Sarah Lianne Lewis wins National Eisteddfod Composer’s Medal

The winner of the Composer’s Medal at the 2025 Wrexham National Eisteddfod is Sarah Lianne Lewis.

She received her award during a special ceremony at the Eisteddfod Pavilion in Is-y-Coed near Wrexham on Saturday evening.

The Composer’s Medal is awarded to the most promising composer for a chamber ensemble composition, using imagery from Rhondda Cynon Taf as inspiration.

To mark the centenary of the birth of Islwyn Ffowc Elis, one of Wrexham’s most prominent sons, this year’s theme for the Composer’s Medal was Cymru Fydd (“The Wales to Come”).

Wythnos yng Nghymru Fydd

Eisteddfod organisers invited composers to present ideas on how they could respond musically to his epic science fiction novel Wythnos yng Nghymru Fydd (“A Week in the Wales to Come”).

The judges for the award were Richard Baker, Lleuwen Steffan, and Graeme Park.

Mr Baker praised all three composers for producing exceptional work. In his adjudication, he said: “In line with the novel’s message, each composer looks to the future with hope. But also: there is a consistent sense of anxiety pressing on that hope. The challenge was to convey this concept through instrumental music, and all three should be praised for their ambition.

“It was very difficult to reach a decision. To be honest, we didn’t entirely agree. In the end, it came down to personal taste. But we have a winner. Complex ideas require top-tier technical resources to realize, and the winning piece meets the competition’s requirements perfectly.”

Speaking about the winning piece, he said: “Cysgodion Bywiog (‘Vivid Shadows’) by Sarah Lianne Lewis focuses on the most famous scene in Elis’s novel, when the main character meets the Old Woman of Bala, the last speaker of the Welsh language.

“The piece is highly theatrical with a strong narrative, and the dialogue is very clear between the
material representing grief and the material representing hope.”

Premiere

The winner was one of three composers who worked with professional musicians for the premiere of her winning piece. The runners up were were Jonathan Guy and Owain Gruffydd Roberts.

Sarah studied at Cardiff University, earning a BA (Hons) in Music and History and an MA in Composition. Since then, her music has been performed in Europe, Canada, and Australia, broadcast on several radio stations in the UK and Europe, and featured in numerous international festivals.

As a composer and soloist, she also runs workshops in schools, focusing on nurturing creativity and composition in the classroom, as well as leading vocal masterclasses for amateur musicians.

The Cymru Fydd Composer’s Medal project offers a paid opportunity for three music creators to compose for a Sinfonia Cymru chamber ensemble. Over recent months, the three selected composers worked with three highly versatile string players: Simmy Singh (violin), David Shaw (violin/viola), and Garwyn Linnell (cello) in workshops leading up to a live performance of their works on the final day of the Eisteddfod.

All three composers received a fee for participating in the face-to-face workshops and online sessions. In addition to the medal, the winner received a £750 cash prize.

The project is a partnership between the Eisteddfod, Tŷ Cerdd, Sinfonia Cymru, and the Welsh Music Society, with this year’s mentor-composer being Professor Pwyll ap Siôn.