MAESTRO
Great musicians need a great audience. Be one of them…
About Maestro
Continuing on from the hugely successful 2025 Maestro series a new Maestro season beings January 2027, bringing some of the world’s most famous musicians to perform and teach in Somerset each year. Offering music-lovers across the South West a unique chance to hear remarkable performances up close in the award-winning, intimate surroundings of Cedars Hall in Wells.
World-class artists know from their own training that direct contact with the great performers is paramount for exceptional young musicians. These are crucial visits therefore. But despite huge generosity on fees and teaching from the artists themselves, they are also expensive. Ticket sales alone will never cover the costs in full, and Cedars Hall needs your support in bridging this gap by joining our Maestro Membership scheme.
Maestro Membership Opportunities
Maestro Member
£50 per year
Priority booking for the 2027 season
Access to any public teaching taking place alongside the concerts you attend
The Maestro Season Ticket: opportunity to purchase up to two season tickets with transferable access to all concerts. The Maestro Season Ticket costs £260, which represents a saving of more than 25% across the whole year. A membership and a season ticket costs less than buying individual tickets.
Maestro Sponsor
£300 per year
Sponsorships help Somerset’s young musicians, in and beyond the School, to attend concerts and classes free of charge.
Includes all Maestro Member Benefits
Invitations to pre-concert drinks
Acknowledgement of support in concert programmes (if desired)
Maestro Donor
Help us nurture the next generation of exceptional young musicians through the Maestro concert and masterclass series.
If you would like to explore making a donation or supporting Maestro in a more substantial way, we would be delighted to hear from you.
2027 Maestro Programme
Priority booking for Members and Sponsors only; general booking opens on 23rd November 2026
A season ticket is only available to those who have purchased a membership. Please see above.
You will be able to log into your membership and purchase your season ticket by clicking the button below
As she prepares to retire from public performance, the much-loved Imogen Cooper is joined by baritone Henk Neven for Schubert’s Winterreise. This profound journey through the human soul is a fitting choice as she approaches the end of an extraordinary performing career. One of the last opportunities to hear this remarkable pianist in concert.
Steven Osborne returns to his “ideal hall” with a programme full of contrasts. Schumann’s playful Papillons and Ravel’s Valses nobles et sentimentales sit alongside miniature gems by Satie, Lili Boulanger and others. After the interval comes Schubert’s final piano sonata: an expansive, deeply moving masterpiece to savour up close.
Timothy Ridout, one of the finest violists of his generation, joins acclaimed pianist Mishka Rushdie Momen for an evening of lyrical discoveries. Schubert’s beloved Arpeggione Sonata and music by Hummel reveal the instrument’s singing voice, while Clara Schumann’s intimate variations and Brahms’s richly expressive First Cello Sonata complete this wonderfully varied programme.
From Mozart’s dramatic C minor Fantasia to Chopin’s sweeping F minor Fantaisie, Leon McCawley explores a world of musical imagination. Beethoven’s exuberant early sonata joins Grieg’s powerful Ballade, with more intimate discoveries from Fanny Mendelssohn and Samuel Barber. An evening of vivid contrasts, poetry and pianistic colour at Cedars Hall.
One of the country’s best-loved baritones returns with pianist Simon Lepper for an evening celebrating the richness of song in English. From Moeran, Rebecca Clarke and Warlock to Vaughan Williams and Sarah Cattley, they explore familiar favourites and discoveries, including songs by Doreen Carwithen, Joan Trimble and Dorothy Herbert.
One of today’s most compelling violinists, Alina Ibragimova is joined by pianist Cédric Tiberghien in a programme expected to include the First Sonatas of Brahms and Bartók, alongside works by Kreisler and Kurtág. A rare opportunity to experience her exceptional imagination, intensity and sensitivity in the intimate surroundings of Cedars Hall.
Tickets
Jazz returns to Maestro as saxophonist Iain Ballamy brings his distinctive musical voice to Cedars Hall. The freedom of improvisation, the pleasure of melody and the conversation between musicians offer a different kind of musical discovery. Join us for an evening of invention and the immediacy of live performance.
A truly special moment for Maestro as we welcome the legendary Midori to Wells. For decades, she has captivated audiences on the world’s greatest stages, combining breathtaking virtuosity with profound musical insight. Equally passionate about inspiring the next generation, Midori embodies the very spirit of Maestro. To welcome an artist of such international distinction to Cedars Hall, both to perform and to work with our young musicians, is an extraordinary privilege.
Following his memorable visit in our first season, Sir Stephen Hough returns with a programme of drama, poetry and dazzling pianism. Ballades by Debussy and Liszt, Ravel’s elegant waltzes and Liszt’s fiery Mephisto Waltz lead to all four Chopin Ballades after the interval. A recital to stir the imagination.
Tickets
Following the overwhelming success of their last visit, we welcome the Brodsky Quartet back to Maestro. One of the world’s most distinguished string quartets, they bring profound musical insight and extraordinary depth of expression. Their return promises an exhilarating evening, revealing the intensity, intimacy and deeply moving power of four musicians united in musical conversation.