Concert Programme
Text from the programme can be found at the bottom of the page, for an alternative reading experience.
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: Christmas Overture
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Flute Concerto in G major, K313
Soloist: Charlotte Holmes
Grace Williams: Fantasia on Welsh Nursery Tunes
INTERVAL (20 mins)
Edvard Grieg: Peer Gynt
Morning Mood
The Death of Åse
Anitra’s Dance
Abduction of the Bride (Ingrid’s Lament)
Arabian Dance
Return of Peer Gynt (Storm)
In the Hall of the Mountain King
Leroy Anderson: Sleigh Ride
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Flute Concerto in G major, K313
Soloist: Charlotte Holmes
Grace Williams: Fantasia on Welsh Nursery Tunes
INTERVAL (20 mins)
Edvard Grieg: Peer Gynt
Morning Mood
The Death of Åse
Anitra’s Dance
Abduction of the Bride (Ingrid’s Lament)
Arabian Dance
Return of Peer Gynt (Storm)
In the Hall of the Mountain King
Leroy Anderson: Sleigh Ride
For the last 100 years, the City of Newport Symphony Orchestra (CNSO) has proudly served Newport and the surrounding areas with public and private concerts and events. CNSO began life as part of the Pleasant Sunday Afternoon Movement. These meetings began with an uplifting talk and prayer, and concerts were given with a guest singer on the first Sunday of the month. The name changed to Newport Concert Orchestra around 1960, Newport Orchestra in 2012 and has now (as of 2019) changed to City of Newport Symphony Orchestra (or CNSO for short).
The Orchestra is a registered charity and is run by a committee of various orchestra members and a yearly AGM is held. We welcome enquiries from members aged 16 and above and a minimum grade 5 standard.
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for updates: @newportsymphony
Plus keep an eye on our website for all information: cnso.org.uk
City of Newport Symphony Orchestra
Violin 1
Helena Todd
Chloe Menzies
Deborah Cooper
Javier Gonzalez
Emily Gibbons
Nadine Hazen
Sarah Norton
Steven Rodman
Violin 2
Julie Bellamy
Hannah Miller
Holly Chung
Samantha Elson
Mary Geldart
Mair Davies
Billy Donaghy
Viola
Juliet Grayson
Gareth Allmand
Huw Coburn
Meryl Jones
Clare Bailey
Elin Bartlett
Cello
Andrew Muggleton
Sana Raza
Andy Summers
Melanie Davies
David Rose
Double Bass
Karen Bowman
Robert Wyatt
Megan Burridge
Flute
Wendy Wade
Erin McGill
Lynne Fulcher
Piccolo
Lynne Fulcher
Oboe
Phil White
Malcolm James
Clarinet
Roberta Veryard
Angharad Kerr
Bassoon
Holly Wright
Joanna Shewan
French Horn
Tim Holliday
Rick Ward
Martyn Ford
Sarah Page
Trumpet
Niall Bell
Graham Middleton
Rebekah Middleton
Trombone
Philip Ellwood
David Edwards
Dave Rose
Tuba
Celyn Middleton
Percussion
Dennis Gardener
Katherine Evans
Cindy Tang
Musical Director: Anna Beresford
Anna is based in Cardiff, and is active as a freelance conductor, music librarian and music educator. She is currently Musical Director of Caerphilly Community Chorus and the City of Newport Symphony Orchestra, and in September 2025 she was appointed Musical Director for Tonyrefail Ladies Choir. Anna is currently the Trainee Conductor with the Welsh Chamber Orchestra, assisting Anthony Hose. Her work spans professional performance, community engagement and education, with a particular focus broadening access to high-quality music-making and leading with precision, warmth and imagination. In November, she conducted a new pop-up opera tour as part of Bradford Opera Festival. This December, Anna will be joining Brecon Festival Ballet as Assistant Conductor for their performances of The Nutcracker.
Orchestra Leader: Helena Todd
Helena started playing the violin at school aged 6. A member of the Cardiff county orchestras and the National Youth Orchestra of Wales, she went on to study violin performance at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama before training as a nurse. Helena has performed at weddings with the Aderyn Quartet, charity concerts and in orchestras including Brecknock Sinfonia, Gwent Chamber and most notably Abergavenny Symphony Orchestra, which she led 2018-2021. She achieved her ABRSM diploma in July 2021 with distinction and in Summer 2023 was awarded a scholarship to attend a Jazz course led by Peter Edwards and Violin masterclasses with Thomas Gould at Dartington Summer School. Helena is a keen advocate for making music in all its guises, accessible to all. She has undertaken work, thanks to the Spitalfield’s Trainee music leader scheme to explore means to modernise the traditional concert experience. Helena is grateful to Myriam Brunswick and the Citron family for the generous loan of a 1770 L. Hill violin.
Soloist: Charlotte Holmes
Charlotte is a third year flautist currently studying at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama where she is pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Performance under the tuition of Matthew Featherstone and Sarah Bennington, as well as the piccolo with Elizebeth May and Lindsey Ellis. During her time at the conservatoire, Charlotte has enjoyed performing with ensembles such as BBC National Orchestra of Wales, The National Youth Orchestra of Wales, Royal Welsh Wind Orchestra, Royal Welsh Chamber Winds and Cardiff Chamber Orchestra. Charlotte has performed works by composers such as Shostakovich, Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky in venues across London and Cardiff such as The Royal Festival Hall, The Royal Albert Hall, Bragwyn Hall and Cadogan Hall . In addition to this Charlotte has especially enjoyed performing as a concerto soloist in 2023 while touring Ravenna, Italy. Charlotte won the City of Newport Symphony Orchestra’s Concerto Competition in May 2025 and is excited to take the stage with the orchestra to perform Mozart’s Flute Concerto in G major this evening.
The CNSO Young Musicians Competitions are a vibrant celebration of young classical music talent, held at the historic St John Baptist Church in Newport. The competitions bring together some of the most promising young performers in the South Wales region in two rounds: the Young Musicians Competition (under 15) and the Concerto Competition (under 21).
The competition encourages young people to practice performing outside of academic settings or graded exams and gives feedback to all and further performance opportunities for the winners. Applications for 2026 have closed and we are delighted to have more entries than previous years.
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: Christmas Overture
Coleridge-Taylor was widely acclaimed during his short lifetime and Edward Elgar even described him as ‘far and away the cleverest fellow going among the younger men’. The Christmas Overture appeared posthumously, after Coleridge-Taylor died at the age of 37 in Croydon in 1912. Sydney Barnes arranged the piece in 1925 and it features God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen and Hark! the Herald Angels Sing.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Flute Concerto in G major
Soloist: Charlotte Holmes
Allegro maestoso - Adagio non troppo - Rondo: Tempo di menuetto
The Flute Concerto in G major was commissioned in 1777 when Mozart was 21 and staying in Mannheim, a stop-over on a long journey that was intended to make his name among the great, the good and the musical of Europe. At this time, Mozart's order book read "Three short, simple concertos and a couple of quartets for the flute", all at the request of a shadowy Dutchman call de Jean. Only two concertos ever emerged of the requested commissions and one of these is probably an arrangement of music that already existed: Mozart did not receive the full commission fee.
The first of them, in G major, was undeniably written specifically for de Jean and is far more subtle and searching than his other output at this time, particularly in the Adagio with its rich orchestral textures in the introduction and theatrical preparation for the soloist's entry. The outer movements contain plenty of Mozart's customary ingenuity and quiet wit. The work is scored for strings, oboes, flutes and french horns to accompany the soloist.
Grace Williams: Fantasia on Welsh Nursery Tunes
Written in 1940, the Fantasia is one of Barry-born Williams’ most loved works. The piece travels through childhood with the help of eight traditional tunes, including Migildi, Magildi, Si lwli mabi and Cadi Ha. Starting with a calling fanfare, the whole orchestra bounds through the lively sections of the work, with more soft and lilting sections showcasing woodwind solos. The fondness that Williams felt towards her homeland with its rich musical grounding is clear and she said that she wrote the piece quickly and with ease. She studied in London with Ralph Vaughan Williams and had an
extremely successful career, writing a large output of compositions. A few years after writing the Fantasia, Williams returned to live in Barry. She died in 1977 at the age of 70.
Edvard Grieg: Peer Gynt
The Peer Gynt story began with a Norwegian writer called Asbjørnsen who wrote Norse Fairy Tales in 1850, followed by a long dramatic poem by the great Norwegian dramatist Ibsen in 1867. He invited Grieg to write music for a stage adaptation. The story is about a peasant called Peer Gynt and portrays his downfall and redemption. Grieg was very pleased to have the invitation, but found it quite difficult to compose. However, his wife noticed an improvement: "the more he saturated his mind with the powerful poem, the more clearly he saw that he was the right man for a work of such witchery and so permeated with the Norwegian spirit". The first performance in 1876 was a hit with the audience in Oslo and Grieg conducted it himself. The original score was made of 26 pieces. In 1887 Grieg arranged four pieces as a concert suite and later added another four to make a second suite.
We will play seven of the movements this evening. Firstly Morning Mood, where Grieg thought of "the sun breaking through the clouds at the point in the score where the first 'forte' appears". Then the Death of Ase – where Peer battles danger to return home to witness the death of his mother. Anitra's Dance is a Bedouin princess dancing for Peer, having mistaken him for someone else. This is followed by Ingrid's Lament: The Abduction of the Bride, which has a furious opening and closing. A lively Arabian Dance will follow. Peer Gynt’s Homecoming: Stormy Evening on the Sea depicts the raging storm. Finally, In the Hall of the Mountain King, when Peer sees trolls, gnomes and goblins dancing in their King's great hall.
Leroy Anderson: Sleigh Ride
While living in Connecticut, Anderson composed Sleigh Ride during a July heat wave! The brisk rhythm and imitations of horse hoof beats and whinnies ensured its popularity as a traditional Christmas time favourite. When Mitchell Parish added words in 1950, it became a best-selling record.
Our upcoming events, here at St John Baptist Church:
14th March 2026: CNSO competition day
A free-to-attend day of performances from the finalists of the CNSO Young Musicians Competition and the Concerto Competition.
21st March 2026: Leader Helena Todd plays the Barber Violin concerto
Join us as our orchestra leader steps forward to play this wonderful concerto, alongside music by Copland and Tchaikovsky.
Thank you very much for joining us today. We really appreciate your support and we look forward to seeing you again in 2026.
With special thanks to the City of Newport Symphony Orchestra committee members, concert day volunteers, St John Baptist Church, the Friends of CNSO (Mike Burgess, Annette Fillery-Travis and Bruce Perkins), Gwent Music and Ev-entz.
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for updates: @newportsymphony
Plus keep an eye on our website for all information: cnso.org.uk
The Orchestra is a registered charity and is run by a committee of various orchestra members and a yearly AGM is held. We welcome enquiries from members aged 16 and above and a minimum grade 5 standard.
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for updates: @newportsymphony
Plus keep an eye on our website for all information: cnso.org.uk
City of Newport Symphony Orchestra
Violin 1
Helena Todd
Chloe Menzies
Deborah Cooper
Javier Gonzalez
Emily Gibbons
Nadine Hazen
Sarah Norton
Steven Rodman
Violin 2
Julie Bellamy
Hannah Miller
Holly Chung
Samantha Elson
Mary Geldart
Mair Davies
Billy Donaghy
Viola
Juliet Grayson
Gareth Allmand
Huw Coburn
Meryl Jones
Clare Bailey
Elin Bartlett
Cello
Andrew Muggleton
Sana Raza
Andy Summers
Melanie Davies
David Rose
Double Bass
Karen Bowman
Robert Wyatt
Megan Burridge
Flute
Wendy Wade
Erin McGill
Lynne Fulcher
Piccolo
Lynne Fulcher
Oboe
Phil White
Malcolm James
Clarinet
Roberta Veryard
Angharad Kerr
Bassoon
Holly Wright
Joanna Shewan
French Horn
Tim Holliday
Rick Ward
Martyn Ford
Sarah Page
Trumpet
Niall Bell
Graham Middleton
Rebekah Middleton
Trombone
Philip Ellwood
David Edwards
Dave Rose
Tuba
Celyn Middleton
Percussion
Dennis Gardener
Katherine Evans
Cindy Tang
Musical Director: Anna Beresford
Anna is based in Cardiff, and is active as a freelance conductor, music librarian and music educator. She is currently Musical Director of Caerphilly Community Chorus and the City of Newport Symphony Orchestra, and in September 2025 she was appointed Musical Director for Tonyrefail Ladies Choir. Anna is currently the Trainee Conductor with the Welsh Chamber Orchestra, assisting Anthony Hose. Her work spans professional performance, community engagement and education, with a particular focus broadening access to high-quality music-making and leading with precision, warmth and imagination. In November, she conducted a new pop-up opera tour as part of Bradford Opera Festival. This December, Anna will be joining Brecon Festival Ballet as Assistant Conductor for their performances of The Nutcracker.
Orchestra Leader: Helena Todd
Helena started playing the violin at school aged 6. A member of the Cardiff county orchestras and the National Youth Orchestra of Wales, she went on to study violin performance at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama before training as a nurse. Helena has performed at weddings with the Aderyn Quartet, charity concerts and in orchestras including Brecknock Sinfonia, Gwent Chamber and most notably Abergavenny Symphony Orchestra, which she led 2018-2021. She achieved her ABRSM diploma in July 2021 with distinction and in Summer 2023 was awarded a scholarship to attend a Jazz course led by Peter Edwards and Violin masterclasses with Thomas Gould at Dartington Summer School. Helena is a keen advocate for making music in all its guises, accessible to all. She has undertaken work, thanks to the Spitalfield’s Trainee music leader scheme to explore means to modernise the traditional concert experience. Helena is grateful to Myriam Brunswick and the Citron family for the generous loan of a 1770 L. Hill violin.
Soloist: Charlotte Holmes
Charlotte is a third year flautist currently studying at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama where she is pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Performance under the tuition of Matthew Featherstone and Sarah Bennington, as well as the piccolo with Elizebeth May and Lindsey Ellis. During her time at the conservatoire, Charlotte has enjoyed performing with ensembles such as BBC National Orchestra of Wales, The National Youth Orchestra of Wales, Royal Welsh Wind Orchestra, Royal Welsh Chamber Winds and Cardiff Chamber Orchestra. Charlotte has performed works by composers such as Shostakovich, Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky in venues across London and Cardiff such as The Royal Festival Hall, The Royal Albert Hall, Bragwyn Hall and Cadogan Hall . In addition to this Charlotte has especially enjoyed performing as a concerto soloist in 2023 while touring Ravenna, Italy. Charlotte won the City of Newport Symphony Orchestra’s Concerto Competition in May 2025 and is excited to take the stage with the orchestra to perform Mozart’s Flute Concerto in G major this evening.
The CNSO Young Musicians Competitions are a vibrant celebration of young classical music talent, held at the historic St John Baptist Church in Newport. The competitions bring together some of the most promising young performers in the South Wales region in two rounds: the Young Musicians Competition (under 15) and the Concerto Competition (under 21).
The competition encourages young people to practice performing outside of academic settings or graded exams and gives feedback to all and further performance opportunities for the winners. Applications for 2026 have closed and we are delighted to have more entries than previous years.
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: Christmas Overture
Coleridge-Taylor was widely acclaimed during his short lifetime and Edward Elgar even described him as ‘far and away the cleverest fellow going among the younger men’. The Christmas Overture appeared posthumously, after Coleridge-Taylor died at the age of 37 in Croydon in 1912. Sydney Barnes arranged the piece in 1925 and it features God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen and Hark! the Herald Angels Sing.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Flute Concerto in G major
Soloist: Charlotte Holmes
Allegro maestoso - Adagio non troppo - Rondo: Tempo di menuetto
The Flute Concerto in G major was commissioned in 1777 when Mozart was 21 and staying in Mannheim, a stop-over on a long journey that was intended to make his name among the great, the good and the musical of Europe. At this time, Mozart's order book read "Three short, simple concertos and a couple of quartets for the flute", all at the request of a shadowy Dutchman call de Jean. Only two concertos ever emerged of the requested commissions and one of these is probably an arrangement of music that already existed: Mozart did not receive the full commission fee.
The first of them, in G major, was undeniably written specifically for de Jean and is far more subtle and searching than his other output at this time, particularly in the Adagio with its rich orchestral textures in the introduction and theatrical preparation for the soloist's entry. The outer movements contain plenty of Mozart's customary ingenuity and quiet wit. The work is scored for strings, oboes, flutes and french horns to accompany the soloist.
Grace Williams: Fantasia on Welsh Nursery Tunes
Written in 1940, the Fantasia is one of Barry-born Williams’ most loved works. The piece travels through childhood with the help of eight traditional tunes, including Migildi, Magildi, Si lwli mabi and Cadi Ha. Starting with a calling fanfare, the whole orchestra bounds through the lively sections of the work, with more soft and lilting sections showcasing woodwind solos. The fondness that Williams felt towards her homeland with its rich musical grounding is clear and she said that she wrote the piece quickly and with ease. She studied in London with Ralph Vaughan Williams and had an
extremely successful career, writing a large output of compositions. A few years after writing the Fantasia, Williams returned to live in Barry. She died in 1977 at the age of 70.
Edvard Grieg: Peer Gynt
The Peer Gynt story began with a Norwegian writer called Asbjørnsen who wrote Norse Fairy Tales in 1850, followed by a long dramatic poem by the great Norwegian dramatist Ibsen in 1867. He invited Grieg to write music for a stage adaptation. The story is about a peasant called Peer Gynt and portrays his downfall and redemption. Grieg was very pleased to have the invitation, but found it quite difficult to compose. However, his wife noticed an improvement: "the more he saturated his mind with the powerful poem, the more clearly he saw that he was the right man for a work of such witchery and so permeated with the Norwegian spirit". The first performance in 1876 was a hit with the audience in Oslo and Grieg conducted it himself. The original score was made of 26 pieces. In 1887 Grieg arranged four pieces as a concert suite and later added another four to make a second suite.
We will play seven of the movements this evening. Firstly Morning Mood, where Grieg thought of "the sun breaking through the clouds at the point in the score where the first 'forte' appears". Then the Death of Ase – where Peer battles danger to return home to witness the death of his mother. Anitra's Dance is a Bedouin princess dancing for Peer, having mistaken him for someone else. This is followed by Ingrid's Lament: The Abduction of the Bride, which has a furious opening and closing. A lively Arabian Dance will follow. Peer Gynt’s Homecoming: Stormy Evening on the Sea depicts the raging storm. Finally, In the Hall of the Mountain King, when Peer sees trolls, gnomes and goblins dancing in their King's great hall.
Leroy Anderson: Sleigh Ride
While living in Connecticut, Anderson composed Sleigh Ride during a July heat wave! The brisk rhythm and imitations of horse hoof beats and whinnies ensured its popularity as a traditional Christmas time favourite. When Mitchell Parish added words in 1950, it became a best-selling record.
Our upcoming events, here at St John Baptist Church:
14th March 2026: CNSO competition day
A free-to-attend day of performances from the finalists of the CNSO Young Musicians Competition and the Concerto Competition.
21st March 2026: Leader Helena Todd plays the Barber Violin concerto
Join us as our orchestra leader steps forward to play this wonderful concerto, alongside music by Copland and Tchaikovsky.
Thank you very much for joining us today. We really appreciate your support and we look forward to seeing you again in 2026.
With special thanks to the City of Newport Symphony Orchestra committee members, concert day volunteers, St John Baptist Church, the Friends of CNSO (Mike Burgess, Annette Fillery-Travis and Bruce Perkins), Gwent Music and Ev-entz.
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for updates: @newportsymphony
Plus keep an eye on our website for all information: cnso.org.uk