, vocaland film composition. After a 20-year break from writing, Lowri returned to composition with renewed focus and has quickly built a diverse portfolio. She was awarded Tlws y Cerddor (the Musician’s Medal) at the 2023 National Eisteddfod for her work for solo cello, piano and violin, and was runner-up the following year for a chamber work for clarinet, violin, cello and piano. Lowri’s recent projects include the score for the short film Milodfa (BBC iPlayer/S4C, 2025), a Welsh-language chamber opera with Tŷ Cerdd and Music Theatre Wales premiered at the 2025 National Eisteddfod and commissions from the Rhondda Symphony Orchestra, Presteigne Festival, Côr Godre’r Garth and private patrons. Alongside her composing career, Lowri has worked extensively in broadcasting for the BBC and independent companies. She holds a MMus degree in Composition from the University of Manchester. >
Richard McReynolds
Natalie Roe
Natalie Roe is a composer, electronic artist and producer interested in combining acoustic and electronic sounds together in her music. A graduate from Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama which included a year studying at Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland. She specialises in live performance with electronic instruments, specifically modular synthesiser and live spatialisation. She has been awarded a 2023 Oram Award and a Silver Medal from the Musicians Company and is currently a Royal Philharmonic Society Composer and is a producer in the Global Network for Women Music Producers. Collaboration is key in her work as seen in projects including The Flying Bedroom Theatre Company and sound sculpture duo Tangible Lemon. Natalie's electronic compositions include a 16-speaker dome installation displayed in Helsinki and 30 minute live immersive electroacoustic set, titled ‘MINDSET’. Notable Concert Music Works include writing for BBC National Orchestra of Wales, The Berkeley Ensemble and The Band of the Welsh Guards. Additionally, I am passionate about advocating for the music industry and previously worked as RWCMD Students’ Union President and am currently the Chair of the Conservatoires UK Student Network and President of European Performing Arts Student Association. >
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Jerry Zhuo
Yue Zhuo (Jerry) is an award-winning composer, conductor and multi-instrumentalist. His research in his native Min-nan Chinese culture, including a hands-on experience in Nan-yin, has sparked many compositions of different scales, incorporating graphic notations, improvisation, sound installation, stage props and audience engagement. His works have recently been performed by BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Riot Ensemble, and Pavilion Ensemble. Recent commissions include those from the Welsh Music Guild, Ty Cerdd, and Three Shadows Xiamen Photography Arts Centre, China. He is currently a Lecturer in Composition at Cardiff University School of Music and a Universal Edition composer.
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Performers

Yasmin Richards

Yasmin Richards is a Welsh harpist originally from the Rhondda Valleys. She studied at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama under the tutelage of Kathryn Rees and, in her final year, Catrin Finch.

During a term abroad at the University of Toronto, she developed an interest in contemporary music performance. It was there that she was introduced to a diverse repertoire through the Contemporary Music Ensemble and student performances at harp studio classes, demonstrating the extensive possibilities of the harp.

Her enthusiasm for contemporary works led her to compete in the United Kingdom Harp Competition in 2025 with a programme focused on new works, which earned her the Sioned Williams Prize.

Cerys Rees

Cerys Rees is a Welsh harpist whose work centres on contemporary music and close collaboration with Welsh composers, with a particular focus on expanding the harp's modern repertoire.

She is a graduate of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, where she completed both a First-Class Bachelor of Music (Hons) and a Master's degree in Music Performance, studying under Caryl Thomas and Rhodri Davies. Her studies were supported by a Sir Howard Stringer Scholarship.

Cerys is an award recipient of the Royal Welch Fusiliers Harp Prize, the Daniel Emlyn Davies Award, and the Reverend Paul Bigmore Music in the Community Award, recognising both her artistic achievement and her commitment to engagement beyond the concert hall.

Her performance experience includes national events such as the Motion of Condolence at the Senedd, attended by HM The King and Queen.

A passionate advocate for new music, Cerys works closely with Welsh composers to develop and premiere new works for the harp, exploring extended techniques, interdisciplinary performance, and the instrument's role within contemporary classical music.

Through these collaborations, she seeks to challenge traditional perceptions of the harp and amplify Welsh musical voices on a national platform.

Alongside her creative work, Cerys was the first Regimental Harpist to the Royal Welsh and is deeply committed to community engagement, using performance and collaboration as tools to connect audiences with contemporary Welsh music in meaningful and accessible ways.