Rising stars in the world of music – A Tillett Debut Artist 2024 and supported by the Countess of Munster Musical Trust
Programme:
Benjamin Britten – Pan, Niobe, Arethusa from the Six Metamorphoses
Clara Schumann – Three Romances
Felix Mendelssohn – Three songs without words, 67/2, 19/1, 19/2
JS Bach – Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen
Maurice Ravel – Sonatine arr. oboe and piano
Samuel Barber – Canzonetta
Lili Boulanger – Introduction and Cortège
Lili Boulanger – Elle etait descendue au bas de la prairie
Lili Boulanger – Nocturne
Lili Boulanger – D’un Matin de Printemps
Johannes Brahms – Violin Sonata No.2 in A Major arr. E. Millar and T. Boyles
Peter Facer – Manhattanhenge
Biographies
Ewan Millar is one of the most prominent young oboe soloists in the UK. In 2020 Ewan won the woodwind final of BBC Young Musician, advancing to the Grand Final, and giving an “exemplary, richly shaded account” (The Guardian), of Navarro’s “Legacy” concerto with the BBC Philharmonic. Since the competition he has been performing as a soloist in recitals around the UK, including at the Windsor, Cheltenham, and Lake District Summer Music Festivals. In 2025 he won the coveted Gold Medal at the Royal Over-Seas League competition at Wigmore Hall. He is supported by both the Tillett Debut Scheme and Countess of Munster Recital Scheme, helping him secure further recital opportunities around the UK over the coming years. In 2023 he was selected as a Hattori Foundation Senior Award winner. Ewan’s long-time collaborative pianist is the exciting young soloist Tomos Boyles.
As a freelancer, he has performed as principal oboe with the RPO, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Aurora Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia, Birmingham Royal Ballet, and principal cor anglais with the LPO and BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2024 Ewan joined the award-winning wind quintet Lumas Winds, with whom he performs around the country.
Ewan did his undergraduate at St. Hilda’s College, Oxford, and his postgraduate at RAM, where he was awarded the Bicentennial Prize and Janet Craxton Memorial Prize, as well as winning the departmental Oboe Prize. He studied primarily with Melanie Ragge, while also receiving lessons from Christopher Cowie, and Patrick Flanaghan for cor anglais.
Beyond oboe he is also a jazz pianist, gigging regularly in bars and restaurants around Oxford and London. Ewan is a Howarth Artist, and plays on a Howarth XM oboe, which he was kindly aided in buying by the Gerald Finzi Trust.
Described as possessing a ‘romantic flair and passion that only comes from intense involvement’ (Carol Nixon, LMC), rising Welsh musician Tomos Boyles is rapidly carving out a career as a young and exciting concert pianist. He has performed at numerous prestigious venues including Smith Square Hall, the Elgar Concert Hall, St Martin in the Fields, the Holywell Music Room in Oxford, St David’s Hall in Cardiff, and the Wales Millennium Centre. Recent performances include solo recitals at the Ludlow Piano Festival, the Beaumaris Festival, and the Wigmore Hall.
He has enjoyed success in competitions, having recently been awarded the first prize at the 2025 Dudley International Piano Competition. Other top prizes include first prize at the Wales International Piano Festival, the prestigious Blue Ribband at the National Eisteddfod of Wales, and first place in the EPTA competition. His interviews have been published by the Cross-Eyed Pianist’s ‘Meet the Artist’ series and broadcasted by S4C and BBC Wales.
Tomos graduated from Christ Church, Oxford University in 2022 with a first-class degree in music having held a scholarship during his studies. Now a postgraduate student at the Royal Academy of Music in London, he works under Professor Rustem Hayroudinoff, having previously studied with Alison Bowring. He was recently awarded the Royal Academy’s prestigious Bicentenary Scholarship, which will support his studies for an Advanced Artist Diploma next year. He has benefitted from masterclasses with such pianists as Llŷr Williams, Joanna MacGregor, Leif Ove Andsnes, and Artur Pizarro. His studies are generously supported by the Countess of Munster Musical Trust, the John Fussell Memorial Trust Fund, the Robert Turnbull Piano Foundation, and the William Mealings Award.
The Seaton Music 2026 Annual General Meeting will be held during the interval of this concert.
Note: this concert is NOT included in the price of a 2025/2026 Season Tickets but is FREE for Members of Seaton Music.