BBC NOW Spain Tour 2026

Grace joined the BBC National Orchestra of Wales on their tour of Spain in April 2026 as part of the 1st violin section.

The orchestra performed concerts in Alicante, Barcelona, Zaragoza and Madrid.

⭐️ A five-star review for the concert with conductor Jaime Martín and soloist Akiko Suwanai at the Princess Leonor Auditorium, Zaragoza in Spain.

Review by Luis Alfonso Bes for HERALDO:

“The BBC National Orchestra of Wales, under the baton of a Jaime Martín at the height of his interpretive powers, offered a musical display that moved with ease between maritime mysticism and romantic virtuosity. The Welsh musicians opened with Grace Williams's Sea Sketches.

The solo string section displayed solid cohesion and a beautiful timbre, especially in Breakers, where they produced a crystalline sound. Martín's baton navigated with precision through the lyricism of Sailing Song and the melancholy of Channel sirens, but it was in High Wind where the ensemble truly shone: the integrated crescendos effectively recreated the ebb and flow of the waves. The closing piece, Calm Sea in Summer, was an exercise in immaculate purity, with the strings in an extremely high register.

The highlight came with Saint-Saëns's Violin Concerto No. 3. Akiko Suwanai, armed with her historic Guarneri del Gesù bow, gave a masterclass in technique and style. Her mastery of the bow, from tip to heel, and her flawless fingering allowed her to draw out a deep and dramatic sound from the very beginning.

The Andantino was pure silk; the interplay of its harmonics with the clarinets created an iconic pastoral moment of peace.

In the finale, her heroic recitative and the counterpoint of a resounding brass rounded off a performance of immense prodigality, culminating in an encore of an exquisitely introspective Bach Andante.

The second half was dedicated to the Variations. Elgar's enigma. Martín made the orchestra flow with overwhelming nobility.

The Nimrod was the emotional heart of the evening, and the final self-portrait (EDU) was triumphant, highlighting a high-quality viola section. To close, the opening of Glinka's Ruslan and Ludmila served as an orchestral pyrotechnic encore, culminating an evening of undeniable artistic excellence.”

BBC NATIONAL ORCHESTRA OF WALES ⭐⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Programme: Sea Sketches by Grace Williams; Violin Concerto No. 3 by Camille Saint-Saëns; and Enigma Variations by Edward Elgar. Violin: Akiko Suwanai. Conductor: Jaime Martin.

Princess Leonor Auditorium, Zaragoza. April 27, 2026

Photograph taken by Antoni Bofill.

Palau de la Musica Catalana.