Young Welsh Composer to have new work premiered at Llangollen Eisteddfod

Adam Johannes

A young Welsh composer has said it “means the world” after landing the biggest moment of his career so far, opening the world-famous Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod with his own music.

Sam Buttler, 29, from Cardiff, will see his specially commissioned new work premiered at the festival’s opening night in July 2026, sharing the spotlight with Welsh music legend Sir Karl Jenkins.

His piece, currently under the working title, Greeting the Dawn, will provide the opening fanfare for Uniting Nations: One World, a concert bringing together musicians from across the globe.

The commission was awarded as part of a new Eisteddfod initiative, Harmony Without Borders, designed to nurture emerging Welsh talent. Supported by the Arts Council of Wales, the scheme offered a £6,000 paid commission to create a bilingual work for choir and orchestra.

Speaking about finding out that he had been chosen, Buttler said: “I’ve never had an opportunity on this scale and to not only open the festival, but to have my music alongside Sir Karl Jenkins’s – another Welsh oboist and composer – is something I don’t think I could have ever imagined.”

He added: “It means so much that my music will open the Eisteddfod, as so often the ‘new music’ is not given such a prominent spot. I can’t thank everyone involved enough.”

The special evening also features Sir Karl Jenkins conducting his acclaimed work One World, which reflects on the harm humans have inflicted on the natural world while holding open a hopeful vision of a peaceful, egalitarian planet rooted in care, balance, and respect for nature.

Peace

The festival has long been more than just a celebration of music. It began in 1947 with a bold hope that the Welsh tradition of the eisteddfod could help heal the deep wounds left by the Second World War, offering a small bridge toward lasting peace.

In 1949, just four years after the end of the war, that hope of reconciliation was put to a real test. A choir from Lübeck, Germany, came to compete, crossing a continent still heavy with memory and mistrust.

They were met at Llangollen station with a tearful welcome from the eisteddfod helpers and townspeople, offered tea and sandwiches. Later, the festival’s compere, Hywel Roberts, introduced the choir with the words: “Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our friends from Germany.”

Reflecting on the spirit of the festival, Buttler said: “Wales has such an incredible musical culture…The spirit of the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod also really appealed to me. Music has the power to bring people together and can be a real force for good.”

Though still at the beginning of his career, Buttler has already made his mark. Alongside composing, he is a committed music educator and is completing a PhD in Music Composition at King’s College London.

He first picked up an instrument at four, later performing with the National Youth Orchestra of Wales and National Youth Wind Orchestra of Wales before studying at Oxford and Royal Holloway. In 2024, Buttler released his debut EP with Ensemble Matters, To the Waters and the Wild….

He has won the Paul Mealor Award for Young Composers and had work performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.

The Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod runs from July 7–12, 2026