Classic FM star to narrate beloved children’s musical masterpiece at north Wales festival

Nation Cymru staff

A musical classic that has introduced millions of children to the orchestra is returning to north Wales to celebrate its 90th anniversary.

Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf will be performed at St Asaph Cathedral as one of the headline concerts of this year’s North Wales International Music Festival on Thursday, September 17.

Classic FM presenter and former BBC newsreader Zeb Soanes will narrate the much-loved masterpiece while the music will be played by the acclaimed NEW Sinfonia orchestra.

The concert will mark 90 years since Prokofiev wrote the famous musical tale in which each character is represented by a different instrument, helping generations of youngsters discover the sounds of the orchestra. The piece will also be British Sign Language interpreted by Rachel Green.

As well as the anniversary performance, the concert will premiere three new works inspired by endangered North Wales wildlife.

The specially commissioned pieces celebrate the red squirrel, pine marten and Snowdon leaf beetle, reflecting this year’s festival theme exploring the relationship between music and the natural world.

The festival, which features concerts, workshops and fringe events, has been made possible thanks to main grant funders the Arts Council of Wales and Colwinston Charitable Trust.

Other partners include the headline sponsors, Pendine Park care organisation, through the Pendine Arts and Community Trust (PACT), established by owners Mario Kreft MBE and his wife, Gill, along with Scops Arts Trust, Tŷ Cerdd, St Asaph City Council and Salisburys Chartered Accountants.

The NEW Sinfonia concert is being sponsored by festival stalwart Sue Last, who said: “I am proud to be a long-term supporter of the North Wales International Music Festival.

“Having followed the career of NEW Sinfonia and conductor Robert Guy over many years I am delighted to have the opportunity to sponsor this programme. This concert marks NEW Sinfonia’s 15 birthday, and the festival has been integral to their growth”.

Prof Paul Mealor, North Wales International Music Festival’s Artistic Director, said: “Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf is a renowned musical introduction to the orchestra for children.

“The story follows Peter who, with the help of his animal friends, outsmarts a wolf – the bird is the flute, the duck is the oboe; the cat is the clarinet, the grandfather is the bassoon and the wolf is the French horn.”

Zeb Soanes, who returns to St Asaph after taking part in a festival concert last year, said: “I was enchanted by St Asaph Cathedral on my first visit to last year’s festival and cannot wait to return to narrate Prokofiev’s timeless Peter and the Wolf — the perfect way to introduce children to a live orchestra — celebrating its 90th year.”

A well-known voice on radio Zeb presents Relaxing Evenings on Classic FM. During a 25-year career at the BBC he was an authoritative newsreader on Radio 4, the reassuring voice of The Shipping Forecast and presented the Proms on BBC Television.

As a concert presenter and narrator he has performed with the UK’s leading orchestras, ensembles and choirs.
Peter and the Wolf premiered at a children’s concert in the Moscow Conservatory with the Orchestra of the Moscow Philharmonic Society.

Since then the piece has become popular and different arrangements have been performed by numerous orchestras and ensembles.

In 1946 Walt Disney released his adaptation of the piece and accompanied by a re-release of the film Fantasia it was shown in cinemas across the USA.

The concert also features arrangements of Grieg’s Morning and In the Hall of the Mountain King from Peer Gynt, Ravel’s Tom Thumb from the Mother Goose suite and Rimsky Korsakov’s lively Flight of the Bumble Bee.

The festival’s theme for 2026 is Macrocosm: Music and Conservation and Prof Mealor said: “We will examine the ‘macrocosm’, which is the interconnectedness of all things, and how humans are both the problem and the solution.

“Scientists from all over the world have extensively documented the role that music and the arts can play in supporting and encouraging the preservation of our natural environments.

“We seek to explore these beneficial features for our environment in a specifically Welsh context through a series of concerts, workshops and conversations”.

Global opera star Sir Bryn Terfel will headline the opening concert on September 10, performing a selection of his favourite songs and sharing stories from his remarkable career.

Among the other highlights in 2026 is the Pendine Young Musician of Wales Grand Final which will take place on Wednesday, September 16.

The popular competition returns with young musicians from throughout Wales competing for the £4,000 prize money and Pendine Trophy.

Professor Helena Gaunt, Principal of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Iwan Llewelyn-Jones and Alun Jones will be the adjudicators for the concert.

On Friday, September 11, The Gesualdo Six, one of Britain’s leading a cappella groups will perform music from their latest album, Wishing Tree.

Taking centre stage the following evening will be 12 youngsters from the North Wales Music Cooperative.

Last April St Asaph Cathedral hosted the Royal Maundy service attended by King Charles III and Queen Camilla. It was the first time in 800 years that this ancient ceremony came to North Wales and only the second time in Wales.

Throughout the day, pupils from the North Music Cooperative performed for the Royal party, guests and visitors and in this special concert there will be performances from their Fusion Band, Percussion Ensemble, Jazz Band, and a host of outstanding soloists.

The BBC National Orchestra of Wales conducted by Tianyi Lu and harpist Alis Huws will perform the premiere of a harp concerto composed by Cameron Biles-Liddell as well as Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending and Beethoven’s Sixth symphony.

The festival closes with a choral concert featuring two choirs, Anglesey-based Encôr and Hen Nodiant from Cardiff.
Both are long-time rivals who have only ever met in competition at the National Eisteddfod and they will unite in song for the very first time.

Tickets and further details about the festival programme and the Pendine Young Musician of Wales competition are available online at https://nwimf.com. Tickets are also available from Cathedral Frames, St Asaph – 07471 318723 (Weds – Fri, 10 – 4) and Theatr Clwyd – 01352 344101 (Mon – Sat, 10 – 6).

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