CWMDONKIN SONGS: VIDEOS & CD
Videos of the live performance of the three pieces of Cwmdonkin Songs performed by Matthew Hoch and Jonathan Levin at Mississippi University for Women, Columbus, MI, USA, have been placed on Youtube. (See #3, 'Solo Voice and Piano' for the links.) Also, the CD, Deaths and Entrances, with the same Cwmdonkin Songs, with performers Christopher O'Gorman, tenor, and David Pipe, piano (who gave the first performance), has just been released. (See 'Works on Recent CDs' below.)
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| Emma Abbate, RS, Peter Cigleris, Evva Mizerska |
The Angry Snail for clarinet, cello and piano is making its way onto disc. It was recorded by the Zemlinsky Trio (Peter Cigleris, clarinet, Evva Mizerska, cello, and Emma Abbate, piano), who commissioned it, at St Paul's School, Hammersmith, on 28 March 2026, for the SOMM label, with Siva Oke in charge of the production. The premiere of the work, also given by the Zemlinsky Trio, took place at Stratford-upon-Avon Town Hall (a splendid venue) on 18 January. The piece started life with quotations from 'Eine kleine Snailmusik', the 2nd song in Of Swans Snails and Geese, which work will be premiered by Roderick WIlliams and Iain Burnside at the Three Choirs Festival in July.
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| RS and Llŷr |
On Saturday, 14 February, 2016, two of Rhian's pieces were played at this vibrant festival: at lunchtime, Ribbons and Streamers II for fl, va, hp, by a group led by Mared Emlyn, harp, and, in the evening concert, the piano piece, The Time of Singing of Birds, by Llŷr Williams. This piece was first performed by Russell Hirshfield in Danbury CT in 2015. The festival was held at Pontio, Bangor.
MAKING A CD WITH RUBY HUGHES
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| Ruby Hughes and USE |
In the 1st week of December, 2025, soprano Ruby Hughes and United Strings of Europe, director, Julian Azkoul, recorded a CD of music including three of Rhian's pieces, 'Naming the Flowers', 'My river runs to thee' and 'A Perfect View', as well as four arrangements by Rhian of lovely songs by Lili and Nadia Boulanger and Alma Mahler. So good to record with Ruby again after the Clytemnestra CD! This disc too will be issued by BIS.
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| Tailleferre Ensemble with RS |
QUARTET/QUINTET
Rhian's wind quintet, Songscapes, was premiered by the Tailleferre Ensemble at Leatherhead, Surrey, on 16 October, 2025, while the string quartet-in-residence at the RWCMD, the Vita Quartet, played 'Late Sun' from Threaded Light at the Cowbridge Festival on 16 September. Two excellent performances! Songscapes, which also exists in a version for piano solo, was published by Tŷ Cerdd in time for the quintet's performance.
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| RS at RWCMD (photo:kirsten mcternan) |
HONOUR
On 10th July, 2025, an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal WelshCollege of Music and Drama was bestowed on Rhian at a ceremony in the Dora Stoutzker Hall at the College in Cardiff. Tim Rhys-Evans, Director of Music, read the citation. Rhian is grateful for the honour and the warm welcome she received there - 20 miles from where she was born!
WIGMORE HALL RECITAL
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| James and Anna at the Wigmore Hall |
The Hare in the Moon was presented by James Gilchrist and Anna Tilbrook at the Wigmore Hall on 9th July. This is the first time (to Rhian's knowledge) the piece has been sung by a tenor, and it was wonderfully received by the Wigmore Hall audience: the whole concert was a huge success!
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| Portland Baroque |
Gwanwyn is on Youtube:
The premiere of the work by the Portland Baroque Orchestra, Julian Perkins, director, took place on 14th March, 2025, in Portland, Oregon, USA, with a second performance the next day. Alas, Rhian couldn't attend in person, but did so via the web, giving a pre-concert introduction to the piece, a work that was inspired by Vivaldi's 'Spring' from The Four Seasons. Gwanwyn may be played by either a baroque or modern ensemble; the score is now published by Tŷ Cerdd.
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Isabella Geddis (composer), Jocelyn |
BITTER-SWEET ON CD
Another work just out in the USA: a lovely recording of Rhian's Bitter-Sweet, played by Laura Kobayashi, violin, and Susan Keith Gray, piano. [See DISCOGRAPHY]. Laura, who trained with Dorothy Delay at the Juilliard School, is based in West Virginia and Susan in South Dakota. They get together to perform as the Kobayashi-Gray Duo and we are fortunate that they do. A terrific performance!
CWMDONKIN SONGS
Recent Publications
- 🔸Songscapes, three pieces for wind quintet, pub. Tŷ Cerdd, Oct. 2025.
- 🔸Gwanwyn/Spring for harpsichord and string orchestra (baroque or modern), pub. Tŷ Cerdd, July, 2025.
- 🔸Songscapes, three pieces for piano, pub. Tŷ Cerdd, Nov. 2024. (Around Grade 6-7 standard.)
- 🔸Cwmdonkin Songs, three songs to texts by Dylan Thomas, pub. Tŷ Cerdd, Feb. 2024. Two versions now published: (1) for medium voice; (2) for high voice.
- 🔸The Tender Branch for organ, pub. Stainer & Bell, Feb. 2024.
- 🔸Earth Newborn, four SATB pieces to poems by Edward Thomas, pub. separately by Stainer & Bell: (i) 'The Trumpet'; (ii) 'Lights Out'; (iii) 'Bright Clouds of May'; (iv) 'After Rain'.
- 🔸My Heart Beside for medium/high voice, viola and piano, three pieces to poems by Emily Dickinson, pub. Tŷ Cerdd.
- 🔸Cwmdonkin Songs, on a CD, Deaths and Entrances, issued by the Dylan Thomas Project on Prima Facie Records. The performers are Chris O'Gorman, tenor, and David Pipe, piano.
- 🔸Bitter-Sweet for violin and piano, on Listen!, a CD from the Kobayashi-Keith Duo, on Albany Records (USA).
- 🔸Sarabande from Isolation Suite, arr. for harpsichord, on Julian Perkins's CD, From Handel's Home (Delphian).
- 🔸Ad Lucem, a 3-movement work for solo organ, played by Tom Winpenny on the organ of St Alban's Cathedral: St Albans Experience (Willowhayne Records).
- 🔸LIttle Duos for oboe and cor anglais, played by Penelope Smith and Nicola Hands, on the Tailleferre Ensemble's CD, There are Things to be Said (UA).