ACCLAIMED baritone Roderick Williams has concluded his year-long tenure as Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra’s artist-in-residence, with a concert with the orchestra, and a song recital, both at Poole’s Lighthouse arts centre.
He also visited Longfleet CE Primary School at Poole, where he joined an assembly and shared in a workshop with pianist Simon Gilliver and music leader Hazel Gould.
Music teacher, Kate Wright, said: “The staff and pupils who heard Roddy’s singing were spellbound by his beautiful voice, especially those very low notes! We have many young singers and instrumentalists who were inspired by seeing what is possible with dedication and practice.
“The Year 3 pupils who did the workshop were so excited to share their ideas and perform their own music. The creative juices were definitely flowing and I know that some of them were excited to go home and write another song.
“These magical moments are the ones that stay with our pupils and have an impact that lasts well beyond the day that they happen, thank you so much!”
Roddy, who received an OBE in 2017 for services to music and performed at the Coronation of King Charles III in 2023, made his final appearance as artist-in-residence with the BSO, Bournemouth Symphony Chorus and soloists soprano Talise Trevigne, mezzo-soprano Anita Monserrat and tenor Joshua Stewart under chief conductor Mark Wigglesworth for BSO: Lost In Innocence, which included Aaron Copland’s 1945 orchestral suite Appalachian Spring and Sir Michael Tippett’s wartime secular oratorio A Child of Our Time.
His song recital with pianist Christopher Glynn – which recreates Schubert’s famous Winterreise song cycle with music written by British composers, is available to watch online until 30th May.
Roddy, who began his career as a classroom music teacher before taking up singing seriously in his late 20s, has also taken part in BSO Participate events during his residency, including joining the Participate team on its regular work with Southampton Hospitals Charity, performing for staff, visitors and patients of all ages.
Previous Artists-in-Residence have included pianist Gabriela Montero, violinist Alena Baeva and the exceptional German horn player Felix Klieser. BSO chief executive Dougie Scarfe says: “Each season the BSO is proud to work with an extraordinarily talented musician as our Artist-in-Residence – and I can honestly say that Roddy has been an absolute star.
“Roddy’s work with our own talented musicians and out in the community as part of BSO Participate programme has been completely inspirational and we will treasure the memory of his time here.”
Details of Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra’s 2026/27 season have now been announced. Highlights include the launch of a two-year Beethoven series, the arrival of Grammy-award winning Thomas Adès as ‘Celebrated Composer’ and Gramophone award-winning pianist Boris Giltburg as Artist-in-Residence – plus the new Calleva Assistant Conductor, Michal Oren.