Artistic team
Project Manager and Curator
Robert Guy hails from North Wales and is a conductor and presenter who passionately believes in utilising the art's unique potential to communicate, connect and empower. Robert is an outstanding musician who is in high demand and has conducted more of the standard classical repertoire than most of his generation. His repertoire covers an impressive breadth of music from early classical to contemporary, working with orchestras, chamber ensembles, choirs and opera. An advocate of new music he has conducted 47 world premières.
He has been involved in many prestigious concerts including being Assistant Conductor to Simon Halsey and the BBC Proms Youth Choir at the BBC Proms and making his debuts with the Orchestra of Opera North and Huddersfield Choral Society. He enjoys a close relationship with Manchester Camerata where he has performed with Tine Thing Helseth, conducted and presented concerts for Orchestra Live, recorded for Sony Playstation and performed for the Manchester International Festival. Robert is Principal Guest Conductor to Stockport Symphony Orchestra and guest conducts Immix Ensemble, a new music ensemble based in Liverpool.
Jon Guy is a music creator based in Stockport, with a strong attachment to North Wales where he grew up and continues to produce and perform music. He is a cofounder of NEW Sinfonia. Originally its purpose was to provide professional experience to emerging musicians, but now they want to be a trailblazer in creating new musical experiences for new audiences in Wales and beyond.
His role as Co-artistic Director and Composer in Residence with NEW Sinfonia allows him to explore his broad interest in many genres of music, drawing inspiration from a range of music creators on the orchestra’s collaborative projects.
As well composing and performing with NEW Sinfonia, as a clarinettist Jon has performed with the Orchestra of Opera North, BBC Philharmonic, Manchester Camerata, Northern Chamber Orchestra and is the Bass Clarinettist with the IMMIX Contemporary Music Ensemble who are based in Liverpool.
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Bethan is an award winning harpist and pianist based in North Wales, she graduated with a Master of Performance on Harp with Distinction in 2019 and was awarded the prestigious Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother Rose Bowl award. Bethan won first prize in the National Eisteddfod harp solo as well as being chosen as a finalist in the prestigious Blue Riband competition on two occasions. In 2016 she was awarded the Nansi Richards Scholarship for harpists as well as the Royal College of Music Harp Prize.
Bethan performs with many orchestras across the UK including NEW Sinfonia - resident orchestra at the North Wales International Music Festival, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Birmingham Contemporary Music Group. A keen chamber musician, Bethan performs regularly with her Flute and Harp group, ‘Hefin Duo’ as well as ‘Trilogy’, a flute, harp and viola trio.
Katherine is soprano and conductor from Cardiff who made her professional opera debut last summer at Buxton International Festival as the lead role in Jonathan Dove’s ‘The Enchanted Pig’. She recently graduated from the University of Manchester with a First-Class Honours degree where she studied voice with Catherine Mikic and received the Procter-Gregg Prize for best third year recital. Previously, Katherine studied voice, violin, and French horn as part of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama’s Junior advanced course.
She also took part in a masterclass with Dame Felicity Lott as part of Cardiff Singer of the World and, in 2019, reached the UK national final of the Rotary Club’s vocal competition. Katherine has sung and played with many ensembles lead by prestigious conductors including Andrew Wilson Dixon’s early music choir Welsh Camerata; the National Youth Choir of Wales with Tim Rhys Evans and Neil Ferris; the National Youth Orchestra of Wales with Carlo Rizzi and Andrew Litton; Ad Solem; The Hallé Chorus; Manchester Cathedral Choir; and Cardiff County Youth Choir and Orchestra.