My life in music
Sophie Lewis is a major figure in British classical music. Nigel Jarrett talked to her about orchestras, life in Monmouthshire and unlikely tunes on i-players…
I
f music really does have charms to soothe the savage beast, beautiful countryside cannot be too far
behind. The comparison will not be
lost on Sophie Lewis, who loves Monmouthshire and its borderlands almost as much as she’s devoted to the works of Bach, Handel and Mozart, to name just three of her favourite composers. Sophie, from Tutshill, near
Chepstow, is general manager of Sinfonia Cymru, the Cardiff-based orchestra of young professionals founded by its conductor, Gareth Jones, in 1996 and making a huge impression on classical music in Britain. The orchestra regularly makes
concert tours in Wales and includes in its itinerary the Riverfront at Newport, where smaller groups of its members perform at lunchtime recitals. It also plays at St David’s Hall, Cardiff, and at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Its stature owes so much to Sophie’s
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administrative skills that she was named 2012 UK Orchestra Manager of the Year, triumphing over candidates who head some of the finest musical ensembles in the world. Her husband is the busy violinist
Simon Lewis and their daughter, Gracie, attends a local primary school. Having formerly lived in a small Welsh village, they believe Chepstow is almost metropolitan. “The town has everything you
need and the people are so friendly and relaxed,” Sophie says. “I love walking over the old bridge and seeing the castle rise out of the river bed. Picturesque surroundings and fantastic transport links make Chepstow the perfect place to live.” Born in Reading, she studied Classics
at Swansea and Durham universities before embarking on an arts management career, first in London with English National Opera, followed by a stint at the Arts Council, and then as manager of the Orchestra of Welsh National Opera, where she met Simon,
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