Composer Paul Mealor will premiere new work at North Wales International Music Festival

A new work by Paul Mealor, one of the world’s most performed living composers, is being premiered at North Wales International Music Festival this month. The royal composer wrote the piano concerto after being jointly commissioned by the festival and the JAM on the Marsh Festival in Kent.

Mealor came to prominence a decade ago when one of his compositions, Ubi Caritas, featured at the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.

The piece, Mealor’s second concerto, was performed by pianist John Frederick Hudson and the NEW Sinfonia conducted by Robert Guy in front of a live audience for the first time at St Asaph Cathedral last month before a sell-out audience. The recording of this performance will play an important part in the festival which which is being held in a hybrid format for the very first time this year and resumes virtually on November 15, with the concerts free to watch.

The festival’s artistic director, Ann Atkinson, said the live performance was ‘mesmerizing’ and was performed ‘as it should be’ in front of a live audience. She added: ‘NEW Sinfonia gave a wonderful performance and John Frederick Hudson gave an electrifying rendition of the piece. We were pleased to commission the concerto jointly with JAM in the Marsh and so pleased we were able to give Paul, his family and the audience the opportunity to hear it played live. I am sure it will be equally good to hear the recording when it is broadcast as part of this year's hybrid event.’